Chargers Roster Spotlights: David Njoku, Biggest Wildcard on Mike McDaniel's Offense
David Njoku, born on July 10, 1996, in Cedar Grove, New Jersey, was one of nine children to Nigerian parents of Igbo heritage. Njoku played his high school football at Cedar Grove High School, where he earned three-star recruiting status according to 247Sports. He committed to the University of Miami.
After a year of redshirting, Njoku played in 2015 as a wide receiver, earning 362 yards and a touchdown. He made the transition to tight end in 2016, where he broke out with 698 yards and 8 touchdowns, putting himself on the 2017 NFL Draft map.
NFL Scout Lance Zierlein had this to say about the prospect: "Ascending pass catching talent with elite athleticism and enough fight in his run blocking to believe that he can be lined up anywhere on the field at any time... He is still growing into his body and has to add to his play strength, but his playmaking potential and elite traits should make him a first-round pick and a future Pro Bowler."
Njoku was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2017 with the 29th overall pick, where he played up until this upcoming 2026 season. In Njoku's early portion of his career, he was a solid player with a poor supporting cast, but never really lived up to his first-round selection billing...until 2022.
From 2017 to 2021, Njjoku played in 65 out of 81 possible games, earning 1754 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 2022, everything finally clicked for the then 26-year-old tight end, where he stayed healthy, earning 628 yards and four touchdowns, following it up in 2023 with his only Pro Bowl, a career-high 882 yards and six-touchdown season.
In 2024, Njoku played in 11 games, putting up a strong 505 yards and five touchdowns season. 2025 was expected to be more of the same for the veteran weapon, but unfortunately, injuries, a young Harold Fannin Jr. and poor QB play all culminated to arguably the worst season of his career.
Chargers David Njoku, TE Miami
This final poor season and Fannin Jr. breaking out for the Browns were enough for them to move on from their 2017 first-round selection, allowing for the Chargers to sign the veteran and bolster their tight end room that already possesses 2025 breakout rookie Oronde Gadsden II and one of the league's best blockers, Charlie Kolar.
2025 Season Stats
12 Games
33 Receptions
293 Yards
4 Touchdowns
Measurables
Contract Status
"David Njoku signed a 1 year, $3,000,000 contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, including $850,000 signing bonus, $850,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $3,000,000. In 2026, Njoku will earn a base salary of $1,300,000 and a signing bonus of $850,000, while carrying a cap hit of $2,950,000." - Spotrac
David Njoku's 2026 Season Outlook
Njoku is a very intriguing option for this Chargers offense led by Mike McDaniel, due to his versatility and long career of being one of the league's most athletic tight ends. He is expected to be the third TE and play limited snaps, helping Gadsden II develop and be an option if injuries were to occur.
However, the coaching staff could very well view Gadsden II as a limited player and want someone with more blocking prowess on the field, yielding Njoku more playing time, making his assumed role a major wild card.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/chargers/onsi as Chargers Roster Spotlights: David Njoku, Biggest Wildcard on Mike McDaniel's Offense.
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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM.