The Cleveland Browns‘ cap situation will cause them to make moves they likely don’t want to make. If the Browns could save money and get picks along the way in trades, there might not be one untouchable player on the roster.
These decisions aren’t easy, but the Browns can only blame themselves.
In November, Zac Jackson of The Athletic looked at contracts that could be “redone or moved.” He included tight end David Njoku, a fan favorite who would be wanted by other teams in the league if he becomes available via a trade.
“Other contracts that could be redone or moved: Joel Bitonio ($14.4 million cap number), Wyatt Teller ($14.4 million), David Njoku ($11.8 million), Ethan Pocic ($7.8 million), Jordan Hicks ($4.1 million) and Shelby Harris ($2.8 million). Besides Watson’s, the two biggest 2025 cap numbers on the team are Denzel Ward’s $24.5 million and Myles Garrett’s $19.7 million,” Jackson wrote.
Njoku Trade Idea
If the Cleveland Browns look to move Njoku, they shouldn’t expect to get back a massive haul. Still, for a team looking to save money and add picks, the Browns need anything they can get.
Regarding Njoku, he’s one of the better tight ends in the NFL and has produced at a decent level despite all of the issues the Browns have faced at the quarterback position. If he joined a new offense with better players around him, he could certainly benefit from that.
Lou Scataglia of FanSided proposed a deal that would send him to the Denver Broncos, a move to help Bo Nix and the Broncos improve after making the playoffs this season.
“The Denver Broncos do have the luxury of the 2025 NFL Draft being a very deep class at tight end. That is music to their ears, as the team has an urgent issue for a receiving tight end. In the meantime, why not see what David Njoku would cost? It is quite difficult to adjust to being a tight end at the NFL level, and the Cleveland Browns might be approaching a rebuild.
“Njoku is a very good player, and the Browns and Broncos do have recent history in trades. Denver sent Jerry Jeudy to Cleveland last year. Perhaps the Browns can return the favor a bit and send their starting tight end their way. And if you think about it, the original point about the NFL Draft being deep at TE could make the Browns more likely to make a move like this,” Scataglia wrote on January 15.
Would the Browns Trade Njoku?
With the position the Cleveland Browns are in, there’s no telling what the front office might do. That’s the unfortunate part of being in the cap situation they’re in and not having an easy way out of it.
Njoku would be missed, but he could also welcome a trade to a team like the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are in a much healthier position than the Browns moving forward and could realistically continue being a playoff team.
For a player of his caliber, Njoku deserves to play meaningful football late in the season, and the Browns can’t offer him that right now.
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