Who will be Cleveland Browns third wide receiver in 2021?

The Cleveland Browns top two receivers are set with OBJ returning from a torn ACL as well as Jarvis Landry returning for his fourth year in Cleveland. The question remains though, who will be the third wide receiver alongside them? 

With Odell Beckham Jr. expected to be healthy when the season starts, the Cleveland Browns know for certain they have one of their outside wide receiver roles filled. Likewise, Jarvis Landry will be expected to continue his role as the team’s starting slot receiver, who will at times line up outside if needed.

This leaves the question of who will be that third receiver and the one who will line up outside opposite of Odell Beckham Jr?

The player with the presumptive inside track is Rashard Higgins, who has arguably been Baker Mayfield‘s favorite target since the quarterback’s rookie year. After OBJ tore his ACL last year, Higgins stepped in and produced plenty of exciting and clutch plays on his way to a stat line of 37 catches for 599 yards and 4 touchdowns, including a 16.2 yards per catch average. His 16.2 yards per catch average was good for eighth in the league.

During the recent minicamp though, Higgins was dealing with an injury that left him sidelined and on the bike throughout the majority of the practices. Although head coach Kevin Stefanski has said that Higgins “will be fine”, this left the door open for other receivers to make a case for being the next receiver up behind Landry and Beckham Jr.

One of the receivers that stepped in and made some plays during camp was second-year receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. He made several nice plays and Baker Mayfield commented that, “Donovan looks incredible right now. He looks like he’s in really good shape.”

DPJ will be looking to put together a solid summer leading up to the season and build off an exciting rookie season for a player who wasn’t expected to produce very much. If he’s able to continue his upward trajectory towards reaching his potential, it’s very possible he could steal reps from Higgins and possibly even supplant him as the third receiver.

Yet another, although unlikely, option to be the third receiver behind Landry and Beckham Jr. is Anthony Schwartz, who was drafted out of Auburn University during the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. It would be difficult for a rookie to supersede both Higgins and Peoples-Jones, especially considering he was sidelined during the recent minicamp, but stranger things have happened.

Clearly, the coaching staff and front office liked what they saw in Schwartz, which is evidenced by the fact they chose him in the third round of the 2021 Draft. So while it is still improbable for Schwartz, the world-class speed that he brings to an offense sorely lacking such a characteristic may go a long way to working himself into the coaches’ favor.

Other players that could see themselves lining up as a starter opposite of Beckham Jr. would be Khadarel Hodge, JoJo Natson, or another player not yet on the roster. It would likely take an injury to multiple wide receivers for this scenario to occur, but injuries happen quite often in the NFL.

Hodge made multiple noteworthy plays in the recent minicamp and all 11 of his catches during the 2020 season went for first downs. Natson is more a speedster receiver who has been used primarily as a returner during the course of his career. It’s also still possible that GM Andrew Berry could still add another receiver to the mix once cuts begin around the league later this summer.

As previously mentioned, Higgins is certainly the favorite to be the third receiver behind Landry and Beckham Jr. He has a great rapport with Mayfield and the front office thought it was important enough to re-sign him this offseason.

Peoples-Jones, Schwartz, Hodge, or a castoff receiver from another team could still make an impressive push, but right now the job is Higgins to lose.