Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXX)

Very few moves the Browns' front office make during the course of the year baffle me. I mean absolutely, head-scratchingly, didn't-see-that-coming moves with regard to monetarily rewarding personnel.

The news out of Berea the last couple of days reveals Andrew Berry somehow has come to the conclusion tight David Njoku has risen to at least Pro Bowl caliber. That one floored me.

How else can one explain why the Cleveland general manager is about to lavish a multi-year contract on the tight end for something in the neighborhood of $13 million a season?

What in the world has Njoku done in the last five seasons to warrant a contract that will make him the fifth-highest paid player at his position in the entire National Football League? I apparently seem to have missed when he became a star worthy of that kind of money.

I was either sleeping or in a delusional fog in those five campaigns because I don't remember much to get excited about with Njoku, who has given the word "mediocre" a whole new meaning. Is he a bust? No. But he's awfully darn close.

A general rule of thumb says statistics do not lie. Time to check that out.

In his five seasons, Njoku was a comparative afterthought in the Cleveland offense with just 240 targets, catching 148 for 1,754 yards and 15 touchdowns. (To be fair, he hardly played the 2018 season after climbing into head coach Freddie Kitchens' doghouse and remaining there most of the season.)

Now take those essentially four-year numbers by Njoku and compare them to an honest-to-goodness All-Pro at the position in Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens, who has haunted the Cleveland secondary in his four pro seasons. (Cherry picking? You bet. My prerogative to make a point.)

Andrews, one of Baker Mayfield's favorite targets at Oklahoma, has accumulated 3.466 yards (nearly double Njoku's career total) and 29 touchdowns (ditto). Last season alone, he caught 107 passes for 1,361 yards, grabbing 70% of his targets. He is worth every penny of his $14 million a season.

So is it unreasonable to expect Njoku, when he ultimately signs his contract, to be be better than the 22nd most productive tight end in the NFL (last season)? Not at all.

It's difficult to understand when and how Njoku became good enough to earn the kind of money to join George Kittle of San Francisco, Travis Kelce of Kansas City, Dallas Goedert of Philadelphia and Andrews at the top of the tight end list. Where is the justification?

When the Browns signed Austin Hooper as a free agent in 2020 and made him the focal point in new head coach Kevin Stefanski's two- and three-tight end offense the last two seasons, Njoku was targeted just 82 times (only 29 in 2020). Why? Only Stefanski can answer that one.

On the plus side, Njoku refined his blocking. And now that Hooper has departed, I guess the natural move was elevating Njoku on the depth chart, giving him the chance to justify, albeit five years later, making him a first-round pick in the 2017 draft.

This is the guy, it would appear, the Browns want to be Deshaun Watson's top tight end target. Someone who catches just 61% of the footballs thrown in his direction. Hmmmm.

Truth of the matter is the most reliable tight end on the roster is Harrison Bryant, who has caught nearly 70% of his targets in two seasons and is very effective in the red zone. Why Stefanski hasn't targeted him more often (just 66 times in 33 games) is just as baffling as the kind of money being dangled with Njoku.

Unless Stefanski dramatically and surprisingly changes his offensive philosophy with his new quarterback and involves Njoku a whole lot more in what promises to be a a much heavier passing attack, all the pressure this season will be on the tight end to finally come through.

It will need to be seen to be believed.