5 biggest concerns for the 2021 Cleveland Browns

2. The WR room

Once Odell Beckham Jr. was lost in Week 6, the Browns lacked a receiver whom defenses respected. No one could consistently win downfield or defeat man coverage, and that greatly hampered the offense.

Baker Mayfield will not be what he can be until the receiver room better complements his elite downfield passing ability. The return of Beckham and the addition of rookie speedster Anthony Schwartz will help, but will that be enough?

Beckham has not statically been himself since 2016, and Schwartz is a raw rookie (though not as raw as he is sometimes made out to be). The superstar receiver created separation easily in 2020, but his time on the field coincided with Mayfield’s struggles. There are six players who deserve to be in the room this season, but only two have true difference-maker ability (Donovan Peoples-Jones may be able to put himself into that conversation), and both have serious concerns over their ability to contribute.

If there is one thing that could derail this team’s Super Bowl hopes that is not outside circumstance, it’s the receivers letting down their quarterback, which would result in a similar ending to the 2020 campaign. That concern is all the more frustrating considering only two teams in the NFL pay their wide receiver room more than the Browns.