The Cleveland Browns made arguably the most aggressive move in the NFL this offseason when they gave up first- and third-round draft picks in addition to a starting safety to acquire All-Pro wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. from the New York Giants.
Beckham reunites with his college teammate, Jarvis Landry, as the starting wide receivers for second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is coming off a rookie campaign in which he firmly established himself as the young leader of the team and set a new NFL rookie record for touchdown passes in a season.
Of course, it’s one thing to acquire talented players and another to build a team. Having Beckham is nice, but the fact remains that the Giants were willing to trade him away, even as they planned to draft a new franchise quarterback. Being talented doesn’t mean that you’re a good fit anywhere that you go.
Luckily for the Browns, though, everyone seems to be happy with Beckham and how he’s fitting into the group. Count third-year tight end David Njoku in that group. Speaking to NJ.com, he told the outlet that he has been “phenomenal” being a part of the team so far.
“He’s a great teammate and a great person”, he said of Beckham. “We all know what he brings to the table. He makes crazy plays and we’re excited to have him on the team. I actually knew him prior to him getting traded”, Njoku added, calling him the “same old dude” that he knew before.
Njoku is a talented young tight end that some Pittsburgh Steelers fans were actually hoping that they might consider as their pick was approaching in the first round in 2017. Of course, they ended up getting the right guy in T.J. Watt, and later that offseason traded for Vance McDonald, so it all worked out on that end.
But as for the Cleveland Browns tight end, he has set some lofty goals for himself and his team, including a 20-touchdown season and a trip to the Super Bowl. Of course, he qualified those answers, framing them as goals to shoot for, and you always should shoot as high as you can aim, because that’s the best way to get as close as possible to it.
If Mayfield really is the quarterback many believe he is capable of being, that would prove immeasurably valuable in achieving both of Njoku’s stated goals for himself and his team. The Browns did finish 5-3 in the final eight games of last season.
That, coupled with the significant moves made this offseason, have many believing in them. In fact, from most sources, they are being considered the favorites to win the AFC North over the Steelers, the defending division champion Baltimore Ravens, and the Cincinnati Bengals, whom pretty much everybody is picking to finish last.
