What do Cleveland Browns do about Harrison Bryant?
By John Suchan
Harrison Bryant was the Cleveland Browns No. 2 tight end this past season and while he’s had some big moments, how important is keeping him at this point?
When Harrison Bryant was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2020, he was looked at as an up-and-coming tight end, with a skill set that could potentially lead to big things. Over these last three seasons, you could look at strictly his statistics and see a player that’s been pretty consistent. That consistency though doesn’t necessarily mean consistently great, it could also be that he has been consistently so-so.
He hasn’t ever taken on the lead role as the Browns No.1 tight end. That distinction goes to David Njoku. And while Bryant has played well in moments, he hasn’t knocked the socks off of anybody.
Bryant has one year left on his rookie deal and Cleveland will have some decisions to make as they go into the NFL draft in a few months. One of those decisions will be if they take another tight end. They could also look to bring in a tight end or two through free agency to bring more competition to the room.
The other option would include the Browns releasing Bryant. The former Florida Atlantic collegiate player, if released by Cleveland, would free up about $1 million in cap room for the team.
In terms of statistics, Bryant has been consistent over his three years. He’s gone for 238, 233, and 239 yards each of those seasons respectably. In 2022, he caught 31 passes compared to the 21 he caught the year prior, so that yards per catch, decreased from 11 yards down to seven. In addition, in his previous two seasons, he also caught three touchdowns while this year he only had one score.
While Bryant has come through and caught some big passes to move the chains, you have to wonder if it’s worth him coming back for another year or would the Browns be more willing to part ways at this point. They may be more willing to take a chance on bringing in some new blood and letting Bryant walk.
Njoku, the Browns No. 1 tight end target, will be here for a while as he just signed a new contract extension this past season. Cleveland has tried out different players at the tight end position as well, including Pharoah Brown.
While it’s been nice to see Bryant come through at different moments, one has to wonder if we’ve come to the close of his time in Cleveland. You just have to consider how much more he can give and contribute to a Browns offense, especially as they try to reload and regroup and make the offense run better in 2023.
