BEREA, Ohio — The Chief is coming back just in time to help prevent the Browns from getting slammed.
They’re 1-3 as they head to Maryland on Sunday to face the Commanders, and the team is at a crossroads. If they don’t immediately right the ship and start a long winning streak, their Super Bowl hopes and dreams will be gone.
As it is, they currently have only a 7% chance of making the playoffs, a 2% of winning the division, and a less than 1% chance of winning the Super Bowl according to the New York Times playoff predictor.
The absence of Njoku with a sprained ankle from the opening-day loss to the Cowboys for the past three games has been a major reason for the 1-3 start. It wouldn’t have been so bad if Amari Cooper had been at the top of his game in the first quarter of the season, but he’s been either below average or inconsistent in three of the four games.
That left Deshaun Watson unable to rely on his top two weapons from last season for the first quarter of the season, at a time when the new offense was struggling to jell, and the offensive line was tackle-challenged.
Njoku, who led the Browns with 81 receptions and six TDs last season, and was second on the team with 882 yards, is eager to get back on the field even though he’s listed as questionable. He was limited on Wednesday and Friday, and sat out Thursday to rest.
“I just want to be out there for my team,” he said. “I want to be out there giving them the energy that they require and then vice versa. Yeah, hopefully I’m out there.”
What kind of lift does he think he can bring?
“An energy surge,” he said. “Obviously, I guess you know what I can do on the field, so trying to help my team that’s all.”
He acknowledged that they’ve missed the juice he brings.
“Yeah, for sure,” he said. “I’m a little vocal, I’m a little loud, I’m a little hectic, a little crazy, whatever, but I think it’s going to help them a lot, help all of us a lot.”
From the outside looking in, Njoku has seen a team full of self-inflicted wounds.
“I feel like we’ve really beat ourselves in every game, mistakes that set us back behind the eight ball,” he said. “I feel like in this league, in this professional league that we play in, it’s really hard to come back if you set yourself back already far enough. I feel like once we stop killing ourselves, we’ll be very successful.”
Njoku suffered the injury on what he believed was an illegal hip-drop tackle by Cowboys linebacker Eric Kendricks in the third quarter the Browns’ 33-17 loss. He finished the game with 4 of 5 targets for 44 yards, including a 29-yarder. But Kendricks wasn’t flagged or fined by the NFL.
“Yeah, I thought it was, right?” Njoku said. “To each his own. I’m just here so I don’t get fined, man. I do my job. I can’t speak to other people’s jobs.”
Despite the injury, Njoku still believes he can accomplish his goals this season. Poised to take another step up, he was eager to play his first full season with Watson.
“I can definitely still show early in the year,” he said. “I feel like I can still do a lot of things that I set out to do.”
Likewise, he believes the Browns, who were on a mission to win the Super Bowl, can still pull out of their tailspin. But if they lose to the Commanders, it will be a huge hole to dig out of.
“It’s all ahead of us,” Njoku said. “1-3 really doesn’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things, so we’re just going to play our best ball week in and week out and see where we can go.”
In Watson, Njoku sees a QB who can use more help.
“I think he’s played well,” Njoku said. “I feel like we all just need to come together and play our best ball.”
Last season, Njoku established himself as one of the NFL’s premier tight ends, and a formidable weapon in both the passing and running games. He ranked No. 15 among NFL tight ends according to Pro Football Focus, and was No. 1 in the NFL in yards-after-catch with 608 yards, 80 above the No. 2 man in Jacksonville’s Evan Engram.
In each of the past two losses to the Giants and Raiders, the Browns had three chances to pull out the game in the fourth quarter, and Njoku would’ve been the primary target on many of those clutch passes. With Watson having the utmost faith in him, he might’ve released the ball quicker if Njoku had been in the progression.
“It’d be big for this offense,” Watson said. “He’s a big part of this system, exactly what we want to do and what we was planning to do with the start of the season, but I know he’s been out for the last couple weeks and it’d be good to have him back. We’ll see how this week goes and we’ll definitely be excited if he can make it to the game. So he’s definitely a big part of this system and what we want to do offensively.”
With left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. (knee) missing most of the first four games and right tackle Jack Conklin (knee) missing all of them, Njoku would’ve provided premier chipping help to keep Watson upright. Instead, he’s been sacked a league-high 19 times, and hit 53. The Browns are 31st in total offense and 27th in points scored with 16.5.
“Dave is a big piece,” said offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. “He’s a great football player who does a lot for us in a lot of different areas; whether it’s pass game, protection, run game. Gives us a lot of flexibility. I do think those guys have really stepped up and the guys we’ve added, I think AB (Andrew Berry) has done a great job in bringing those guys in. Guys who are smart, tough and dependable that we can rely on during this stretch. But obviously mixing Dave back in with those guys, it can help us and because he’s a playmaker for us in a lot of different areas.”
With the injured tackles coming back and Cooper recommitting himself to being the five-time Pro Bowler that he is, the Browns offense can be as explosive as it was designed to be now that the Chief is back.
