Player
David Njoku
TE
Njoku is the Browns' through-line at TE across a 9-year carousel of QBs and coordinators — this curve is the cleanest read on whether Cleveland has actually used him as a real receiving weapon or just a blocker. The 2025 fall back to 3.0 catches/game signals either scheme regression or his body running out of healthy reps in what should be his prime.
9-year arc: from 32-catch rookie to 81-catch Pro Bowl peak in 2023, then back to 33 catches in an injury-shortened 2025.
TrendNjoku regular-season production by year
| Year | G | Rec | Yds | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 16 | 32 | 386 | 4 |
| 2018 | 15 | 56 | 639 | 4 |
| 2019 | 3 | 5 | 41 | 1 |
| 2020 | 11 | 19 | 213 | 2 |
| 2021 | 15 | 36 | 475 | 4 |
| 2022 | 14 | 58 | 628 | 4 |
| 2023 | 16 | 81 | 882 | 6 |
| 2024 | 11 | 64 | 505 | 5 |
| 2025 | 11 | 33 | 293 | 4 |
Receiving yards by year
| Season | Yards |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 386 |
| 2018 | 639 |
| 2019 | 41 |
| 2020 | 213 |
| 2021 | 475 |
| 2022 | 628 |
| 2023 | 882 |
| 2024 | 505 |
| 2025 | 293 |
Why it matters. Njoku is the Browns' through-line at TE across a 9-year carousel of QBs and coordinators — this curve is the cleanest read on whether Cleveland has actually used him as a real receiving weapon or just a blocker. The 2025 fall back to 3.0 catches/game signals either scheme regression or his body running out of healthy reps in what should be his prime.
384 catches, 4,062 yards, 34 TDs in 112 regular-season games — 13th among active TEs in career receiving yards.
MilestoneCareer regular-season totals through 2025
| Stat | Total |
|---|---|
| Games | 112 |
| Receptions | 384 |
| Receiving Yards | 4,062 |
| Receiving TDs | 34 |
| Y/R | 10.58 |
| Yds/Game | 36.3 |
Active-TE career receiving yards leaders
| Rank | Player | Yds | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travis Kelce | 13,002 | 82 |
| 2 | Zach Ertz | 8,592 | 57 |
| 3 | George Kittle | 8,008 | 52 |
| ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 12 | Dalton Schultz | 4,066 | 27 |
| 13 | David Njoku | 4,062 | 34 |
| 14 | Tyler Higbee | 3,949 | 27 |
Why it matters. For a CLE-only TE who has caught passes from a revolving QB room, clearing 4,000 yards and 34 TDs while sitting 13th among active TEs is the marker that separates 'long-tenured starter' from 'replacement-level body.' His 0.30 TD/G pace is the part of his profile most resistant to QB and scheme noise.
His 2023 882 yards is the 4th-best season by a Cleveland TE since 2000 — behind Winslow Jr. 2007, Barnidge 2015, and Cameron 2013.
ComparisonCLE TE 800+ yard seasons since 2000 (REG)
| Player | Year | Yds | Rec |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kellen Winslow Jr. | 2007 | 1,106 | 82 |
| Gary Barnidge | 2015 | 1,043 | 79 |
| Jordan Cameron | 2013 | 917 | 80 |
| David Njoku | 2023 | 882 | 81 |
| Kellen Winslow Jr. | 2006 | 875 | 89 |
Why it matters. Cleveland's TE history is unusually rich (Winslow Jr., Cameron, Barnidge) but unusually short-lived — each peak was a one-year flash before the player left or fell off. Njoku's 2023 puts him on that short list while also being the only one of the four still on the roster, which is the real franchise-level rarity.
His 2025 season was capped at 11 games and 293 yards — his lowest healthy-year output since 2017.
SplitNjoku injury-shortened or low-volume seasons
| Year | G | Rec | Yds | TDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 (broken wrist) | 3 | 5 | 41 | 1 |
| 2020 | 11 | 19 | 213 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 64 | 505 | 5 |
| 2025 | 11 | 33 | 293 | 4 |
Why it matters. Three straight 11-or-fewer-game seasons during a TE's age 28-30 window is the availability profile of a player whose body is starting to cap his ceiling, not his talent. Cleveland is paying for a 16-game weapon and getting an 11-game one — that gap matters more for contract and scheme planning than any per-game rate.
9 seasons with Cleveland — one of only 5 NFL TEs with 9+ years on the same team since 2017.
RareTEs with 9+ seasons on one team (2017-2025)
| Player | Team | Seasons |
|---|---|---|
| Travis Kelce | KC | 9 |
| Tyler Higbee | LA | 9 |
| George Kittle | SF | 9 |
| Taysom Hill | NO | 9 |
| David Njoku | CLE | 9 |
Why it matters. A 9-year run on one team in the modern free-agency era is the closest thing a non-QB has to a franchise-icon credential, and at TE only four other players in the league cleared the same bar over this window. The QB-turnover count is the kicker: Njoku is the rare player whose tenure outlasted nearly a decade's worth of his own quarterbacks.
Career playoff record: 1-2. The 2020 Wild Card win at Pittsburgh ended a 26-year Browns playoff-win drought.
AnomalyNjoku playoff appearances
| Year | Round | Result | Rec | Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | WC | W at PIT 48-37 | 1 | 7 |
| 2020 | DIV | L at KC | 4 | 59 |
| 2023 | WC | L vs HOU | 7 | 93 |
Why it matters. For a player whose franchise hadn't won a playoff game in 26 years, being on the field for the 2020 Wild Card win at Pittsburgh is a legacy item the box score barely captures. His 7/93 line vs Houston in 2023 also shows the postseason version of Njoku is a real receiving threat, not a blocker the offense hides — the wins-and-losses record undersells him.
FanIQ answers any NFL stats question with receipts, on your phone.
Get FanIQ freeGet it on Google Play