2 Cleveland Browns players that could see increased usage with Jarvis Landry out

2 Cleveland Browns that could have higher usage sans Landry – No. 1: Njoku

One could foresee Cleveland/Mayfield looking to get Njoku more involved with this Landry news.

He led the Orange and Brown with 76 yards receiving on three receptions in a close loss at the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1, and while last week he had only two catches for 18 yards, he’s a big target that can pop on seam balls. One could see Mayfield perhaps seeking out Njoku in the red zone a bit more as well.

Njoku can generate his share of yards after the catch as a chain-mover, too, which is not the case for Austin Hooper, who simply doesn’t have the make-you-miss ability Njoku has. That’s something that Cleveland’s coaching staff needs to consider in upcoming games.

And getting him looks in between the hashes could help create mismatches, and as games progress, the likes of Beckham/others could get some quality looks outside the numbers.

In a general sense though, objectively, Njoku has been inconsistent in recent seasons for Cleveland, whether it’s been a result of injuries, trade rumors, a lack of role, etc.

Even so, when he’s been more regularly involved, the former Miami Hurricane has shown what he’s capable of, and Mayfield knows how to find him for key plays in contests. Sans Landry, one shouldn’t be surprised to possibly see with a higher target share than in the first two outings, when he had five and three targets, respectively.

Moving on from there, the next Brown that could seemingly see more usage is Rashard Higgins.