3. Rashard Higgins, Wide Receiver
The Browns receiving corps in 2019 was supposed to be stacked. They entered the season with Odell Beckham, Jr., Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, and Rashard Higgins. Of course, we all know what happened with Callaway who was unable to stay eligible to play and was ultimately released. What we don’t know is what exactly happened to Higgins.
Back in 2018, Higgins was one of Baker Mayfield’s favorite targets. He was a smooth route runner with reliable hands and he absolutely excelled at the contested catch. He finished that breakout season with 39 receptions for 572 yards and scored four touchdowns.
This past season, however, he hardly saw the field — even with Callaway being released. Higgins finished with just four receptions for 55 yards and a single touchdown — although that was a game-winning score. For whatever reason, he and former head coach Freddie Kitchens just seemed to be on opposite pages. And it wasn’t as if anyone was stepping up and keeping Higgins off the field.
No other wideouts besides OBJ and Landry threatened defenses in 2019 and that led to a belief they needed to add more help in this area. Cleveland didn’t seem to share that desperation as they exited the draft with only Donovan Peoples-Jones as a new addition.
Thankfully, they re-signed Higgins shortly after and he gives them a legitimate option as the No. 3 wideout. 2019 was most likely an anomaly and the veteran receiver being retained was one of their more underrated moves this offseason.