The receiver room is the most crowded position room on the Browns roster right now. As 14 players currently are under contract, there will be a lot of competition for the bottom-of-the-roster spots. With Deshaun Watson under center this offense will look a lot different, and I would expect these receivers to play a bigger role than in previous years. The Browns made a splashy move this offseason acquiring Elijah Moore from the Jets for an early-round pick swap, whose potential already got some excitement out of fans. Let’s see what his role will be, and which receivers have the best chance of getting a hard-fought roster spot. (I have 6 receivers making the team, after that I put the players into categories to create a better overview.)
1. Amari Cooper
Cooper remains the number one receiver and the hope in Cleveland is that he can develop a strong chemistry with Deshaun Watson. He is a sturdy receiver with very nice route running ability. Predominately he plays on the outside, where he can be a threat at every level because of his above average speed and ability to outrun or outmuscle corners. His skillset is very balanced, making him a reliable number one target. Although he does not get discussed as a top 10 receiver, I think he is not far off from being that. Overall, he is a capable number one, and I am happy to have him in Cleveland.
2. Donovan Peoples-Jones
DPJ is going to play wide on the opposite from Amari Cooper (in their base offense). He is a very athletic and decently sized receiver, which also makes him a contributor in the run game. His speed and physicality off the line make him a respectable deep threat with great leaping ability for contested catches. However, his contested catch rate went down last season, after a promising 2021 campaign. As a 6th round pick DPJ exceeded expectations, but he hasn’t made the jump from a good receiver to a great receiver yet. Whether or not he makes this jump in his fourth season remains to be seen. On the other hand, by drafting Cedric Tillman the Browns got a decent backup plan as well. In conclusion, DPJ is a nice X-receiver-type player with a skillset that complements Amari Coopers very well.
3. Elijah Moore
Because of his rocky start in the NFL, which was largely impacted by the QB play in New York, I ranked Elijah Moore as the 3rd receiver on the depth chart. However, he is the second most talented receiver after Amari Cooper and has an insane amount of upside if he can click with Watson. He has blazing speed and twitchiness to put defenders in a blender from the slot or the outside. Additionally, he has impressive pop in his routes and incredible hands to finish catches. He is a little bit on the lighter side but has not had any durability concerns up to this point. I think we will see a lot of Moore in the slot, given his size profile but he will also be used in a few gadget plays and on deep routes on the outside every game. There is a lot of hype around him for a reason, however he will have to prove himself first.
4. David Bell
Bell, a third-round pick from 2022, had a minor role in last years offense, however he still was the 3rd most targeted wide receiver. I think there will be less 12- and 13-personnel for the Browns this season, which increases the workload on the receivers and could be a way to increase Bells playing time. Yet, with the arrival of Elijah Moore a good number of snaps in the slot will be covered already, so it will be an uphill battle for Bell. He probably is limited to being a pure slot receiver, because of his lack of speed and explosiveness. Nevertheless, he is a smooth route runner with excellent hands and could develop into a Hunter Renfrow/Jarvis Landry-type player as a sure handed 3rd down target.
5. Cedric Tillman
Coming in as a 3rd round rookie, Tillman has to fight for snaps in year one. As another bigger, X-type receiver he will play a similar role to DPJ, who he probably won’t be able to beat out in his rookie year. Tillman is a big and strong target, with great ability to adjust to balls in the air and reel in contested catches. His initial quickness isn’t elite, his longspeed on the other hand is good enough to keep corners honest. Also, he will have to work on his route running, since he only ran a sparse route tree in college but showed some good change of direction in those limited routes. I don’t see him carving out a big role in year one, nevertheless he will have some time to adjust to NFL speed and maybe can challenge DPJ for playing time or even take over for him if the Browns don’t want to pay DPJ after this season.
6. Jakeem Grant
I gave Grant the edge over the other receivers, because of his return ability. Coming off a ruptured Achilles there will always be some worrying about lost athleticism but from what I have heard he looks pretty good in camp until now. Since 2018 he had at least one returning touchdown per season he played in and made the All-Pro team, as a punt returner, in his last two active seasons. His ability to make people miss in the open field could also gain him some touches on offense, with quick throws and gadget plays. Overall, due to his size I think Grant will mainly be deployed as a returner (barring injuries), however at his level that deserves a roster spot in my opinion.
(Update: Grant sustained a significant knee injury that will likely prevent him from playing in 2023. His spot will probably be assigned to Austin Watkins who had an impressive outing in preseason. Although, he will have to earn his playing time, I believe he has shown enough to be given a chance.)
X-receiver types
Daylen Baldwin
As an undrafted rookie last year, Baldwin did not really get a lot of opportunities yet. He reeled in both of his targets last season and has some hype going for him in this year’s training camp. With DPJ and Tillman on the roster, it would really be a stretch for him to make the 53 as well. However, I can see him making the practice squad and be one of the first ones to get called up in the case of injury.
Austin Watkins
Watkins is another big bodied, contested catch target with decent athleticism and hands. I would be surprised if he would dress up for Cleveland this season, however keeping him on the practice squad to compete with Baldwin might not be the worst idea.
(Update: With his impressive showing in preseason, he made a great case for himself to secure a spot on the 53-man roster. However, given the skillset of the other receivers on the 53, I believe it will ultimately be Goodwin who makes the active roster.)
Deep threats
Marquise Goodwin
Goodwin is currently dealing with blood clots in his legs and lungs that will probably keep him away from football this year, otherwise I would have considered him as the 6th receiver. He scored 4 Touchdowns for Seattle last season and despite his age he is still a great athlete and deep threat. I wish him nothing but the best and a lot of strength in the recovery process!
(Update: Goodwin is off the NFI and will be back at practice, indicating he should be able to play this year!)
Anthony Schwartz
Schwartz was drafted for his elite speed, which he could not translate onto the field yet. With two years of development and only minor improvements, I don’t see an option for the Browns to keep him on the active roster, especially with the talent this WR core has now. He had major struggles catching the ball, which limited his impact to gadget plays. If he gets past Waivers, I would be interested to get him on the practice squad to see if he can turn his career around. You can’t teach speed…
Ra’Shaun Henry
I struggled to find the right category for Henry, but I think his best attribute is his ability to make catches on the sideline in the mid- to long-range. He is a tall but skinny receiver with decent awareness and hands. This is a classic camp-signing to me, and I don’t think he makes the roster or practice squad.
Slot types
Jaelon Darden
Surprisingly to me, Darden was listed as a 2nd string wide receiver on the first pre-season depth-chart of the Browns. He has a lot of similarities to Jakeem Grant as a quick slot receiver with return ability. However, I think from what we have seen, Grant is the much safer option right now (if his injury is not lingering with him too much).
Mike Harley Jr.
Harley made a good impression in last years offseason, as a crafty and tough slot receiver. He is a decent athlete but does not strike you with any elite traits as an undersized guy. In a world without Grant and Darden, he might have earned himself a spot on the roster, but I think he will rather stay on the practice squad or maybe another team gives him a chance.
Run after catch specialists
Mike Woods
Woods tore his Achilles early into the offseason, ending his year before it even begun. He is the lone player in this category, which is why I wanted to showcase him, nevertheless. Athletically speaking, Woods is nowhere near special, yet he seems to be a little more powerful and quick with the ball in his hands (think a really light version of CeeDee Lamb). He had not really got an opportunity to play meaningful snaps in the NFL and right now I don’t see him changing that on this Browns team. Maybe he can fight his way back onto the practice squad and get an opportunity somewhere else. Also, nothing but the best and a lot of strength for him in this recovery process!
Wide Receivers on the 53-man roster (prediction)
- Amari Cooper
- Donovan Peoples-Jones
- Elijah Moore
- David Bell
- Cedric Tillman
- Marquise Goodwin
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