Disappearing Act: Where have these 3 Cleveland Browns gone?

The Cleveland Browns have three players that have disappeared from the field of play and it has many of us wondering when we’ll see them again

A magician’s disappearing act has always been a fan favorite but in the case of Cleveland Browns fans, the disappearance of several players these last few weeks has many of them wondering when they’ll see them again. Will they reappear when the Browns take on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday?

Cleveland has been running smoothly despite these players going missing but in the long run, if these players keep hiding then they may not be playing much longer in a Browns uniform.

All of these players that are “MIA” have had the spotlight on them in the past and have performed well but the fact the team is having success now and these players don’t seem to be needed much anymore. Let’s look now at each one of these Browns and see what has happened to them and if we might ever see them again.

Where have these 3 Cleveland Browns gone?

No. 3: Donovan Peoples-Jones, WR

After a good Week 1 effort where Donovan Peoples-Jones caught 6 passes for 60 yards, he has fallen off the offensive radar and has had only one catch for 10 yards since. That’s definitely not good enough and the third-year player from Michigan needs to step up his game in these next few weeks.

Part of the issue is that he hasn’t been targeted much. He only had one pass thrown his way in Week 2 and last Thursday, he was only tossed the ball three times. He’s been on the field between 78-88 percent of the offensive plays the last two games so either he’s not getting good separation from his defender or Jacoby Brissett just isn’t seeing him open or looking his way.

With Amari Cooper stepping up in his game the last couple of weeks, opponents of the Browns will likely try and take Cooper out of games and force them to look to a player like DPJ.

https://twitter.com/PFF_College/status/1320458408055681026?s=20&t=R3E42DUkBXwIZjhLA37ztA

The problem for DPJ is that there has been talk of him finally having that breakout season and becoming a legitimate No. 2 receiver, but we are still waiting for that to happen. Despite the flair of DPJ and the chatter about all the great catches he’s made or attempted to make, he still has fallen short of expectations.

By year three, the cream of the crop pass catchers begin establishing themselves as stars. The highlight of DPJ’s career is the game-winning grab he made two years ago against the Cincinnati Bengals in the closing seconds. That, however, has really been it and that’s not enough to carry a career too much further.

These next few weeks are very important to the Browns and if they use DPJ more, hopefully, it will help the team win a few more games.