KC Chiefs: Trading for David Njoku would add explosiveness to offense
The KC Chiefs need depth at tight end and while it’s HIGHLY unlikely this would happen, trading for David Njoku would give the Chiefs offense even more firepower.
After the Cleveland Browns signed tight end Austin Hooper, they might be open to parting ways with one of their weapons and David Njoku is one that the Kansas City Chiefs could be interested in. He could be utilized as a TE2 on their offense and make them even tougher to stop.
Yes, the Chiefs have the best tight end in the league in Travis Kelce, but he is 30 years old and if something happens to him whether it be injury or what have you, the Chiefs are in deep doo doo at the position. That’s why trading for Njoku could be a smart move for this team.
Njoku is just 23 years old and will turn 24 this summer. He hasn’t put up crazy numbers during his three years in the league, but his quarterbacks haven’t exactly been stellar. That would definitely change with Patrick Mahomes throwing the pigskin to him.
#Falcons free agent TE Austin Hooper, the top player at his position, is headed to the #Browns, per @TomPelissero, @MikeSilver and me. They’ve agreed to terms, he’s the new highest-paid TE.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2020
Njoku’s best season came in 2018 – his second pro season and Baker Mayfield‘s rookie year – where he grabbed 56 passes for 639 yards and four touchdowns. He was injured this past season, which could have been why the Browns opted to bring in Hooper. If Cleveland was willing to deal Njoku (which they might not be), then KC should at least call and ask what they’d want for him.
The biggest reason not to like this idea is that it’d likely require a few draft picks and the Chiefs are already short on those. They have just five for the 2020 NFL Draft and with Mahomes likely getting a new deal soon (and Chris Jones potentially as well), the Chiefs have to make their draft picks count.
That being said, this year’s tight end draft class isn’t great. Njoku would be a much better option than a lot of the tight end prospects sans Cole Kmet and a handful of others.
Njoku wouldn’t have the added pressure of being the TE1 in Kansas City like he had to in Cleveland and he could play alongside Travis Kelce. This isn’t a trade that’s going to happen, but as soon as I heard Hooper was going to Cleveland, I wondered if Njoku might be on the market.
It’d sure fun watching Kelce and Njoku as the Chiefs’ two starting tight ends and would make this offense even more difficult to slow down.