Browns Receivers the Team’s Biggest Training Camp Battle
By the time Quarterback Deshaun Watson finally completed his first pass to a member of the Cleveland Browns receivers corps, the dye has basically already been cast. The 2022 season was on life support. The offense had been designed for the skillset of Jacoby Brissett. The defense was softer than butter on a hot day. Watson himself was even rustier than expected.
Oh, and the Browns receivers corps was decimated. They needed to be rebuilt and rethought.
Looking Back to 2022
Amari Cooper, whose presence was supposed to replace former Browns receivers room headliners named Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr, was playing hurt. Cooper would have to have surgery in the offseason. Jakeem Grant went out early with an Achilles tendon tear. Anthony Schwartz, who was expected to step up and fill the gap, remained ill-prepared for prime time. David Bell’s development took longer than expected.
Coming into the offseason, perhaps the biggest issue facing Watson’s (re)development is the rebuilding of the Browns receivers corps. The team spared little effort in doing so. Without a first-round pick, the team traded down in the second round to add former New York Jet Elijah Moore. When the team finally did make it onto the clock they added another member of the Browns receivers room in Cedric Tillman. The Browns also picked up Marquise Goodwin in free agency.
While none of these are big splash additions, each has their own role to fill among the Browns receivers. It’s a crowded position for the team, with no less than 13 Browns receivers currently on the roster.
Clearly, cut day is going to be harsh to the Browns receivers room. Half of them are likely finding their way to the unemployment line. This makes the Browns receivers perhaps the most competitive group in camp.
Here’s the breakdown.
Browns Receivers Who Will Make the Team
To start with the obvious: Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore, and Cedric Tillman are going nowhere. They are locks at the top of the depth chart.
The Top Guy
Cooper is the Browns clear top receiver, carrying a contract of a cool $20 million with the team. Even though he never quite developed a rapport with the since-departed Brissett, Cooper had a big 2022. He led the Browns in all significant receiving categories with 78 receptions, 1,160 yards, and 9 TDs in last year’s run-first offense. The core muscle injury which hampered him throughout December also has hampered him during OTAs. However, he should be fully ready for camp, which is good news for Watson. He and Cooper will get an extra week, as the Browns are playing in the Hall of Fame game.
A Big Trade
The offseason trade for Moore was more (pun not intended) than a little surprising. The New York Jets had high hopes for him when the team took him in the second round just two years ago. More surprising is how little it cost Cleveland to add him to the Browns receivers room. The team had to trade back just 32 picks in the second and third rounds to secure Moore.
Moore, who ran a pre-draft 40-yard dash of 4.35 seconds, has snagged 80 passes for the Jets in two seasons. That’s also with quarterbacks who were so good that exactly none of them were slated as starters in 2023. But apparently, he ran afoul of former offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. In addition, the Jets also made another small trade for aging all-world quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers likes his own guys at receiver, and so Moore was dispatched to the Browns. They hope they got a steal of a deal in a player favorably compared to Antonio Brown (before he became… colorful).
The Top Draft Pick
Likewise, Cedric Tillman is a name the Browns hope you hear a lot this season. At 6-3, 215 lbs, he’s the biggest guy in the Browns receivers room. He doesn’t have elite speed but is expected to be the team’s physical presence off the line and in the middle of the field. He’s drawn comparisons to another physical receiver Browns fans might have heard of… Anquan Boldin. Except this time, the Cleveland faithful would like to see their version of Boldin tearing up the Baltimore Ravens defense, not the other way around.
A Potentially Surprising Trade Candidate
There’s always a surprise or two come the end of August, and keep an eye on Donovan Peoples-Jones for that. Though he posted career numbers across the board last year, Peoples-Jones hasn’t been heard from as much in OTAs as the other three. He also has just a year left on his rookie deal. With so much capital already committed to the Browns receivers, if Peoples-Jones doesn’t quite click with the new offense, a trade could be in the offing. This becomes especially more likely if a certain wild card from the desert comes into play (read on for details).
Who is on the Bubble?
Here’s where things get interesting. Cleveland is likely to keep six receivers. There’s a possibility of the Browns receivers numbering seven on opening day. But with the team poised to keep three tight ends as well, an extra WR might be a bridge too far.
The safest of those who remain is Marquise Goodwin, who was added to the Browns receivers via free agency this season. So far, he’s clicked well with Watson. Goodwin’s track star speed is adding a deep ball dimension that the team lacked last season. However, Goodwin is on his fourth team in as many seasons and is well past 30, the time when even elite players start to lose their speed. A long training camp and extended preseason might wear on him a bit more than the others. He’s also not known as a special teams contributor, a focus of the team’s in 2023. So he’s one to keep an eye on.
Special Teams Contributions Might Be the Deciding Factor
That leaves a pair of former third-round pick Brown receivers vying for the sixth and possibly final spot on the squad. These are David Bell and Anthony Schwartz. Of the two, Bell has the inside lane. Browns GM Andrew Berry is loathe to depart with draft picks, especially recent ones, and the team knew Bell was something of a project. In addition, the team hoped that Anthony Schwartz would step up to help stretch the defense after the departures of Landry and Beckham but it didn’t happen.
Working in Schwartz’s favor is his elite, track-star speed. With a fantastic training camp, he could push Goodwin for the deep-threat role. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski could also decide to keep a pair of deep threats for situational schemes or in case of injury. Schwartz is also more likely to contribute to special teams. This, given his speed and 15 career kick returns to Bell’s… well, one.
The most likely to contribute on special teams – and current dark horse contender for spot number six – is Browns receiver Jakeem Grant. Grant is working his way back onto the field after sustaining a devastating Achilles tendon tear during practice shortly after signing with the team last year. Grant was added specifically for special teams help. He has returned 119 punts and 110 kickoffs in his career. It remains to be seen if the 30-year-old he can get healthy and if he still has that explosiveness after the injury.
The Wild Card From the Desert
Meanwhile, the rumors about former All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins joining the Browns receivers simply will not die. Part of that is his relationship with Watson – the two were prolific in Houston together. Part of it is that Hopkins has made it widely known that he wants to be on a team that is ready to compete now. The Browns hope are poised to make that leap in 2023.
While strictly speaking the Browns don’t need Hopkins, he’d slot in as the team’s second receiver immediately. He’d also be the team’s best insurance policy if Amari Cooper were to miss any time. While the team has hopes for Tillman and Moore, neither is expected to vault into an elite receiver spot in 2023. The Browns are in a win-now mode. Adding a superstar – albeit an aging one – might be the right move for the team, right now.
It will be some weeks before we know what the Browns receivers actually look like. Let alone who can do what on the field and how well. But one thing we do know: It’ll be different than last year.
Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images
