The Tampa Bay Buccaneers can’t seem to catch a break.
Wide receivers Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Emeka Egubka are dealing with injuries, leaving star quarterback Baker Mayfield with a severe lack of reliable weapons. The Buccaneers have a tough upcoming matchup with the Detroit Lions in Week 7, but after that face the New Orleans Saints (1-5) in Week 8 and have a Week 9 bye.
Still, adding additional help to the receiving room will be crucial down the stretch if Tampa Bay hopes to hoist the Vince Lombardi Trophy at season’s end.
Could the Buccaneers Capitalize on the Cleveland Browns’ Woes?
No one expected the Cleveland Browns to come out looking like a Super Bowl contender, but their results thus far are arguably worse than anticipated.
Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco was benched after just four starts, and rookie Dillon Gabriel has underperformed since getting under center in Week 5. Given the Browns are clearly still multiple pieces, including a franchise QB, away from contending, it could be in their best interest to trade away star tight end David Njoku. He is in the final season of a four-year, $54 million contract.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox predicts the Buccaneers could swoop in and trade for Njoku to patch up Mayfield’s receiving room.
“Despite being an impending free agent, it seems like the Browns aren’t eager to move one of their most reliable offensive stars—even if his replacement is already in the building,” Knox wrote. “Harold Fannin Jr. has impressed and appears poised to take over as Cleveland’s long-term starting tight end.”
Fannin, according to PFSN’s impact scores, is already the better tight end on Cleveland’s roster. Fannin has a score of 77.6, which ranks him No. 16 at his position, compared to Njoku’s score of 74.1 and rank of 30.
Knox then went on to share a report from Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, which reads, “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).”
The parentheses in Cabot’s post make obvious there’s room for changing the front office’s mind. If Flacco and Newsome II were not intended trade pieces yet ended up with the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars, the same could absolutely happen for Njoku.
Knox set Njoku’s projected trade value at a 2026 third-round pick, so the Bucs likely need to part with a valuable asset to add him to the mix.