NFL analyst names surprise Browns player as 'non-rookie to watch'

The 2024 NFL Preseason kicked off when the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans played in the Hall of Fame Game. Now, we enter the official first week of the exhibition games with the Cleveland Browns set to host the Green Bay Packers on Saturday.

There will be several storylines to follow with the Browns, even with starters such as Deshaun Watson sitting out. There will also be some exciting players to keep an eye on, including one player who caught the eye of NFL analyst Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports.

Trapasso selected 10 non-rookies he "can't wait to watch," and one name he zeroed in on was Matt Landers. While he admitted the wide receivers corps is deep in Cleveland, he said Landers has a size/speed combo that no one else on the roster possesses.

"Landers is a big-size, straight-line speed specimen. At over 6-4 and 200 pounds, the Georgia-turned-Toledo-turned-Arkansas vertical weapon ran 4.37 with a broad jump in the 91st percentile at the receiver spot at the 2023 combine. And that came after a four-year collegiate career in which he caught 79 passes at nearly 20 yards per grab in the MAC and SEC." — Trapasso, CBS Sports

As a rookie in 2023, Landers spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Carolina Panthers but never appeared in a regular season game. He was briefly with the Arlington Renegades before joining the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL before getting his latest chance with Cleveland.

The Browns have a lot of talent at wide receiver led by Amari Cooper. Their WR2 is Jerry Jeudy and Elijah Moore is currently the WR3 with Cedric Tillman doing all he can to stand out. If Landers wants to make the roster, he needs to beat out players such as David Bell and Jamari Thrash.

It won't be easy but his first chance to prove himself in live-action will be Saturday. There will be a lot of eyes on him to see if he can be the deep threat this offense has been lacking.

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