'A lot of maturity' for David Njoku has led to career year for Browns tight end

BEREA — Kevin Stefanski sees what's on the film. Everything the Browns head coach see on it tells him one thing.

In year seven, tight end David Njoku is a much different player. That has nothing to do with the career-best numbers he's putting up, either.

"If you watch our tape, watch who the first guy down is picking his teammates up, and we make a big deal of that," Stefanski said this week. "(Offensive coordinator) Alex Van Pelt does an awesome job with the offense. He actually tracks pickups, and whoever leads that week gets a toy pickup truck. And Dave's won it a bunch. (Center Ethan Pocic's) won it. (Running back) Jerome Ford does a great job, but I just think Dave, the teammate that he's become, and I've got to watch it firsthand here over the last four years, but unbelievably positive force for this football team."

A toy pickup truck isn't, obviously, an All-Pro vote or a Pro Bowl spot. It's a toy.

To focus on the toy, though, is to lose the forest through the trees. No one better understands that than Njoku, who explained that after displaying the trucks to a group around his locker this week.

"The trucks, I guess I can give to my daughter," Njoku said. "The act, it really shows that we really play for each other. We love each other. This is probably the most in-tune team I've ever played with, the chemistry and the love we have for each other. You know what I mean? I think that's really what you need to be successful to win is to play (for) more than just yourself."

The Browns (9-5) have been the definition of that this season. Despite what could've been a crippling list of major injuries, they've guaranteed themselves just their fourth winning season since returning to the league in 1999.

Cleveland is also heading into Sunday's game at the Houston Texans (8-6) essentially in control of its own destiny with regards to making its third playoff appearance in the last 25 years. That's one fewer playoff appearance than number of starting quarterbacks its played this season, with Joe Flacco the franchise-record-tying fourth starter.

However, if one looks for the embodiment of the attitude that has permeated the entire roster, it may very well be Njoku, the Browns' third first-round pick from the 2017 draft. Comparing the difference between the then-20-year-old Njoku of 2017 to the 27-year-old Njoku of this season is like comparing the Browns' seasons in 2017 (0-16) and now.

"As far as hell," Njoku said of his growth. "Far. I think there was a lot of maturity that happened over the last seven years, and I'm just blessed to be here."

That maturity starts with the relationship which exists between Njoku and his head coach. It would be safe to say — even Njoku himself as said it — that he and Stefanski did not get off on the best of terms when the latter arrived in 2020.

Four years later, though, that's not the case. To call the two best buddies would be to be over the top, but to call their relationship significantly better would be a fair assessment.

"I mean, with any player, all players, you don't always see eye to eye," Stefanski said. "I try to be as real with them and honest with them and sometimes those are hard conversations and I'm not going to get into all the details of that. But I think Dave in particular, if you look at him, he was very young when he came into this league.

"I was obviously not here when he was drafted, but the player he was and then the person he has become are different versions than when I first got here. And the credit goes to him. He's been intentional about getting better as a player and I think he's been intentional about getting better as a teammate."

It's hasn't been all roses and ice cream, though, this season. There was a firepit accident two days before the Week 4 game against the Baltimore Ravens which caused burns to his face, hands and arms.

Yet, despite that accident, Njoku didn't miss the game. Not only that, his six catches for 46 yards were both the best on the team for the game, a 28-3 Browns loss.

The fact Njoku didn't miss the game is no small detail. The tight end has answered the bell for all 14 games so far, which has played a major role in him leading the Browns with 69 catches and five touchdown catches, while his 704 yards are second on the team.

Njoku started off last season on a similar trajectory, but ended up missing three games due to injuries that cost him stats and momentum.

"At the beginning of the year last year, we all saw," tight ends coach T.C. McCartney said Friday. "The Pittsburgh (Week 3) game and then he was starting to catch a lot of balls. And then obviously that high ankle, he's out for a few games, and then even when he came back, he wasn't exactly the same. … We've seen this in our building for a while that this is coming, and so I'm glad it's here."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: David Njoku cites 'maturity' for growth with contending Browns