Making the case against Cleveland Browns drafting a wide receiver

The Cleveland Browns cannot score touchdowns if the defense can’t get off the field. They do not need a wide receiver at the top of the draft, because they already have enough.  

This fan hopes the Cleveland Browns will not add a wide receiver in the NFL draft this season, at least not at the top of the draft. Opinions vary on this issue, of course, and this author is probably in the minority (as usual).

Most of my friends are absolutely ga-ga about this year’s crop of speedy wide receivers, which seems to be exceptionally talented and deep this year. So why not grab one or two speedsters for the Browns?

Let’s think this through a little.

The Browns 2021 salary-cap charge is already more than $30.5 million just on wide receivers from Louisiana State University and $34.5 million in all. Come on fans, that is plenty.

Aren’t you saturated yet? This Browns team is way overinvested in wide receivers already and spending more money on wide receivers is not going to solve any real problems. Baker Mayfield already has Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham, Jr., Rashard Higgins, Austin Hooper, and Nick Chubb to throw to. If he can’t figure out who to throw to among that group, spending money on a rookie is not going to help him.

However, they have a full complement of wide receivers. These are not your father’s Browns. There’s no shortage of wide receivers.

To draft another wide receiver, the Browns would have to cut someone that they really like or else swing a deal for one of their big-ticket guys from LSU. Landry or OBJ could be traded to reduce the salary cap.

That is a double-edged sword, however. Is there a trading partner out there willing to add huge salaries to their own budget? By cap number, OBJ is ranked seventh in the NFL by overthecap.com and Landry 11th. They are both former Pro Bowl players, but the finances make it difficult to trade these players.

The Browns also have Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge as the number four and five wide receivers. They would have to cut one of these two to add another wide receiver.

Why would the Browns want to get rid of Donovan Peoples-Jones? DPJ was extremely impressive, catching 70 percent of the balls thrown at him for 21.7 yards per reception and did a great job on kickoffs and punts, accumulating 760 all-purpose yards as a rookie. DPJ will not be fired after a rookie season like that.

Number five receiver and special teams ace KhaDarel Hodge may be vulnerable, however, because he missed several games with a hamstring issue and was not as effective on special teams in 2020 as he was in 2019.

As a restricted free agent, he was given no offers by other teams, meaning his contract is a pricey $2.1 million, but zero guaranteed. It’s almost for sure that he’s going to be cut. So, is it worth it to burn a draft pick to replace the number five wide receiver? Maybe. But this would probably be in a later round, not on day one or day two.

The Browns also have Ryan Switzer on the 90-player roster, who since 2017 has caught 80.6 percent of the footballs thrown his way, while also returning kickoffs and punts. If he is healthy, there’s no reason not to keep him on the roster. Ja’Marcus Bradley also looked like he might have some skill, in a brief audition as the No. 1 receiver vs. the Jets.

But if you choose to add to an already crowded roster, then what? You’re not even going to look at undrafted rookie receivers? You’re just going to cut them, like past Browns teams cut Taylor Gabriel (1,998 yards) and Willie Snead (3,393 yards)?

Alternatively, if you overbook the wide receiver position to six spots instead of five, you could get rid of the fullback position, which would make Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt mad. Or they could get rid of the fourth tight end, Stephen Carlson. That’s not smart if the Browns intend to continue to run two tight end formations as a frequent part of their offense.

Or they could elect to skimp on the offensive line and not replace Kendall Lamm for depth. Somehow that doesn’t sound very smart, either.

Cleveland needs help on defense more than on offense. Baker Mayfield cannot throw touchdown passes when the defense cannot get off the field. They added some serious quality on defense this offseason, but they still have some depth issues that need to be addressed in the draft.

They better find a replacement for Sheldon Richardson, the ex Pro-Bowler who became a salary-cap casualty. They could use some defensive backs, and a few linebackers.

The Browns have Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit coming off major injuries. Those talented players may seem like they are adding needed depth, but it is too early to pronounce them back.

We are all hoping for the best for these kids, but realistically they both had career-threatening injuries and recovery cannot be taken for granted. They are relatively high-risk players, unfortunately. If they can come back and be situational players, that will be a win.

Ah, but shouldn’t the Browns always draft the best player available? Yes and no.

Yes, the main goal is to draft talent, not plug holes. But there’s the option to trade up or down if faced with making an obvious pick for a player who cannot make the roster because of the numbers game.

If the Browns are faced with the situation in which the obvious pick is a wide receiver at 26th overall, and there is no defensive alternative that makes sense, then they should try to trade out of that position. Slide back a few spots and pick up an additional third-round pick for the trouble.

So let’s draft defense at the top of the draft this season. A wide receiver wouldn’t be a great fit from the early rounds, though the right receiving prospect could have his name called by the Browns on day three.