Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes running against the Philadelphia Eagles on September 14th, 2025.
The Kansas City Chiefs have had a rough, 0-2 start to the 2025 NFL season.
Although they have not had the easiest schedule to kick off the season; at the Chargers – who look to be serious contenders in the AFC, and then hosting Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles; things are not exactly looking rosy for Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid.
Things have seemed particularly dire on the receiving front, where Hollywood Brown and former Patriots’ second round cast-off, Tyquan Thornton, currently lead the Chiefs’ wideouts in yards, with Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice unavailable due to injury and suspension.
So it will come as no surprise that Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes that the Chiefs are one of the prime “potential suitors” to acquire one of the more consistent pass-catchers who could be on the market ahead of the trade deadline: Cleveland Browns tight end, David Njoku.
Chiefs Predicted To Suitor For High-Level Tight End
“Njoku would probably bring a premium return for the Browns, which is extremely noteworthy.” Knox wrote on Monday. “If Dillon Gabriel or Shedeur Sanders doesn’t look like a long-term QB solution by the end of this season, the Browns will chase one in the 2026 draft.
While Njoku isn’t a perennial Pro Bowler, he’s a more proven playmaker than what most other franchises have at tight end. Teams should be willing to part with a Day 2 selection to add him to their receiving corps.”
Knox also attributes the Browns’ possible willingness to part with one of the few consistent staples of their offense over the past decade to the rise of third round rookie, Harold Fannin Jr, who has already managed 111 receiving yards in just his first two games as a pro.
This makes him the organization’s second-leading receiver to start the season, behind only Pro Bowl wideout, Jerry Jeudy.
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Njoku has long been one of the better receiving tight ends in the game. And despite having been on the blunt end of numerous injuries over the course of his career, he remains an excellent player at his position.
In 2024, Njoku recorded 505 yards and 5 touchdowns, despite missing 6 games due to injury. Even this season, having been overshadowed – in the eyes of many sports pundits – by the emergence of Fannin, the former first round pick has still managed a very respectable 7 catches for 77 yards,
The Chiefs do have both Travis Kelce and Noah Gray under contract. However, Kelce’s future remains very much uncertain, after heavily entertaining the prospect of retirement this past offseason, whilst Gray has just 2 receptions for 4 receiving yards this season.
With options on the perimeter limited – which at the moment encompass a perhaps slightly uninspiring starting duo of Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, it could make sense for the Chiefs to operate a dynamic two-tight end pairing of Kelce and Njoku for the time being, until the return of both Worthy and Rice.
And even beyond that, a receiving group consisting of Worthy, Rice, Kelce and Njoku is certainly one more than capable of striking fear into the hearts of many a defensive coordinator across the league.
