The Denver Broncos figure to be in the tight end market once again. Fortunately, the free agency class appears to be very deep, so the team could simply 'buy' talent as they did in 2025 with Evan Engram. On Monday, Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku announced on his Instagram that he's not returning to the Browns for 2026 and beyond, obviously signaling that he's going to sign with a new team.3
Njoku, who battled a knee injury that sidelined him for a portion of the 2025 season, gradually saw his role diminish as rookie breakout Harold Fannin emerged as a focal point of the Browns’ offense. Despite a sour ending to his time in Cleveland, the freakishly athletic tight end closes the book on his Browns tenure with 384 receptions, 4,062 receiving yards, and 34 touchdowns, averaging just over 10.6 yards per catch.
Even with those numbers, injuries undoubtedly limited his ability to reach even greater heights, but it’s also fair to argue that constant instability at quarterback capped his overall ceiling. Since entering the league in 2017, Njoku endured a quarterback carousel, catching touchdown passes from eight different quarterbacks.
That instability peaked during the 2023 season, when he was forced to adjust to five different starting quarterbacks, a year that ultimately earned him his first and well-deserved Pro Bowl selection.
Why a move to the Denver Broncos makes sense
For most of his career, Njoku has been tethered to mediocre quarterback play. Now 29 years old and nearly a decade into the league, he finds himself in a familiar position to his draft classmate and current Broncos tight end, Evan Engram, weighing how much prime football he has left and where he wants to spend it. At this stage, chasing meaningful wins likely outweighs simply staying comfortable.
Njoku is almost certainly eyeing what could be the third and final significant contract of his NFL career. However, commanding top-dollar won’t be easy. With a deep tight end market looming and his most recent season largely derailed by injury, teams may be hesitant to offer anything north of $10 million annually.
Denver already invested heavily in Engram last offseason, guaranteeing $16.5 million at signing. That commitment makes it difficult for the Broncos to simply move on, especially after what many fans considered an underwhelming debut season, given the preseason hype. Engram’s struggles stemmed from a combination of drops, inconsistent chemistry, and, at times, questionable usage.
Engram's usage could shift in 2026 with Davis Webb stepping into the offensive coordinator role, as many believe Sean Payton may be ready to hand play-calling duties to his young protégé. Even so, his limitations are becoming harder to ignore. His lack of effectiveness in 12-personnel packages, heavier formations, and run-blocking scenarios restricts Denver’s flexibility. And when he is on the field in passing situations, it’s not always a guarantee he’ll create separation, catch his targets, or just flat out consistently finish plays.
That reality doesn’t change the fact that Denver has more pressing needs to address, most notably at running back, so committing meaningful money to another tight end would likely come at the expense of filling another hole on the roster. If the Broncos can strike a team-friendly deal with Njoku and sell him on an opportunity to help complete a legitimate playoff push, it’s hard to see the downside.
Adding another reliable weapon would give Bo Nix a proven, balanced threat who can be deployed in jumbo sets and across multiple alignments. After Denver’s most recent playoff run, it’s clear the offense still needs more dependable playmakers, particularly after injuries and inconsistent hands plagued the Broncos down the stretch.
What should be clear is that Denver cannot afford to settle at the position. Evan Engram remains the only tight end on the roster capable of consistently creating mismatches, and even his limitations have become more apparent. Payton’s trusted depth pieces in Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins, and Lucas Krull all provide reliability, but little in the way of explosiveness.
When Engram isn’t performing to the level of his contract, the position lacks juice, leaving yards and splash plays on the field, and that simply won’t cut it if Denver is serious about getting back to the top. If the market breaks right, Njoku wouldn’t be a luxury addition; he’d be a necessary one, and a signal that the Broncos are ready to push past “good enough.”