Gary Barnidge is still looking for work, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds work with an NFL team.
The former Browns tight end welcomed first-round draft pick David Njoku on Twitter, then hours later was cut by the Browns.
Barnidge seemed ready to mentor the rookie tight end from Miami, and he said that while he’d prefer to start, he’d be happy in a mentoring role on another team.
“Of course, I would love to be the (number) one guy,” Barnidge said on the SiriusXM Blitz. “I’ve showed the last two years, with multiple different quarterbacks, I was still able to produce without one single guy, whether it be injuries or just things not working out. I’ve shown I’ve been able to produce with multiple guys throwing the ball. But I don’t think that’s an issue, but if they want me to come in and help mentor, I’ve got no problem doing that, either.”
Barnidge is 31 and age could be one thing that’s working against him. He’s visited the Bills and talked to the Jaguars and Broncos, but hasn’t signed on the dotted line yet. He had a breakout season in 2015 at age 30 with 79 catches for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns. Among tight ends over the last two seasons, Barnidge is seventh in the NFL in receptions (134), sixth in receiving yards (1,655) and seventh in receiving touchdowns (11).
Statistically, Barnidge has been a top-10 tight end since 2015. Chances are he’ll catch on with a team before the 2017 season, but he’s probably done welcoming new tight ends to the team.
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