If the 2025 NFL season turns sour, TE David Njoku could be on the trading block, according to Pro Football Network.

The Cleveland Browns are again facing uncertain times heading into the 2025 season.

While the aging defense received some nice additions in defensive tackle Mason Graham and linebacker Carson Schwesinger from the 2025 NFL Draft, there are still questions at safety and how well the defensive line outside Myles Garrett and Graham will hold up.

General manager Andrew Berry focused the team’s draft strategy heavily on offense, with an appealing one-two punch in running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, even if those selections further signal that Nick Chubb’s time in Cleveland may be drawing to a close.

Harold Fannin Jr. is intriguing as a tight end prospect, especially given that he won’t turn 21 until July, meaning there may be a large amount of production waiting to be unlocked as he matures.

It is similar to the situation the Browns undertook in 2017 when they selected tight end David Njoku in the first round of that year’s draft. Njoku was also just 20 when he was drafted and has been a solid, if not spectacular, presence in Cleveland’s offense for the past eight seasons.

Njoku and the Browns agreed to a restructured contract in 2023, and the Browns can void the deal after this season, although that would leave the Browns with $24.3 million in dead cap money for 2026, according to Over the Cap.

The combination of Fannin, the ongoing question over the quarterback position, and Njoku eyeing his next contract could make him a player to watch if the Browns decide to turn a veteran into some additional draft capital via a trade, according to Pro Football Network:

It’s a total mystery who will play quarterback for the Cleveland Browns for the majority of the 2025 season. What doesn’t feel like a mystery is who the quarterback’s top two targets will be. Jerry Jeudy broke out last year when Jameis Winston gave the Browns a brief stint of exciting quarterback play, while David Njoku has been a fixture in the offense since being a first-round pick in 2017.

However, Njoku is nearing the end of his second contract, with 2025 being the last year of his deal. Cleveland potentially implemented a succession plan during the draft, using a third-round pick on Harold Fannin Jr. The Bowling Green tight end will need to adjust to a massive jump in competition, but the 2024 FBS leader in receiving yards could be a passing game weapon right away.

For a rebuilding Browns team, that may make Njoku a valuable trade commodity. Despite entering his ninth season, Njoku will still be 29 years old for all of next season. A team could reasonably want to trade and extend him, giving the Browns a chance to add even more draft capital as they seek to potentially make a move to the top of the 2026 draft for a franchise quarterback.

Would the Browns be open to trading Njoku? Anything is possible, of course, but a deal would hinge on a few factors:

How quickly Fannin can adjust to the NFL. Not to take anything away from the MAC, but Fannin is about to take a major jump in the talent of opposing defenses. And as impressive as his 2024 season was with the Falcons – 117 receptions for 1,555 yards, and 10 touchdowns — he only totaled 63 receptions, 841 yards and 7 touchdowns combined in his other two seasons. It may take some time to see if that one big season was an outlier or a true indication of his abilities.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski likes the flexibility of utilizing two tight ends, and a pairing of Njoku and Fannin is preferable to one of Fannin and Brenden Bates/Tre’ McKitty/Blake Whiteheart.
How the quarterback position shakes out. If everything falls apart, then Njoku would not be the only veteran who may be moved before the trading deadline. But if Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel shows some promise, or if the Browns want to see what they can do with a full roster, then Njoku in the lineup would help with that evaluation.
There is still a long way to go before the Browns have to realistically face the question of whether or not to move on from some of their veteran players, as Berry works to rebuild the damage done from the trade for quarterback Deshaun Watson.

So, for now, it is hard to see how moving on from Njoku would make the team better.