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Is the the Chief Spike about to depart Cleveland?
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Browns tight end David Njoku and his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, have requested that the team trade him prior to training camp. Asked for comment, Rosenhaus told Schefter that “It is in David’s best interest to find a new team at this time.”
1/2 Browns’ TE David Njoku and his agent Drew Rosenhaus asked today for the team to trade him. The Browns told Njoku they would like to keep him, but Rosenhaus told them he’s intent on a trade. They want a trade before training camp.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 3, 2020
Per Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer, Njoku just fired his previous agent, and hired Rosenhaus, two days ago:
Actually, Njoku fired his agent, Malki Kawa, just 2 days ago and hired Drew Rosenhaus. Kawa waived the lag time between agents
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) July 3, 2020
It’s a different tune than Njoku was singing a few months ago, when he talked about new head coach Kevin Stefanski’s high utilization rate of two tight end sets and the addition of Austin Hooper to the team:
“I’m really excited. He’s a guy who loves his tight ends,” Njoku said of Stefanski. “And we just got a new one, Austin Hooper, who was a big-time get. We are going to have a lot of fun this year.”
The Browns have previously expressed that they have big plans for Njoku, but it would not be a surprise to see him shipped away to another team. On the same note, Cleveland has no obligation to trade him. If they don’t like the return that other teams are willing to offer, they should have him compete at camp and be a factor in the 2020 offense.