Browns fan favorite finds a new home after nine seasons in Cleveland

The Cleveland Browns opted to move on from a former first round pick this offseason.

After the emergence of rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr., and after mounting injuries from the former first round pick, the Browns made the prudent decision not to re-sign David Njoku. This came after nine seasons in Cleveland after selecting him on Day 1 of the 2017 NFL Draft. Now, Njoku has found a new home.

Njoku has inked a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, looking to restart his career after being embattled by knee injuries the past two seasons. It is a one-year deal worth up to $8 million in value.

Looking back at Njoku's time with the Browns

After being selected in the first round by the Browns, Njoku's career got off to a slow start. Despite a breakout sophomore season in 2018, the tight end found himself in the doghouse for most of the 2019 season under general manager John Dorsey and head coach Freddie Kitchens. He bounced back under the Stefanski administration, however.

Despite playing the role of TE2 behind Austin Hooper for the first two years that Kevin Stefanski was the head coach, he returned to a starting role in 2022 and had career years in 2022 and 2023 for the Browns. He was even named as a Pro Bowler in 2023, a year where he racked up 882 yards and six touchdowns as the Browns went on to make the playoffs.

Best of luck to Njoku moving forward.

This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns TE David Njoku finds new home after 9 years in Cleveland