6 players who could end up on the Browns roster in 2022

2. Michael Gallup, Wide Receiver

Availability: Free agent in 2022

This season, the Cleveland Browns wide receiver corps is set with Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry as the primary starters. The problem is, the two of them make far too much money for their recent production.

That’s why 2021 is going to be huge for each of them. OBJ is coming off an ACL injury and needs to prove he’s worth the $15 million he’s due in 2022. As for Landry, he’s due $16.6 million and had a huge dip in production last season, which included more than a 300-yard drop in yardage.

He also had half as many touchdowns and 2.4 yards per reception fewer than he had in 2019. Of course, neither player is bad by any means, but they are making money that suggests they’re game-changers, which hasn’t been the case recently.

Because of that, the Browns front office could decide to cut bait with one (or both) and according to OverTheCap.com, they each would have at least a $15 million savings against the cap if released.

Should they elect to make such a big move, they could then use that money to go after someone such as Michael Gallup of the Dallas Cowboys. Gallup, who had 1,107 yards and six touchdowns in 14 games during 2019 but was relegated to the third option after Dallas drafted CeeDee Lamb out of Oklahoma.

A third-round pick from Colorado State, Gallup followed that up with 843 yards on 59 receptions in 2020 but that was without star quarterback Dak Prescott for the majority of the season ‚— in addition to the fact that their receiving room is overcrowded.

Gallup is also likely to hit the open market since Dallas just paid Amari Cooper, and he would be a great fit in Cleveland since he’s an excellent deep-ball receiver and Baker Mayfield is one of the more accurate deep-ball quarterbacks in the game.