Three games into a 2-1 season might be a little early for any team to be thinking about next year. This goes double for a franchise in a win-now mentality like the Cleveland Browns.
But Cleveland GM Andrew Berry has painted himself and his franchise into a bit of a hole. In their aggressive acquisition of QB Deshaun Watson, the team gave the former Texan the largest guaranteed contract in NFL history. As such, Watson’s $55M cap hit in 2023 will likewise be the biggest for any player ever in the league.
In addition, the team still owes its 2024 first-round pick to Houston. When a team is this tight against the cap and has less-than-normal draft capital, its GM has to get creative.
That means some interesting personnel decisions could be in the offing. Even in a win-now season. Even before the October 31 trade deadline.
This Cleveland WR Could Be On the Trade Block
Cleveland WR Donovan Peoples-Jones has been a fan favorite for the past several years. The Michigan product was taken as a developmental pick in the sixth round in 2020 but played regularly by his second season. That’s saying something for a franchise that then featured Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.
Even after the addition of Amari Cooper, Peoples-Jones continued to quietly contribute. In 2022, with all of the drama swirling around the addition then suspension of Watson, People-Jones posted career highs in receptions (61), targets (96), and yards (839). All of which were second on the team, just behind Cooper.
However, Head Coach Kevin Stefanski rebuilt the Cleveland passing attack from the ground up to 2023. With Watson in mind, Stefanski sought personnel more complimentary to his franchise QB’s skills. That led to the trade for Elijah Moore, the drafting of WR Cedric Tillman, and the signing of free agent flier Marquise Goodwin.
Watson and the Cleveland Browns passing attack is still very much a work in progress despite its big day against the Tennessee Titans. But what’s becoming increasingly clear is that Peoples-Jones isn’t the priority he used to be.
Projections for Peoples-Jones
With just five receptions against 10 targets in three games, Peoples-Jones is on track to have his least productive season since his rookie year. Assuming he plays all 17 games, Peoples-Jones projects to finish 2023 with 28 receptions against 56 targets for 385 yards, less than half of his 2022 numbers.
Peoples-Jones currently is tied for fourth in receptions for the Browns, with RB Jerome Ford, who made his first career start last Sunday.
In contrast, Watson has developed significant chemistry with his lead target, Cooper. Cooper has already hauled in 17 passes from 25 targets for 243 yards. That projects to nearly 100 receptions on over 140 targets and 1,377 yards, which would likely be among the best in the league.
Stefanski has also made it a priority to involve Moore, a man of many talents. Moore’s volume projects almost identical to Cooper’s, though with significantly fewer yards, and Moore has played closer to the line of scrimmage thus far. Moore also has taken six carries in three games for 23 yards. This will likely only increase as the Browns continue to rebuild their running game following the loss of Nick Chubb.
Peoples-Jones was often a media focus in 2022 when he was a bright spot in an offense in turmoil. In 2023, his name is barely mentioned in press conferences, if at all.
Peoples-Jones: A 2024 Free Agent
So where does this leave a fan-favorite like Peoples-Jones? His rookie contract expires after this season. The Browns, already up against the cap, have big money committed to pass-catchers Cooper and TE David Njoku. They also have Moore’s contract coming up after 2024.
That likely leaves Peoples-Jones out of luck in Cleveland.
His situation, combined with his usage thus far, likely hasn’t escaped the attention of Berry, a wily GM with a history of creative trades. Berry would also like to add back some of the draft capital he lost in the trade for Watson.
Potential Suitors for the Browns WR
While Peoples-Jones isn’t the talent to inspire a WR-needy team to part with a first-round pick, some teams could use his services immediately. The Kansas City Chiefs, a perennial Super Bowl hopeful as long as they have Patrick Mahomes, spring to mind. Other than Travis Kelce, perhaps the most dominating TE of his generation, the Chiefs have little in the way of pass catchers. The lack of WR talent likely cost the team an opening-day win against the Detroit Lions. The Kelce-less Chiefs dropped eight Mahomes passes, four from Kadarius Toney alone. The Chiefs had hoped to develop Toney as Mahomes’ top downfield target.
Cleveland could, however, be leery of seeing Peoples-Jones reborn on the opposite side of the field in a late-January playoff game. In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints have a new strong defensive identity, which has propelled them to a 2-1 start. New QB Derrick Carr has struggled a bit and could use another sure-handed receiver like Peoples-Jones. Ditto Jared Goff and the Lions, whose receiving talent behind Amon-Ra St. Brown is questionable.
The idea of any one of these teams parting with a third-round pick for Peoples-Jones isn’t outlandish. That would go a long way to offsetting the loss of not only their first-rounder but also the fourth-rounder the team is without.
Impact of the Loss of Peoples-Jones on the 2023 Browns
Trading Peoples-Jones would allow the team to get something for potentially nothing. But it could also create opportunities for Cleveland’s deep stable of pass catchers to get more involved.
Deep threat Marquise Goodwin has yet to snag a pass this season. In part, this is due to his missing most of training camp. Also, Watson still shows some rust on his deep ball placement. Likewise, rookie third-round pick Cedric Tillman has yet to be targeted. Tillman had a terrific camp and looked to have a solid connection with his quarterback. But there are only so many passes to go around.
Three games out of 17 isn’t a large sample size, particularly for the 2023 Browns. This is a team still seeking out its offensive identity, and the roles are being rewritten by the play. But, if trends continue, Peoples-Jones could find himself in a new jersey a lot sooner than next season.
Main Photo: [Andrew Nelles] – USA Today Sports
