The Cleveland Browns have some decisions to make in regards to impending free agent wide receivers Rashard Higgins and Breshad Perriman
It is not often that the Cleveland Browns have free agent wide receivers worth bringing back. This upcoming offseason the Browns have to make decisions on whether to retain Rashard Higgins and Breshad Perriman. Perriman is an unrestricted free agent while Higgins is a restricted free agent. Both Higgins and Perriman became integral to the Cleveland offense down the stretch and could grow upon their success this season in the future.
Rashard Higgins
Rashard Higgins had a career best season and emerged as a favorite target of Baker Mayfield. Hauling in 39 passes for 572 yards and four touchdowns, Higgins always seemed to be ready to make a play when called upon. One of the most important aspects of Higgins is the chemistry between him and Mayfield. Most of the leagues best quarterbacks have a go-to target, this is as close as it gets for Mayfield. Mayfield spreads the ball around quite well, but does look to Higgins when a big play is needed.
Breshad Perriman
The case for Breshad Perriman is an intriguing one. Up to joining the Browns midseason, Perriman had performance issues. In 10 games Perriman caught 16 passes for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Perriman was a vertical weapon for Mayfield and made lots of plays downfield. The ability to stretch the defense makes Perriman quite valuable. Not only can he catch passes down the field, he keeps the defense honest by having to worry about getting beat over the top. The threat of the deep ball opens up other opportunities for other receivers to make plays.
Rashard Higgins and Breshad Perriman are not superstar receivers, but Baker Mayfield is able to get the most out of them when they are on the field. If Cleveland were to not re-sign Higgins and Perriman there will be other suitors. Higgins displayed his value and Perriman is well on his way to shed the bust label after being a first round draft pick. Maintaining stability and chemistry will be important for the future of the team. Cleveland would be wise to keep Higgins and Perriman in a Browns uniform.
