Fresh off a career year in Cleveland, David Njoku can't help but look forward to what's next.
The Browns tight end told Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal at his annual softball event on Saturday that he's looking to "just be better than last year," which will be hard to top.
Njoku enjoyed career highs across the board for the playoff-bound Browns in 2023; he finished with a team-high 81 catches on 123 targets, 882 receiving yards and six touchdowns, all the while playing alongside five starting quarterbacks. The tight end rightly earned his first Pro Bowl nod.
In 2024, Njoku will have to adjust. Deshaun Watson is returning to the fold as Cleveland's starting QB after two suspension- and injury-tainted seasons; fellow former first-round pass catcher Jerry Jeudy is joining a stacked WR corps already boasting Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore; and after four seasons with Alex Van Pelt, Cleveland will have a new offensive coordinator: Ken Dorsey.
Dorsey will be Njoku's fifth OC in eight seasons with the Browns, but the 27-year-old tight end is looking forward to this latest change.
"It is juicy," Njoku said of Dorsey's offense. "I am not going to say anything else. Leave it at that. But I'm really excited for this year."
Dorsey most recently spent five seasons with the Buffalo Bills, serving the final two as their offensive coordinator. He was fired midseason in 2023 after Buffalo got off to a 5-5 start. The Browns surely hope Dorsey's history coaching Cam Newton and Josh Allen will translate into improving Watson's game and growing a passing game that ranked 19th in 2023.
In Dorsey's lone full season as Bills OC, Buffalo ranked second in yards, points and first downs; when he left in 2023, they ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, but struggled with turnovers. Dawson Knox didn't have a particularly juicy season as the Bills' starting TE (Njoku's role with the Browns) in 2022, but he did earn his lone Pro Bowl bid under Dorsey, totaling 517 yards and six TDs on 48 catches.
Perhaps that portends positive things for Njoku, who after an uncertain start to his career in Cleveland, is living up to his first-round billing and embracing the city that has embraced him back.
"I appreciate the city of Cleveland tremendously," Njoku said. "Becoming a man here, there's a lot that entails. It's so much deeper than just that statement. You get me? So, yeah, I'm blessed. I'm truly blessed to be here."
Njoku and the Browns begin their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday.
