BEREA, Ohio -- Browns tight end David Njoku made the catch of his life in Week 12, scored the jersey of one of his idols and then was forced to miss Deshaun Watson’s debut with the Browns in Houston the following week because of a knee injury.
Talk about a whirlwind few days.
Njoku said on Wednesday he injured the knee on the play before his spectacular one-handed catch that helped force overtime against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Browns eventually won the game, 23-17, keeping alive their faint playoff hopes.
The Browns tried to get Njoku in the end zone on a tight end screen and it was set up, too, until Bucs linebacker Lavonte David slid around right tackle Jack Conklin, grabbed Njoku’s leg and twisted him to the ground for a loss of a yard.
On the next play, Njoku lined up on the inside of three receivers to the left of quarterback Jacoby Brissett and made a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone over Bucs linebacker Devin White.
“I was kind of excited so I didn’t really feel it too much on that play, but felt it the play before,” Njoku said. “It is what it is. It’s a physical sport.”
He also ended up walking away with the jersey of one of his football idols -- or at least a promise of a jersey, which Brady delivered on after Njoku grabbed the G.O.A.T. after the game.
“Jesus Christ, (it means) the world (to get Brady’s jersey),” Njoku said. “I told him on the field, ‘Listen dawg, you’re my idol but I’m not leaving this field until I get this jersey,’ and he laughed it off. He said ‘I promise you I’ll mail you one.’ So I was like ‘Alright I’m taking your word for it,’ and he did so I was happy.”
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While he was able to snag the catch of a lifetime and the souvenir of a lifetime after hurting his knee, the injury was enough to keep Njoku off the practice field all last week and out of the lineup on Sunday when the Browns traveled to Houston. Watson, in his debut, completed just 12 of 22 passes for 131 yards and looked like a quarterback who could have used his No. 1 tight end.
Njoku, unsurprisingly, is looking forward to get the opportunity to play with the Browns new franchise quarterback, especially knowing Watson isn’t afraid to throw to tight ends.
“That’s the plan, right?” Njoku said. “That’s the goal, isn’t it? For sure.”
In nine games this season, Njoku has 41 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns. He’s on pace to set career highs in receptions and yardage, even while missing three games. On top of Sunday’s game, he missed the Browns’ Halloween night win over Cincinnati and the game in Miami following the bye with an ankle injury. He spent much of his first game back against the Bills in Detroit on a pitch count.
Njoku said Wednesday he feels good and he plans to be back on the field this week at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati and is ready to help Watson look sharper than he did in his Browns debut. Njoku was limited during Wednesday’s practice, but didn’t appear bothered while running routes and catching balls from Watson during the portion open to media.
His return comes just in time to face a Bengals team he has had success against. In nine career games against the team’s in-state rival he’s caught 20 passes for 247 yards and four touchdowns, the most he’s had against any one opponent.
With Watson under center, Njoku should get some more opportunities to add to his total.
“I’m always hopeful for red zone targets, dawg, no matter what, no matter where, who, any scenario,” Njoku said. “I need red zone targets.”
He also needs to build a connection with his new quarterback. With Njoku signing on long term this offseason and Watson in the fold with his massive contract, the two could have a very productive relationship.
“We started a little bit in camp, OTAs and everything,” Njoku said, “but now we’re just going to keep on rolling.”
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