3 Cleveland Browns starters who could be benched with a bad camp
- Competition at wide receiver
- Defensive lineman needs to step up
- Specialists changing?
2. Donovan Peoples-Jones, wide receiver
You have to kind of look at this as both "starters" and players who play "starter snaps". Obviously, if your starting lineup only includes two receivers, Donovan Peoples-Jones is going to be behind both Amari Cooper and Elijah Moore. But in 3WR sets, he could be considered a starter currently for the Browns and there's a chance a bad camp could push him down the depth chart.
Rookie Cedric Tillman has been drawing some rave reviews and with his combination of size, speed, and leaping ability, he could be a unique weapon to include in the offense even more than Peoples-Jones.
Who knows? The Browns might even get a decent trade offer for Peoples-Jones, who is in a contract year this year. Not that they should be rushing to trade receivers, but you never know.
The Browns just have a lot of other players at receiver right now with more team control than Peoples-Jones that could prompt them to look for the best value possible in a trade. Guys like David Bell stepping up in training camp could spell even bigger doom than the rookie Tillman:
This is something worth monitoring, for sure. Peoples-Jones is coming off of a solid season in 2022 and could net the Browns some valuable capital in a trade if they are okay with guys like Bell, Tillman, Marquise Goodwin, Jakeem Grant, and others making up their primary depth.