NFL Rumors: Should the Chargers trade for David Njoku?

Tight end David Njoku has officially requested a trade out of Cleveland. Should the Chargers get involved?

This offseason, the Chargers went all-in on their next franchise quarterback, drafting Justin Herbert out of Oregon early in the first round. The first step to developing a young quarterback? Protection.

Los Angeles went out and added a couple of guys up front in Bryan Bulaga and Trai Turner, who will be upgrades to the protection which protected Philip Rivers last season. Aside from the offensive line, the Chargers now need to continue to ensure Herbert has weapons at his disposal.

Speaking of weapons for a young quarterback, another one has plenty at his disposal, in Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield. In fact, he apparently has too many weapons.

This offseason, the Browns went out and signed free agent Austin Hooper to a 4-year, $44 million contract with $23 million guaranteed. They didn’t stop there, though, when they drafted Harrison Bryant in the fourth round. Adding two tight ends of that caliber and cost in the same offseason can only mean one thing for David Njoku, right?

It’s finally come out that Njoku has requested a trade, which is no surprise considering what Cleveland has done at the position. Now the question is, should the Chargers get involved?

It’s an interesting proposal for the Chargers, who decided to use the franchise tag on young tight end Hunter Henry this offseason. But, the thing is with Henry, you simply wouldn’t be surprised if he was hurt again this year. There is no guarantee when it comes to health.

Now, Njoku is coming off a season where he missed 12 games with a broken wrist, so there’s somewhat of a double standard here. But, the odds that both of them would miss time again in 2020? They have to be slim, right?

With Henry’s future still up in the air after this franchise tagged season and Njoku likely coming on the cheap, I would be thrilled to see Los Angeles go after him. The 6-foot-4 Njoku is a freak of nature, athletically, and would give the Chargers one of the scariest tandems at the position in all of football.

In three seasons, Njoku has yet to show us what he is capable of doing, and that can be partially blamed on coaching and scheme. Cleveland did not use him as much as they should have, in terms of target share, and he deserves a fair shot.

Picture this: It’s third-and-goal from the 4-yard line. The Chargers need a score to win the game. You have both Henry and Njoku in the game, along with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. Three of those four are red zone monsters — who do you focus on if you’re the defense?

Any young quarterback would salivate at the thought of adding someone of Njoku’s stature, so of course the Chargers should go after him.