5 pressing needs Browns must address this offseason
By Randy Gurzi
1. Wide Receiver
At this point, it feels like a broken record. It seems for the past several years as if the Browns wide receiver corps has been lacking. They've been making moves and have tried to address the problem — and have had some success.
The best example of this would be Amari Cooper, who was stolen from the Dallas Cowboys in 2022. Cooper has been everything the Browns wanted, even setting a franchise record as the first player in team history to record 1,000 yards receiving in back-to-back campaigns. In all, Cooper has 150 receptions for 2,410 yards and 14 touchdowns with Cleveland.
They also traded for Elijah Moore who had 59 receptions for 640 yards and two touchdowns in 2023. Beyond those two, however, it's been a struggle.
Cleveland selected David Bell in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft and then took Cedric Tillman in the third round this past season. Bell finished with just 14 receptions for 167 yards and Tillman had 21 catches for 224 yards — although it took 44 targets to get him that much and he has yet to score a touchdown in the NFL.
Heading into 2024, the Browns need more from the No. 3 wide receiver and below. Both Bell and Tillman have flashed potential but the consistency clearly isn't there. As for Moore, he was solid in his first season with the team but would be better served as the third guy, rather than the No. 2 option.
That's why it would be a good idea to either sign a veteran or use their first pick (which is in Round 2 this year) on a play-making wideout. They have tried third-round selections — even going back to Anthony Schwartz in 2021 — but now it's time to get more aggressive.