Speed is overrated trait for Cleveland Browns wide receivers

Do the Cleveland Browns really need speedy wide receivers in order to have a passing attack? 

The Cleveland Browns may not be as desperate for speedy wide receivers as the mainstream media would have you believe. The national media narrative suggests that the Browns were dealt a severe blow by the departure of renegade Odell Beckham, Jr., and need to replace him desperately.

And, the narrative continues, they really need to get out from under the ridiculous $17 million per year contract of five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Jarvis Landry. Landry is not the guy to replace Beckham, because he is horrifically slow, having turned in a 4.77 second 40-yard dash time at his combine back in the day.

That soap opera may have resolved itself as Amari Cooper has been traded to the Browns. If Jarvis Landry stays, he no longer has to be the No. 1 receiver, but more likely he will find employment elsewhere.

Anyway, they may have it now. If they stick with Amari Cooper and trade or cut Landry, they can line up Cooper (4.42), Donovan Peoples-Jones (4.48), Anthony Schwartz (4.27) and Jamarcus Bradley (4.48). That’s fast enough. To tell the truth, the least impressive player on the list is Schwartz. Yes, he is very fast, but he was also quite tentative as a rookie. Are we there yet? To quote Homer Simpson, “No!”

Drafting the “speedy wide receiver” is no longer a priority, if it ever was.

The Browns might go wide receiver if there’s someone like D.K. Metcalf sitting there when it is the Browns’ turn on the draft board. However, two points need to be made. First, the Browns ain’t no dome team. Second, they ain’t no run and shoot team, either.

Lest anyone forget, the Browns play two tight ends, run the ball with Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt behind a big offensive line, and they want the home field advantage in January. The Browns do not place a premium on multiple-wide-receiver sets and their offense does not feature the vertical passing game.

The fact of the matter is Cleveland has had plenty of speedy wide receivers since they resumed play in 1999. 12 of them, in fact, ran 4.40 or faster at their Combine or Pro Day (if Combine time was not available). If there was a trend toward elite play from speedsters, we should be able to recognize it by now. Without further ado, here is a list of your speediest wide receivers of the past 25 seasons:

Player                             from    to    Speed     Tgts   Comp  Catch pct   Yds  Yards/Season
Breshad Perriman      2018 2018   4.25        25         16     64.0%          340        340.0
Anthony Schwartz      2021 2021   4.27        23         10     43.5%          135        135.0
Donté  Stallworth       2008  2008  4.29        45         17     37.8%          170        170.0
Tim Carter                     2007  2007  4.32        22           8     36.4%          117        117.0
Andrew Hawkins        2014  2016  4.34      209      123     58.9%       1424        474.7
Travis Benjamin          2012  2015  4.36      221      109     49.3%       1683        561.0
Braylon Edwards        2005  2009  4.38      499      238     47.7%       3697        739.4
Terrelle Pryor               2015  2016  4.38      148        78     52.7%       1049         524.5
Damion Ratley             2018 2019  4.39         44        25     56.8%          344        172.0
KhaDarel Hodge          2019 2020  4.39         27        15     55.6%          256        128.0
Taylor Gabriel               2014 2015  4.40      120        64     53.3%           862        431.0
Corey Coleman            2016 2017  4.40       131        56     42.7%          718        359.0
AVERAGES                                            4.35                                50.1%

4o-yard draft times are from player profiles on NFL.com, and stats are condensed from Pro Football Reference.