5 Cleveland Browns who need to provide more down the stretch

No. 3: Cleveland Browns TE Austin Hooper

There was a sense of excitement ahead of the 2020 season when the Browns signed Austin Hooper in free agency. In order to lure him away from the Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland signed him to a four-year deal worth $44 million — $23 million of which was guaranteed. It was also the richest contract for the position at the time.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski was known as a huge proponent of the dual tight end offense, so fans were elated at the prospect of Hooper and former first-round pick David Njoku playing together. There was a brief moment where it seemed Njoku might not be thrilled with the offensive strategy — especially after they drafted Harrison Bryant — but he bought in and there were two high-profile players at the position.

Fast-forward to 2021 and there are now legit questions as to whether or not Cleveland overpaid for Hooper. In his first season with the Browns, he caught a career-worst 65.7 percent of his targets as he finished with just 46 receptions for 435 yards and four touchdowns.

This year has been even worse as only 62.2 percent of the passes thrown towards Hooper have been completed and he has 28 receptions for 261 yards with two touchdowns. He’s been overshadowed in a major way by Njoku and if the Browns are going to win down the stretch, they need him to become a big part of the offense, rather than an afterthought.