Cleveland Browns: Austin Hooper will ‘definitely’ be back after bye

The Cleveland Browns have missed Austin Hooper recently

That past Cleveland Browns game on Sunday versus the Las Vegas Raiders was abysmal. There’s not really another way to put it. Did the weather seem to help? In some respects, no, but that should help the Browns in some ways at home, one would think.

Nonetheless, Cleveland’s performance in Week 8 was a head-scratcher, albeit, one should put that one mostly on the defense. As DPD’s Greg Newland demonstrated, the visiting Raiders ran it down Cleveland’s throat and bled the clock. And though Cleveland’s pass defense has been, in large part, horrendous, which could’ve factored into it a bit, the run defense had been mostly effective before Sunday.

That wasn’t the case this time, and Vegas ran 45 times for 208 yards collectively, mostly via production from Josh Jacobs, and Devontae Booker gashed Cleveland when he was in there. So again, that one was more so on the Browns defense, which, we know has a myriad of issues that need to be addressed, perhaps via the upcoming trade deadline but also schematically.

At least Myles Garrett having “nothing structurally” wrong regarding his knee, though, and being able to set to go for Cleveland’s Week 10 game versus the Houston Texans, per Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski and via Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, is a positive.

So was this bit of news, per Stefanski and via Clevelandbrowns.com’s Andrew Gribble, in relation to Austin Hooper “definitely” being back versus Houston.

Hooper “definitely” being back post-bye is a relief for the Browns

While the Browns now being sans Odell Beckham Jr. isn’t ideal, nor is Jarvis Landry dealing with a rib injury, it’s nice for Baker Mayfield to have Hooper back following the bye. Hooper’s missed Cleveland’s past two games after having an emergency appendectomy, albeit it appears he’ll be just fine.

Hooper’s not had the makings of a big-time season as a receiver with 22 catches for 205 yards and one touchdown, but he’s been mostly reliable when the opportunities have arisen. Plus, his work as a blocker in the run game, in particular, has been admirable.

Swinging back to his receiving thus far with the Browns, as of Oct. 30, according to Pro Football Focus, Hooper has caught every contested target he’s had to this point, which has been seven. And no other tight end with at least four “has caught every one of them.”

While it seems feasible that the Browns could look to add to the wideout room via trade, either way, looking onward, we should expect to see Mayfield look Hooper’s way a bunch from here, given his reliability.

That’s even more so the case after Cleveland, and while a few were not simple catches for Landry, had the highest percentage of drops of catchable balls in Week 8 versus the Raiders, per PFF.

Mayfield had a clean game, too, and hopefully, Hooper being back in the fold against Houston/looking forward helps brings stability to the passing game for Mayfield.

Granted, Nick Chubb ideally being back in the next few games for the Cleveland Browns would pay dividends, for obvious reasons, and also for helping keep the defense off the field/fresher. But Mayfield/the offense “definitely” having Hooper back and ready to roll seemingly versus the Texans is quite a relief in itself.

Mayfield needs his presence out there for the money downs. That’s for sure, and that’d take some pressure off of/aid in freeing up Landry, Rashard Higgins, and perhaps rookie Harrison Bryant, to some extent.