As the NFL prepares to crown a Super Bowl champion, 30 teams are already in offseason mode. That includes the Cleveland Browns, who recently hired Todd Monken to be the team’s next head coach.
Monken is currently filling out his coaching staff, and the franchise will soon turn its attention to roster building. Heading into free agency and the draft, the priority for Cleveland has to be finding offensive linemen and wide receivers.
The best receiver who is set to be available this offseason is Dallas Cowboys wideout George Pickens. The Browns would love to bring the receiver back to the AFC North, and after a recent report, they may actually have the chance to make a run at Pickens.
The Dallas Morning News reporter Calvin Watkins recently revealed that the Cowboys haven’t had any contract discussions with their star wideout yet. While it’s still early in the offseason, that somewhat confusing reality has to give teams like Cleveland hope that Pickens will be available.
Browns could make a run at George Pickens if Cowboys fumble re-signing him
Watkins made clear that the two sides not talking yet isn’t necessarily a concern since it’s so early, but Dallas fans are definitely holding their breath, because contracts are never easy for the franchise. Last offseason, Cowboys fans witnessed the relationship with Micah Parsons deteriorate before he was ultimately traded, so they are hoping they won’t have to also say goodbye to Pickens, who has the same agent as Parsons.
The Browns, and nearly all other teams in the NFL, are hoping otherwise. Pickens becoming a true, unrestricted free agent would make him possibly the top target this offseason. A team like Cleveland, that is in desperate need of an elite No. 1 wideout, should do everything it can to land the receiver who once played under the Browns’ new head coach.
Pickens, in his first year with the Cowboys after being traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers, caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards, and nine touchdowns in 17 games. The soon-to-be 25-year-old receiver made the first Pro Bowl and All-Pro team of his career. Now, he’s set to make a lot of money — it’s just a matter of where.
Dallas still seems like the likely destination, especially since the team could franchise tag him. If for any reason the Cowboys let him test the market, the Browns should be ready to go all out to sign him.