3. Odell Beckham, Jr. (or Jarvis Landry)
The Browns have the luxury of having two pro-bowl wide receivers who are making over $14 million per year. While that works now with a very young team, it isn’t feasible moving forward for two reasons. One, wide receivers aren’t viewed as crucial by analytical teams.
There’s a belief that a quarterback or offensive line is far more important and someone catching the ball is replaceable. Two, the Browns pro-bowl receiving duo appears to be underachieving as of late.
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Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham have each had tremendous seasons but were not able to do so together in Cleveland last season. Mayfield and Beckham never seemed to be on the same page, plus he played through an injury the entire season which is a factor.
Landry put up a strong stat line in 2019, but many of those catches and yards were in garbage time of games the Browns were already out of.
It’s tough to say which receiver will be looking for a job next season, but 2020 will likely be a job interview for both Landry and Beckham. Both are under contract past 2020, but both have zero guaranteed dollars on their contract after this upcoming season.
The Kevin Stefanski offense has struggled in the past to feed two, star receivers with Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Remember, Diggs eventually ended up being traded from the Minnesota Vikings to Buffalo Bills.
Look for the Browns offense to be substantially better in 2020, with Beckham and Landry both having strong, but not amazing seasons. Because Beckham’s trade value will be so much better, look for the Browns to try and move on from the star after this season. With Beckham’s $15 million-plus off the books for 2021-2023, the cap will be freed up for extensions with Garrett and Mayfield.