Browns Insider Down Trade Rumors on $54.75M Star Offensive Weapon
The Cleveland Browns have been active in the trade market, but it appears they won’t be trading one impact offensive weapon.
Cleveland has already dealt Joe Flacco and Greg Newsome II and could look to trade off more pieces before the trade deadline. However, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot reported on X that Cleveland is unlikely to trade star tight end David Njoku.
“The #Browns will likely make more trades, but are not looking to sell off key players such as TE David Njoku. (But they also didn’t plan to trade Joe Flacco or Greg Newsome II),” Cabot wrote.
Njoku is in the final year of his four-year, $54.75 million deal with the Browns. With him being a pending free agent, many thought his name could come up in trade talks. Especially with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in line to get more snaps.
But, according to Cabot, Cleveland doesn’t want to trade Njoku, and the tight end should finish off the year with the Browns.
Njoku has recorded 23 receptions for 223 yards and 1 touchdown this season.
Njoku Suffers Injury in Week 6
Cleveland did get some bad news about Njoku on Sunday as the star tight end suffered an injury.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski revealed postgame on Sunday that Njoku suffered an injury to his knee, and not his thigh as initially reported. It’s unclear the severity of the injury.
Before exiting the game with an injury, Njoku finished the game with three catches for 28 yards on six targets. The star tight end has been a safety blanket for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, but if Njoku does miss some time, Fannin Jr. will have to step up.
Fannin Jr. was selected in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft by Cleveland. He’s recorded 28 receptions for 254 yards and a touchdown this season.
Browns Offense Needs to be Better
Cleveland suffered a 23-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday in a game the Browns failed to score a touchdown. It was a disappointing result for the offense.
Following the game, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear the offense has to get better and find ways to get into the end zone.
“We’ve got to find a way to score points. We’ve got to run the ball efficiently,” Stefanski said. “Got to find a way to be better in the pass game. All of the above.. We’re doing some things right now that are preventing us from winning. We’ll get it fixed.”
Cleveland will host the Miami Dolphins in Week 7.
Stefanski Could Give Up Play-Calling
Following Cleveland’s failure to find the endzone, the Browns could make a major change on offense.
Stefanski revealed he’s considering giving up the offensive play-calling in hopes it sparks the offense.
“Stefanski said ‘there’s a long list of things we gotta do better’ in an answer that included potentially changing play-callers,” Zac Jackson of The Athletic reported via X.
If Stefanski does give up play-calling, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees would likely call the offensive plays. Rees spent last season as Cleveland’s Pass game specialist and tight ends coach after he was the Alabama Crimson Tide’s offensive coordinator in 2023.
Christian Elliss’ Game-Changing Play Against Saints Could Have Saved His Patriots Career
The New England Patriots (4-2) are officially off to their best start since 2019, when Tom Brady was still their quarterback. Drake Maye is playing with the consistency of a legitimate MVP candidate right now, and the attention flowing his way is about as expected as it is deserved.
The Patriots’ defense, however, might not be getting the credit it deserves for what is now a three-game winning streak.
After an up-and-down first half, the Patriots put the clamps on head coach Kellen Moore and the New Orleans Saints in Sunday’s 25-19 win. New England has now allowed 20 points or fewer in three consecutive games, with four takeaways over that span (all against the Saints and Bills).
The lone turnover of Sunday’s game in New Orleans proved to be the turning point.
The Saints were about to have a first down in Patriots’ territory midway through the fourth quarter when an unlikely hero punched the ball free from tight end Juwan Johnson. Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss has had a rough start to the 2025 season, but he may have saved his job with the clutch performance his team needed to survive New Orleans with a win.
New England Patriots LB Christian Elliss just flipped the narrative on his 2025 season with huge game
Elliss earned his spot alongside Robert Spillane during training camp this year, but it had been a struggle through the first five games of 2025. He entered the Saints game with nine missed tackles and had been a
That changed against the Saints on Sunday. Elliss had his first pass breakup of the season to go with seven tackles and two run stuffs. He also had the key forced fumble on Johnson that stopped the Saints’ best chance at scoring a go-ahead touchdown.
Elliss’ high-IQ play to punch the football out could not have come at a better time.
The Patriots, leading by six, had just punted the ball back to the Saints with 9:41 left in regulation; it was a frustrating drive, too, after penalties nixed a pair of would-be first-down throws, including a 51-yarder to Stefon Diggs that would set the Patriots up in chip-shot field goal range.
New Orleans quarterback Spencer Rattler promptly hit back-to-back throws for first downs on the ensuing drive, and Johnson was diving across midfield when Elliss attacked the ball from behind and dislodged it.
The takeaway didn’t result in game-sealing points for the Patriots, but it did improve their field position. Instead of first-and-10 from midfield with 8:50 remaining, the Saints wound up starting from their own 10 with 5:51 left; they never crossed midfield again.
Elliss thoroughly outplayed Jahlani Tavai, who continues to see a part-time role since returning from injured reserve in Week 5. It was fair to speculate whether Tavai or someone else would take Elliss's job as he struggled through September. However, similar to the feeling coming out of training camp this summer, the job is Elliss's to lose. Sunday's game only solidified it further.
