The Browns have to supplement Amari Cooper with another dynamic scoring threat, but it will be hard to acquire because of Cooper's contract situation.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
(One in a series of position recaps as Browns head into the 2024 player transaction season.)
Position group: Wide receiver.
Players under contract: Amari Cooper, 29, (through 2024); Elijah Moore, 23, (2024); David Bell, 23, (2025); Cedric Tillman, 23, (2026); Michael Woods, 23, (2025); Jaelon Darden, 25, (2024).
Players not under contract: Marquise Goodwin, 33; James Proche, 27; Jakeem Grant, 31.
Position coaches: Chad O’Shea and Callie Brownson.
Overview: The top offensive priority a year ago was to upgrade the receiver room and provide Deshaun Watson more speed to promote a downfield passing game. Alas, the good intentions fell short. The key acquisitions – Moore, Goodwin and Tillman – combined for 84 receptions for 931 yards and 2 touchdowns. Most of that production came from Moore (59, 640, 2), who was acquired from the Jets, along with the Jets’ third-round pick that was used to select Tillman, for the Browns’ second-round pick, No. 43 overall. Receivers still on the board at No. 43 included Jayden Reed (who had 64, 793, 8 with the Packers), Rashee Rice (79, 938, 7 with the Chiefs) and Tank Dell (47, 709, 7 with the Texans). Now, playing with five starting quarterbacks certainly affected receiver production. But it didn’t impair Cooper, who had 100-yard receiving games with three different quarterbacks and produced his best season (72, 1,250, 5) in 10 NFL seasons.
Issues: I wouldn’t write off Moore, Tillman and Bell from having better seasons. But clearly there is a need for a more explosive receiver. Only six teams had fewer than the Browns’ 10 touchdown receptions by wide receivers. The Browns likely will research trade and free agent options to upgrade the position again. To do so, they may have to extend the contract of Cooper, whose final year calls for $20 million in salary with a cap number of $23.7 million. In a previous re-do, they converted $18.9 million in salary to a signing bonus, which tacked on two void years through 2026 worth $7.5 million against their cap. A new contract for Cooper, at age 30, would add to those future charges. Moving on from Cooper, a consummate pro and by far their best receiver, would seem self-defeating and come at a cap charge of $11.3 million. One other option would be to find their man in the draft.
Previously: