Cleveland Browns: Did odds of signing Rishard Matthews go up?

The Cleveland Browns will be holding a workout with free agent wide receiver Rishard Matthews on Monday, and it is a much more interesting workout following the Browns’ Week 5 game.

The Cleveland Browns have lacked consistency at the wide receiver position for the entire 2018 season, which led to the team scheduling to bring in free agent wide receiver Rishard Matthews for a workout on Monday.

Matthews was released by the Tennessee Titans on September 27th after he requested his release. The Titans offense was not providing him with enough targets, so he felt it was best for himself to find a new home.

On the season, Matthews has caught only three of his six targets for 11 yards. In 2016, Matthews had a career-year, catching 65 passes for 945 yards and nine touchdowns.

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Besides Jarvis Landry, the Browns have struggled to find another consistent wide receiver. The Browns were hoping that Rashard Higgins or Antonio Callaway would step up after the organization traded Josh Gordon.

However, neither have taken advantage of the situation. Both have struggled with consistency, and neither have provided many big plays down the field. Both players have been dropping the ball especially Callaway. Overall, the entire Browns receiving corps have struggled with drops.

Higgins has caught 16 of his 23 targets for 244 yards and a touchdown this season. Callaway has caught only 13 of his 29 targets for 177 yards and a touchdown in his rookie season.

The lack of a solid No. 2 target behind Landry led to the Browns looking for a veteran wide receiver. As soon as Matthews became available, it made sense for the Browns to try and get him in the building.

But following the Browns’ 12-9 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, Matthews’ workout became much more interesting. Higgins was forced to leave the game early with a knee injury, and he will be getting a MRI on the knee Monday.

If Higgins is not healthy enough to play in the next week or two, the Browns may feel that Matthews will provide the necessary insurance for the wide receiver group. Cleveland was forced to play rookie Derrick Willies in Higgins’ absence.

Not only would Matthews be a solid addition for the Browns offense, but the position became much more of a need for the Browns.

Matthews does have another workout scheduled with the Arizona Cardinals. But if the Browns like what they see from Matthews, they should sign him to a contract before he leaves the building on Monday with the state of their wide receiver group in flux.