The tight end position is a sneaky need for the New Orleans Saints. David Njoku, who posted his goodbye to the Cleveland Browns on Instagram earlier this week, could certainly help them in that regard.
In years past, the TE2 has been either Taysom Hill or Foster Moreau, but with Hill's career in question and Moreau's struggle to stay healthy in recent years, a change is needed. Furthermore, the other two tight ends on the roster, Moliki Matavao and Treyton Welch, don't have much experience at all. Njoku, who's been in the NFL since 2017, can bring what the others lack. With all the benefits David Njoku could bring, the Saints should have the former pro bowler underlined and highlighted.
Right now Spotrac has his market value at $19.98 million over two years, fitting right in with the Saints' projected budget for this next offseason. However, he would take a decent chunk of the budget and would probably be the offseason headline signing for the Saints.
David Njoku could bring something that the Saints offense has been lacking
In his nine years in Cleveland, he had over 4,000 receiving yards and 34 touchdowns. Additionally, he's made the Pro Bowl once in 2023. That's more than all the other tight ends on the roster combined! If signed, Njoku could slide right into the roster behind Juwan Johnson, who is coming off of a career year.
The New Orleans Saints haven't really had a player that can be relied on to make contested catches since Michael Thomas. Three years since his last game, it's high time that the Saints get another player that can at least do a little of what Thomas was known for.
David Njoku might just be that guy. Last season, he nearly led the league in the number of contested catches. In 2025, he had a 66.7% contested catch rate, which was fourth in the NFL. That's not even the highest percentage of his career, in 2020 he had a rate of 77%. A player like that could also take some pressure off WR Chris Olave, who had a career-high 156 targets this season.
Olave isn't necessarily the biggest player on the field. Vele is a receiver with a bigger frame that has the ability to be a contested catch option, but who says he has to be the only option in that category. The Saints would be wise to add multiple players with that archetype, especially since it isn't the strong suit of their top receiver.