Cleveland Browns: 3 Free agent WR bargains to consider
By John Suchan
The Cleveland Browns should pursue several free-agent wide receivers that would be bargains and capable of improving the team’s wide receiver position
There are many high-profile NFL wide receivers available to teams when the free-agent window opens in a month. The Cleveland Browns are surveying many of these players, including Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Mike Williams, and Chris Godwin. The biggest issue is likely money with any of these players. The Browns would have to dish out between $15 to $20 million per player and that’s a pretty steep price to pay.
Cleveland has an expensive wide receiver already, Jarvis Landry, on the team and they’ll have to pay him a pretty penny at over $16 million next season. There is chatter that Landry might be released by the team to save on that money. Regardless, the Browns will have cap space to go out and sign a few veterans at various positions. Rather than dump all their money in one player, the team could find a few lower-priced free agents that would still provide an upgrade.
The Browns struggles at the wide receiver position have been well documented this past season. When you consider that between your two best wide receivers Landry and Donovan Peoples-Jones, they only combined for 1,167 yards receiving and five touchdowns on the season, then you know your team is a mess offensively.
The dysfunction at the wide receiver position was also because the team’s quarterback Baker Mayfield had a poor season. Between the inaccurate throws and the numerous dropped passes by the wide receivers, the entire season seemed like a big blooper.
Cleveland knows it has to improve in this department and will likely draft a couple of wide receivers in the NFL draft. They will likely sign a free agent or two and though the big names like Godwin, Williams, and Adams might be off the table for Cleveland, several wide receivers could very well be bargain steals because of their under-the-radar talents. Let’s take a look at three of these players.