A neglected area of evaluation this offseason for the Cleveland Browns has been their wide receiver room. Between Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, and Elijah Moore, only one of those receivers consistently made something out of nothing for Cleveland. The other two were either too injured to produce - Tillman - or too inconsistent to build up a case for being re-signed - Moore.
But, their hands are still tied up in Deshaun Watson's contract for the time being. Even if they're able to recoup most of the cap hit taken from his contract because of insurance against his deal, that money won't matter until after 2026, when he'll likely be cut from the team. So, 2025 is going to be the year of relying on rookies and hoping the team's small signings pan out to much more.
That goes for all positions, but especially at wide receiver. The team's depth there is thin, and outside of Jeudy, the team has no truly reliable receivers. Tillman showed promise, but was injured to end the year and didn't have an opportunity to really spread his wings in that department.
Moore is likely to walk in free agency, and the rest of the team's depth will be sophomores with no true playing experience. So, some one year deals for several free agent receivers feels likely, especially as the team has no clue who their starting quarterback will be yet. Let's take a look at three that make sense for Cleveland.
Cheapest wide receivers the Browns can pursue in 2025 free agency
D.J. Chark
Chark is one of the more realistic low-cost receivers the Browns can try to acquire this offseason. His recent season with the LA Chargers was fairly underwhelming, only picking up 31 yards in seven games played in 2024. He's had an extremely up and down career, with his best season coming with the Jacksonville Jaguars all the way back in 2019.
He's set to become a free agent in 2025 with an APY of $3,000,000 and $2,065,000 previously guaranteed by the Chargers. If he's willing to sign a one year deal with the Browns to act as an immediate starter alongside Jeudy, he could be worth a small, team-friendly contract.
Mack Hollins
The ultimate vibes signing, Hollins could be a legitimately solid WR3 for Cleveland if Tillman shows that his shining moments in 2024 weren't an aberration. If you're unfamiliar with his game, kindly allow me to recommend seeing his huge hit on Denver Broncos punt returner Marvin Mims Jr. in the AFC Wild Card game, and then look at his stats from the entire season with Buffalo.
Read more: When does 2025 NFL free agency start?
The Bills will likely try to retain Hollins, as he's shown he can be a very useful end zone target for Josh Allen. But, if they're able to sign or acquire an even better receiver than Hollins this offseason, he's a worthwhile investment for Cleveland. They can use as many good vibes as possible.
Zay Jones
Jones can simply use a more consistent target on his back, so to speak, in order to get back to his 823 yard type of season that he had back in 2022. Jones, who was recently with the Arizona Cardinals, is only 29 years old and carrying an APY of $2,250,000 from last season.
Jones could be a great WR3 option for the Browns as he's shown the ability to be a great short yardage option for quarterbacks. If he can at least do better than his 2024 season, where he only recorded 84 receiving yards, he'd be an immediately better option than Cleveland's current depth beyond Jeudy and Tillman.