If David Njoku leaves the Cleveland Browns in free agency, what are some landing spots that could make sense for 2022 and beyond?
The 2022 NFL free agency class at the tight end position is extremely good. Loaded with an outstanding combination of experience, star power, youth, and potential, this is the year to go after a free agent tight end if you are a team in need.
The tight end position in today’s NFL is about as open to interpretation as ever. Some offenses prioritize multiple tight ends with diverse skills while others prefer big slots.
Cleveland Browns free agent David Njoku rescinded his request to be traded last offseason and wound up having a productive season overall. Njoku only played in 17 games between 2019 and 2020 and with both Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant in the fold, it felt like a trade was really the only option.
Instead, he caught 36 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns, a nice season for him all things considered with free agency on deck. Where is he going for 2022 and beyond?
David Njoku top landing spot no. 1: New York Jets
One team you can bet is going to be pursuing a free agent tight end in the 2022 offseason is the New York Jets. Njoku is a former all-state selection in New Jersey in high school at Cedar Grove, a hop, skip, and a jump away from Met Life Stadium where the Jets play their home games.
Jets coaches Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur come from San Francisco and understand the value of a playmaking tight end in the offense they are trying to run, and a player like Njoku could really help out a young quarterback like Zach Wilson.
It’s borderline miraculous the Jets made it through the 2021 season with the tight end group they had. Ryan Griffin led the tight end group with 27 receptions.
A player like Njoku would make this offense in New York much more dynamic and he could be their version of George Kittle on paper.
David Njoku landing spot no. 2: Dallas Cowboys
Yes, the Dallas Cowboys need to find their way out of salary cap purgatory.
If they had to go out and make moves today, it would either be restructuring players, extending players, or cutting them to free up cap space.
What’s crucial to remember is that teams have people in charge of the salary cap that understand how to manipulate it and make moves while staying under it, so the Cowboys will eventually get there and they always have cash on hand.
It’s possible that Dallas would need to make some sacrifices elsewhere to add a player like Njoku, who might get offers to play in other NFL cities at a higher price tag, but he could really thrive in an offense like Dallas runs.
With Dak Prescott throwing the passes, Dalton Schultz has quietly caught 78 and 63 passes over the last two seasons. If Schultz (another free agent in this loaded class) can do that, what could an athlete like Njoku do?
Especially with some of the target share potentially leaving in free agency — Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson are both free agents — Njoku could really prosper in Dallas’ offense.
Kellen Moore is still around after a round of head coaching interviews. Njoku could come into Dallas and give them a dynamic weapon for Prescott to get the ball to who can both free up opportunities for players like Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb as well as create offense on his own.
David Njoku free agency landing spot no. 3: Jacksonville Jaguars
NFL free agency is often dominated by the Florida teams because there is no state income tax in Florida. The Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars are no strangers to big spending in free agency, and the Jaguars just so happen to have hired a new head coach in Doug Pederson who loves his tight ends.
When he won a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles with Zach Ertz and Trey Burton. He went out in the 2018 NFL Draft and got playmaking tight end Dallas Goedert to pair with Ertz when Burton left.
Even if Pederson loves Dan Arnold, a player the Jaguars traded a really good young cornerback in CJ Henderson for, it stands to reason that they would want to go out and get a playmaking tight end like David Njoku for Trevor Lawrence to throw to.
Not to mention, the Jaguars have almost $57 million in available cap space to spend and this would also bring Njoku back to the state where he played his college ball.
Again, the Florida teams are always looking to spend in free agency and it just so happens that two of them — the Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars — are among the teams with the most cap space in 2022.
Given their cap space, need for a tight end, and Doug Pederson’s affinity for the position, this is a fit for David Njoku if (or when) he leaves the Browns that could really make a lot of sense.