David Njoku calls contract extension ‘great achievement’ and is ‘ready to work’ to become even better

From a statistical standpoint, 2018 was Njoku’s best season so far — he caught a career-high 56 passes for 639 yards and four touchdowns and was a major contributor as the Browns appeared to turn a corner following a winless 2017 season.

Then, several setbacks happened in 2019. Njoku was on injured reserve from Weeks 3-12 and was inactive for Weeks 14-15. He finished the year with only five catches, 41 receiving yards and one touchdown.

“I just wasn’t getting it together,” he said. “It was tough mentally more than physically, but God is good. Just had to keep putting in that work first and good things will happen.”

Njoku felt his game come back alive in 2020 thanks to the Browns building a 10-win season, one where he contributed in areas that don’t always show in the stats. He compiled 19 catches, 213 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games and began to embrace blocking at a new level, which led to higher snap counts and more chances to make plays.

That season ended in the AFC Divisional round, the farthest a Browns season had lasted since 1994. Njoku loved every bit of it, and the feeling of going to the playoffs on a team with the football-rich history the Browns have motivated him to become an even better player for Cleveland.

“I think the most important thing was reminiscing on the past,” he said. “Looking back at 2017, obviously we weren’t doing as good as we should’ve been doing, but the fan base was always there, riding with us through thick and thin. I was sitting there like, ‘Why am I complaining? Things could be better, but I’m in a good place right now. I’ve been competing, so why stop now?’

“I just said, ‘You know what? I’m going to shut up, and I’m just going to work. I’m going to ignore all the noise and all the distractions, and focus on the team. What can I do to help the team in total?’ The stats weren’t there. I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do at the time, but at a certain point, I started to fall in love with the things I was supposed to do, which…