Pro Bowler David Njoku’s injury may signal a Chiefs or Saints trade this season. According to a report, one source believes the Broncos should trade for Njoku once he’s healthy. It makes sense that the Browns could put him on the trading block since they’ll likely be sellers this season after going 1-4 so far. Originally selected as the No. 29 pick in the 2017 NFL Draft by Cleveland, the veteran was one of the most consistent tight ends in the league before injuries hindered his production.
However, the 2024 campaign has one of his worst, notching just five receptions for 58 yards in two games. He missed the last two matchups and now there’s no designation for his return. It’ll be smart for the Browns to sell him to a team that needs extra depth or a tight end that can make an immediate impact. Last season, the veteran caught 81 receptions for 882 yards and six touchdowns, catching passes from different quarterbacks.
Njoku should improve with a different team that could bring the best out of him. He still has one year left on his four-year contract so the Browns should trade him to gain better draft capital. The Browns may not gain much but the Chiefs and Saints should be interested.
Pro Bowler David Njoku Injury May Signal Chiefs, Saints Trade
More Firepower for Mahomes
Travis Kelce isn’t the same player anymore and even though Njoku isn’t healthy, they could utilize him for the postseason. Patrick Mahomes hasn’t been himself this year and the passing game may get worse since losing Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice. Kelce may still return to being productive again but age is catching up to him despite denying he’s retiring anytime soon. Head Coach Andy Reid was hoping the Chiefs didn’t have a wide receiver problem again this year but they still went on to win a Super Bowl.
However, the team probably won’t get away with it this time since familiar names like Kadarius Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling aren’t around. It doesn’t help Mahomes being that he doesn’t have a healthy Isiah Pacheco to make quick dump-off plays so it might be better to stay safe and sign Njoku. He wouldn’t need to play a full-time role for this team to contribute but something to be another perhaps a security blanket for Mahomes down the field. Njoku is best when a team could utilize him in winning situations and the Chiefs are the team for that.
Extra Tight End Insurance
The Saints probably have one of the worst collections of tight ends including Juwan Johnson this year. Quarterback Spencer Rattler is taking over for Derek Carr so he’s going to need more production from his targets. He probably won’t play on the same level as Carr but Dennis Allen should ensure him that he has enough weapons to work with. Njoku may not be healthy now but the team could use him once he’s back and fill in for Johnson who’s having a disastrous rookie year.
Johnson only has nine receptions for 70 yards and one touchdown. They can’t rely on Taysom Hill since he’s more of a special-teams type player. Even if they get Njoku, they could get him in the mix to give Rattler great blocks so he could throw passes to Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed more efficiently.
