The Cleveland Browns secondary will go up against some of the most talented wide receivers in the NFL during the 2017 season.
There has been much discussion about the depth at the wide receiver position for the Cleveland Browns. Can Corey Coleman stay healthy enough to lead? Are there any young players that have the ability to step up? Will Kenny Britt live up to the hefty contract he was signed to?
Unfortunately for the Browns, there are a number of teams they will face this season that do not have this issue. These teams have a solidified number one receiver that can takeover games. These players have the confidence that they can beat any corner in the league on any given snap.
The Browns have worked hard to overhaul their defense this offseason. This is especially true in the back of the secondary.
In the draft, they acquired highly touted Michigan safety Jabrill Peppers in the first round. They followed that in the fourth round by taking Houston cornerback Howard Wilson. The team then signed a multitude of undrafted players to compete in the secondary. Finally to cap it off, they were able to acquire veteran safety Jason McCourty in May.
An improved defensive secondary will be imperative this season going up against some of the best pass-catchers in the NFL. Multiple Pro-Bowlers, All-Pro selections, and even a Super Bowl champion round out the list.
On an interesting note, four out of the top six most targeted receivers of 2016 are on this list with the fifth missing time last season due to injury. Let’s take a look at the top five receivers the Browns will face in the 2017 season.
Let’s start with Week 6 where the Browns will travel to Houston to take on the Texans. Houston will flex their big play ability through fifth-year player, DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins has been variably consistent through his first four seasons averaging over 1,000 yards per season in that stretch. He officially rose to fame in 2015 reeling in 111 receptions for 1,521 yards on the way to his first Pro Bowl.
Statistically he regressed slightly in 2016 hauling in 78 balls for 954 yards. That is still an above-average year in the NFL. The decline was credited to the lack of playmakers around him to take the pressure off as well as poor play from current Brown, Brock Osweiler.
The Texans quarterback situation will be interesting to watch in how it affects Hopkins. Certainly by Week 6, one would expect for it to be solidified. Will it be rookie Deshaun Watson or incumbent Tom Savage and will either of them play well enough to showcase Hopkins’ ability?
The Texans have not faced Cleveland since 2014. In that game, Hopkins had four receptions for 80 yards in a 23-7 Houston win. He has shown the ability to post numbers much bigger than that though and the Cleveland secondary should be on high alert.
It doesn’t seem right having Jordy Nelson this low on the list but that is a testament to the talent the Browns are facing this season. The Super Bowl champion has been a benefactor of one of the league’s best quarterbacks for years now. Through a number of changes in the Green Bay offense, the Rodgers-Nelson connection has remained a constant.
Jordy Nelson is coming off his third consecutive season of over 1,000 yards receiving and is showing no signs of slowing down. In fact, outside of the 2011 season, the last two have been the best of his career. It is uncommon for a player to produce at that level past the age of 30. The emergence of young receiver Davante Adams has also seemed to help elevate Nelson.
The Browns have not faced Green Bay since an October game in 2013, a contest they lost by a score of 31-13. In that showing, Nelson was held to five receptions for 42 yards but did haul in a touchdown catch.
The Browns will have to watch out for his home run ability. Outside of his rookie season when he only started two games, Nelson has had a catch of over 50 yards in every season since then.
Statistically speaking, T.Y. Hilton is consistently one of the NFL’s best receivers. He has gone for over 1,000 yards receiving in every season except for his first when he turned in 861 yards. Hilton has been selected to the last three Pro Bowl teams and many more can be expected.
The precedent was set that Jordy Nelson is a home run threat. If that is true then Hilton might be the biggest slugger out there. He has at least one reception of over 70 yards in four of his first five seasons, only striking for 63 in 2016. He can legitimately go deep on any play.
The Browns learned this the hard way in their last meeting with the Indianapolis Colts in 2014. Cleveland stormed out to a 21-7 lead but couldn’t hold on, losing 25-24. Hilton played a major part in his team’s comeback, going for 150 yards and two touchdowns including the game winner in the final minute.
Joe Haden will need to keep up better than he did last time in a Week 3 matchup in Indianapolis for the Browns to have a chance.
It is not often you will see A.J. Green second on anyone’s list but the AFC North features two of the league’s best.
Green’s resume is impressive. He has been selected to a Pro Bowl in each of his first six seasons in the league. In that same span, he has gone for over 1,000 yards in each of the first five. He would have made it again in 2016 but a season-ending hamstring injury kept him just short at 964 yards.
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Just like the rest of the list, Green can also be a deep threat. His per season longest receptions bottom out at 54 in 2016. However, at 6-foot-4, his best trait is his ability to go up and get the 50/50 ball. He is a physical receiver who uses his size to come down with a lot of balls that he probably shouldn’t.
As a divisional rival, the Browns are very familiar with the Cincinnati Bengals playing them twice a year. Unfortunately, Green has made some of those seemingly impossible catches against Cleveland including this play in a Week 7 meeting last season.
It almost seems unfair. A.J. Green has had a handful of monster games against the Browns over the years. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will have to get creative in finding ways to slow him down. But as the tape proves that is easier said than done.
As painful as it is for Browns fans to admit, a Pittsburgh Steeler is the best receiver they will face all season. Not only is Antonio Brown the best receiver the Browns will face, he is arguably the best in the whole NFL.
Brown has plenty of accolades: five-time Pro-Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, 2014 NFL receiving yards leader. Brown really blossomed into a star in 2013. Since that season, he has had over 100 catches and 1,200 yards receiving each year. He has also recorded double-digit touchdowns in each of the past three seasons.
Cleveland has had some trouble in the past with Brown. Particularly a 2015 contest when he was able to go for 10 receptions and 139 yards. The Steeler receiver punctuated that game by outrunning the whole Cleveland defense on a slant route to push the game to 30-9. He added insult to injury by somersaulting into the end zone.
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The Cleveland Browns need to figure out a coverage to disrupt the Pittsburgh offense enough to slow Brown down. They won’t have much time though as the Steelers are the first regular season foe they will meet on September 10 in Cleveland.