The Cleveland Browns have quite a few problems to tackle in a short time span after starting the season 0-1.
Chief among those is the shaky quarterback play from Deshaun Watson, yes. But what could make that problem all the more difficult is the sudden absence of star tight end David Njoku, who suffered an ankle injury in the opener and could miss time.
The outlook has analysts like Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon suggesting the Browns look to free agency, where they could find a name like C.J. Uzomah:
“He's 31 now, but longtime Bengal C.J. Uzomah hit almost 500 yards while scoring five touchdowns in 2021 and was still active with the Jets the last two years.”
That’s not the most exciting idea for Browns fans, given Uzomah’s age and the fact he’s caught just 21 passes over the last two seasons in New York since cashing in after leaving Cincinnati.
But the point would be depth to reinforce the position, with the hope that someone like Jordan Akins could hold the spot down if Njoku needs to take things slow for the sake of the season-long outlook.
One doesn’t just replace a Pro Bowler like Njoku in Week 2, of course. But the sooner the better, given how off Watson looked in the opener and just how valuable a talented tight end can be when it comes to helping stabilize the quarterback’s confidence and timing.
Hence, veterans like Uzomah are the suggested targets and not high-upside guys for the future.
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