Should the New England Patriots trade for David Njoku?

Should the New England Patriots be interested in trading for David Njoku?

Just a few short seasons ago, the New England Patriots had one of the most feared and talented tight end groups in the entire NFL while quarterback Tom Brady relied heavily on those targets both in the middle of the field and especially in the red zone.

But ever since that group dissolved headlined by the retirement of tight end Rob Gronkowski a few years ago, the Patriots have struggled to find a tight end target to fill that hole once claimed by one of the top tight ends in the league.

The need at tight end is one of the biggest remaining weaknesses on New England and there could be some targets it looks to give a look at in the free-agent market leading up to the season and to throw into the mix of the passing game likely to be led by the newly signed Cam Newton under center.

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But there could be another player to target on the trade market if Bill Belichick and company would like to go that route. That being Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku.

Over the holiday weekend, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Njoku has requested a trade from Cleveland to try and seek a fresh start elsewhere. With Njoku potentially available to teams leading up to training camp and the season, could New England go after the talented tight end to answer a big question mark in the middle of the offense? It would take some work, but could be done.

In 2019, tight ends Matt LaCosse and Ryan Izzo were basically the only two threats and targets within the Patriots offense. This offseason, New England did draft a pair of tight ends in the NFL Draft with the selections of Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in the middle rounds of the draft, two prospects who could eventually earn some playing time both in their rookie seasons and into the future.

Those are currently the four tight ends listed on the Patriots depth chart at the position, so an addition of a talent like Njoku could help both that unit as well as the rest of the New England offense.

Njoku, who will turn 24 years old in the middle of July, wrapped up his third season in the NFL and with the Browns in 2019. During the season, he only managed to appear in four games for Cleveland after dealing with some injury issues, totaling five catches for 41 yards and a touchdown.

Njoku’s best season to date came during the 2018 campaign when he recorded 56 receptions for 639 yards and four touchdowns.

The intriguing thing about Njoku outside of the fact that he is still young and could be entering the prime years of his career is that he is a big target that could assist in the passing game and blocking in the rush attack. At 6-4, 250 pounds, the tight end is a speedy player that fits the mold of what the Patriots look for in a target in the middle of the field and in the red zone.

New England, unfortunately, has less than $1 million in cap space available, so some other moves would have to take place in order for this trade to be valid, but it’s certainly a possibility to consider.

If the Patriots were able to add Njoku to the tight end group, he would immediately emerge as a top tight end on the depth chart and could fill a hole in the middle of the offense that has been present ever since Gronkowski departed a few years ago.