The San Francisco 49ers are without star tight end George Kittle, a massive blow to the team’s offense. Factor that in with Brock Purdy’s injury, and it makes the 49ers’ win in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints even more impressive. While these Saints aren’t a great team, winning in the NFL is no easy feat, so kudos to the 49ers for figuring things out.
However, while the 49ers found a way to get a win, they could still use more on the offensive side of the football, even when Kittle returns.
That’s why Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report proposed a trade idea that would send them David Njoku of the Cleveland Browns.
“The Browns may be cooked just two weeks into the season. As previously mentioned, Cleveland wasn’t expected to contend in 2025, and Sunday’s blowout loss confirmed expectations… With Fannin looking like a long-term mismatch-creator for Cleveland, the Browns might consider moving starting tight end David Njoku. The 29-year-old is more experienced and more well-rounded than Fannin, of course, but he’s also set to be a free agent in 2026…
“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,” he wrote.
David Njoku Would Have a Market
Njoku would be one of the top trade targets on the market if he becomes available, but it remains uncertain if the Cleveland Browns want to do that. Throughout Njoku’s career, he’d be exactly what the San Francisco 49ers need if they want another big target. His best season came in the 2023 campaign, when he finished with 882 yards and six touchdowns.
However, it doesn’t sound like he wants to be traded, given his comments to Myles Garrett when he requested a trade in the 2025 offseason. According to BrownsZone, Njoku went as far as saying that he believes the team has a chance to win in the future.
“Come on, dawg, stay home,” Njoku said. “Give it another shot. We ain’t that far off, honestly speaking.”
“That’s my brother,” Njoku said. “We came in the same time, same round. So we’ve seen the lows of the lows, the highs of the highs with our team. I don’t think we’re done yet.
“I know he wants to win, he wants to be a champion. So do I. We already got this far. We didn’t come this far just to come this far. I think we’re close. We just need a health, good quarterback.”
49ers Need to Replace George Kittle’s Production
Whether the Cleveland Browns want to move him will be seen. Regardless, the San Francisco 49ers need to get Kittle back sometime in the near future to have the year they’re looking to have. According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, Kittle can’t return until the Oct. 12 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Under league guidelines for players returning from injured reserve, the earliest Kittle could return would be for the Oct. 12 game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Coming off a Thursday night game against the Rams, Kittle would also have some additional time to rest and recover,” he wrote.
The idea of Kittle and Njoku is very exciting, so hopefully, the 49ers can figure something out on that front.