Cleveland Browns: Tight ends could be key to offense in 2017

By Kristopher Knox | Jul 11, 2017

Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images /

The Cleveland Browns have a lot of uncertainty heading into training camp, especially offensively. The potential at tight end isn’t part of that.

Even after an active free agency and what was perceived as a strong draft, the Cleveland Browns have questions. That’s just how it is when you’re a rebuilding franchise coming off a 1-15 season.

The Browns don’t know who will start at quarterback. It could be second-year man Cody Kessler. It could be former Houston Texans disappointment Brock Osweiler, and it could also be rookie DeShone Kizer.

Cleveland doesn’t know who that quarterback’s No. 1 target, either. The team allowed Terrelle Pryor to walk in free agency, replacing him with journeyman Kenny Britt. 2016 first-round pick Corey Coleman is dealing with yet another hamstring injury. Fellow second-year receivers like Rashard Higgins and Ricardo Louis might be able to step up, but right now they remain unknowns.

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What the Browns can be more certain about is the fact they have three athletic pass-catching tight ends on the roster in David Njoku, Seth DeValve and Randall Telfer. Njoku, one of Cleveland’s three first-round picks this offseason, is an incredible threat, both as a receiver and as a blocker. As good as he can be right away, draft analysts also lauded his potential.

Meanwhile, DeValve was a wide receiver at Princeton, while Telfer was a track athlete and basketball player in high school. This trio of tight ends is on the raw side, but it could be the key to Cleveland’s passing offense in 2017.

Browns tight end coach Greg Seamon recently explained via the team’s official website:

"Teams are finding so many versatile athletes playing the position in college. You see more and more teams that play with multiple tight ends, The spread offense is a throw-it-first offense, and there are a lot of players out there that are in the 6-foot-4, 225-pound range coming out of high school that were maybe good basketball players and good track athletes, and they’re becoming the tight ends of our time. We get them, and you can use them in so many ways."

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If Cleveland’s tight ends can begin reaching their potential this season, the Browns offense might actually be competitive — even if questions remain at quarterback and receiver. The team has a solid base along the offensive line and in the backfield, and guys like Njoku, DeValve and Telfer have the potential to create mismatches in the passing game.

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