The Cleveland Browns are expected to be sellers ahead of the Nov. 4 NFL trade deadline.
Cleveland could look to trade the likes of David Njoku and Jerome Ford, as they both have been replaced by rookies. Although Njoku is a solid tight end, the Browns are unlikely to get much in return for him.
Browns insider Zac Jackson of The Athletic expects Cleveland to only receive a fifth-round pick at most in a potential trade return for Njoku.
“It’s hard to imagine Njoku bringing back more than a fifth- or sixth-rounder, though any potential deal might follow the model of last year’s Smith trade and the early October Browns-Bengals Joe Flacco deal in which the teams swapped draft picks on each side,” Jackson wrote. “On Monday, the Browns claimed tight end Brenden Bates off waivers and signed tight end Caden Prieskorn to the practice squad.
“Those moves don’t necessarily mean the Browns are preparing for a post-Njoku existence, but they do raise an eyebrow. In an Njoku trade, the acquiring team would only take on the prorated amount of his $1.26 million base salary for 2025. Njoku, 29, is eligible for free agency after the season but is due to count about $24 million on next year’s salary cap from the Browns using an up-front cash payment to stretch out his deal in 2023.”
Njoku is in the final year of his four-year, $54.75 million deal with the Browns. Although Cleveland may only get a fifth-round pick, the Browns don’t need Njoku and could deal him before Tuesday’s deadline.
Insider: Browns ‘Could Do Right’ By Njoku
Although Cleveland may not get much for Njoku, the Browns could trade him to a contender.
Njoku’s playing time has decreased with the rise of rookie Harold Fannin Jr., which is why his name has come up in trade rumors.
With that, NFL insider Albert Breer of SI reports that the Browns want to do what is best for Njoku.
“The Browns aren’t aggressively working the phones to sell off pieces, but tight end David Njoku looks like a name to watch, if Cleveland gets a firm offer and Njoku signs off on the idea—the team would want to do right by him,” Breer wrote. “That said, this is another team that wants to support its young quarterback, for reasons different than Tennessee’s. In this case, it’d be to get as clean a read on them as possible ahead of 2026.”
Njoku has spent his entire career with the Browns after being selected 29th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft by Cleveland.
Kevin Stefanski: Offense has to be Better
The Browns are on their bye week, and when Cleveland returns, Dillon Gabriel will remain the starting quarterback.
Despite his struggles, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski believes the offense in general needs to be better.
“I just want to make the point that we just have to be better in every area. And we’ll look at everything we do, including how we’re putting these guys in position to succeed,” Stefanski said. “Are we doing enough? When I say looking at every position, are we doing enough with the quarterback position? Do we need to do a better job? And I think I know the answer is yes.”
The Browns will play the New York Jets in Week 10.
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