As preseason winds down, Cleveland Browns wide receiver battle heats up

With the preseason soon coming to a close, things in the Cleveland Browns wide receiver room are only heating up

Sometimes, having too much talent can be a good thing. For the Cleveland Browns, while it may be a good thing, it is also a very difficult thing.

The Browns will certainly keep 5 receivers on their roster. Odell Beckham Jr and Jarvis Landry will take two of those spots. Donovan Peoples-Jones will take the other.

That leaves the Browns with two more spots, assuming they do indeed keep five receivers. With emerging receiver Davion Davis being suspended for the first two games for a DUI incident back in 2019, that eliminates him from the picture (for now).

To fill the two remaining spots, you’re left with Rashard Higgins, Anthony Schwartz, and KhaDarel Hodge. When the Browns selected the speedster in Schwartz this past April in the draft, their intention is to no doubt have him on the roster. Why? If you watched the divisional round last season, you could see the Browns needed speed, and they went out and got it.

So, who gets left out?

The Browns brought back Higgins on a very small deal, as Higgins loves Cleveland so much he took less money to stay with the Browns and continue to shine here. Unfortunately, that leaves Hodge.

Hodge started his career with the Rams in 2018 and came to Cleveland in 2019. He has been here ever since.

While Hodge had limited action in his first two seasons, he had the best year of his career last year, grabbing 11 receptions for 180 yards. Hodge is that receiver that is reliable and seemingly always ready to go. Sadly, I think his time in Cleveland is coming to an end.

The Browns won’t get rid of Higgins. When you describe a so-called “glue guy” that holds everything together and has a spectacular connection with the quarterback, that is who Higgins is. I, for one, would be stunned to see Hodge stay and Higgins exit. Therefore, my final wide receiver room would be as follows: Beckham Jr, Landry, Peoples-Jones, Schwartz, and Higgins.

If Hodge wants to try and find a way onto this roster, Sunday will be a big day for him. Coming off of last week’s preseason win against the Giants with a nice touchdown reception in fourth and goal, building off that performance will be key if he wants any shot at making this roster.