Cleveland Browns: 5 Major failures revealed by analytics
![Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tre Herndon (37) unsuccessfully tries to break up a pass to Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) for a first down during early fourth quarter action. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Cleveland Browns Sunday, November 29, 2020, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars trailed 13 to 17 at the end of the first half, took a short-lived lead in the third quarter but lost with a final score of 25 to 27 to the Browns. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2Fhttps-3A-2F-2Fdawgpounddaily-com-2Fwp-content-2Fuploads-2Fimagn-images-2F2018-2F08-2F15529864-850x560-a50ac81be0ed03d7a3a4b868072c02802e93d0746eff1b313614b8605699743c.jpg "Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Tre Herndon (37) unsuccessfully tries to break up a pass to Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry (80) for a first down during early fourth quarter action. The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted the Cleveland Browns Sunday, November 29, 2020, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars trailed 13 to 17 at the end of the first half, took a short-lived lead in the third quarter but lost with a final score of 25 to 27 to the Browns. [Bob Self/Florida Times-Union]")
5. Cleveland Browns were way too dependent on Jarvis Landry.
This analyst is a fan of Jarvis Landry, but if you look at the stat sheet, you cannot help but notice some weird numbers. To start with, the Browns were way, way too dependent on Jarvis Landry. Landry received 87 targets in 533 snaps, or one target every 6.1 snaps. That’s far too many. In fact, it is insane.
Landry is a reliable receiver who has been to the Pro Bowl several times, but how many fans think he is better than Ja’Marr Chase, at this point in his career? Even the staunchest Browns fan will probably admit that Chase is a little better than our guy. Well, the rookie received 128 targets in 939 snaps, or one target every 7.3 snaps. Holy kazoo! Can our guy be that much more worth targeting than Ja’marr Chase?
The Browns were not tricking anyone. Landry’s catch percentage was only 59.8% and yards per target was only 6.6. These are the worst numbers of his career, and the Browns utilized him more than ever before. Does that make sense to anyone?
Following the Patriots game, Baker Mayfield was quoted as saying that they needed to get Jarvis Landry more involved in the passing game. Good grief, man, get a grip! With Landry receiving more frequent targets than Ja’Marr Chase, that should be enough.
Donovan Peoples-Jones averaged 10.6 yards per target. Tight end David Njoku was good for 9.0 yards per target. Harrison Bryant was close behind with 8.3 yards per target. Demetric Felton averaged 8.6 yards per target, and a catch percentage of 85.7%. Nick Chubb was good for 7.0 yards per target and a catch percentage of 80.0%.
The only receiver among those mentioned with a lower catch percentage than Landry was Peoples-Jones at 58.6%. He can probably be forgiven because much of the time he was running deep routes which are lower percentage catches, particularly when Mayfield was not able to throw accurately.
Landry’s numbers will look better if he is targeted less frequently (like, when he is actually open). Part of the problem is that Mayfield’s usual ability is to accurately throw to a small window. That was not the case in 2021.
This writer is a fan of Jarvis Landry. But too much of a good thing is not a good thing, if you catch my drift. If they throw to him less often, he will probably be much more effective and have a better chance of staying healthy through a 17-game season and playoffs. In any case, the player they threw to the most had one of the lowest catch percentages and lowest yards per target averages on the team. Ugh.