The Browns could be on the lookout for tight end depth before the regular season. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com believes the Browns will keep an eye on tight ends who shake loose during the preseason, including both young options and veterans.
David Njoku will continue to lead the depth chart in 2024. Despite having to deal with Cleveland’s QB carousel last season, Njoku still finished the campaign with one of his strongest statistical seasons, collecting career-highs in receptions (81), receiving yards (882), and touchdowns (six). Njoku also led the position with seven drops, although Cabot attributes that stat to the team’s underwhelming QB play.
The team is also set to return backup Jordan Akins, who will be entering the final season of the two-year pact he inked in 2023. The former Texans third-round pick got into all 17 games during his first season in Cleveland, although he finished the campaign with career-low marks in receptions (15) and receiving yards (132). His familiarity with Deshaun Watson is a plus, but his 2023 performance means he isn’t entirely guaranteed to make the roster.
The team lacks experienced depth behind that duo. As Cabot notes, Kevin Stefanski and Ken Dorsey will still rely a bit on multiple tight-end sets, meaning the team could be eyeing an upgrade over the likes of Giovanni Ricci, Zaire Mitchell-Paden, Treyton Welch, and even Akins. Jimmy Graham and Geoff Swaim lead the remaining crop of free agents, but a number of tight ends will surely join that duo before the end of the summer.
