Browns’ TE Cracks ESPN’s Elite Rankings originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
We’re just a week away from rookies reporting to Cleveland Browns training camp on July 18 and 11 days from the veterans and the rest of the team arriving.
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While the team figures out its quarterback situation, star tight end David Njoku will be paying close attention, too.
The 2023 Pro Bowler will wait anxiously to find out who will be tossing him the ball in 2025 as he enters the final season of his four-year, $54.75 million deal.
While he works toward a new deal, either in Cleveland or elsewhere, he’ll have the honor of appearing on ESPN’s list of the top 10 tight ends to gloat about.
ESPN and Jeremy Fowler surveyed NFL executives, coaches and scouts to come up with the list.
“Njoku realized his enormous potential in 2023 with 882 yards, six touchdowns and a Pro Bowl nod despite playing with four different quarterbacks,” Fowler wrote. “The 2024 season was harder for Njoku, whose yards per catch dipped from 10.9 to 7.9. But he posted a respectable 64 catches and five touchdowns while playing in one of the league’s worst offenses.”
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His production is impressive based on what the rest of the offense has been dealing with, especially at the quarterback position.
One NFL executive is impressed with how his game has developed.
“He’s figured it out,” an NFL personnel evaluator said. “Before he was just an athlete with physical tools, but he’s evolved into a pro tight end who had more nuance to his game as a route runner and more coverage awareness.”
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 11, 2025, where it first appeared.