Six weeks into the NFL season and the Cleveland Browns are incredibly thin at the wide receiver position. Injuries to Rashard Higgins, Derrick Willies and Rod Streater have left Cleveland with little depth. The only healthy receivers on the roster are Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, Damion Ratley and newly signed Breshad Perriman. Just about any move to bolster the receiving group would be productive.
Rashard Higgins suffered a sprained MCL in last Sunday’s win over Baltimore, Derrick Willies broke his collarbone in practice on Friday and Rod Streater suffered a neck fracture in Sunday’s loss to the Chargers. The Browns signed former first round pick Breshad Perriman out of pure desperation. There is a reason why Perriman was still available at this point in the season. Perriman has struggled thus far into his career and apparently other teams in the NFL do not believe he can turn that around. With only Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway, Damion Ratley and Perriman on the roster a move needs to be made.
Trades?
A story posted by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com suggests that Cleveland should trade for Odell Beckham Jr. While this would be an absolute blockbuster, the reality is that this is rather unlikely. New York just signed Beckham to a massive extension and want to utilize Beckham with Saquon Barkley as the centerpieces for their offense in the future. However if the Giants view Beckham’s behavior to be problematic they may decide to move on from the talented receiver. If that does indeed happen the Browns need to be the first team to contact the Giants.
Another potential trade scenario is acquiring Amari Cooper from the Oakland Raiders. Cooper was reportedly being shopped as recently as last week, but head coach Jon Gruden shot down those rumors during Sunday’s postgame press conference. Although it must be said that Gruden did something similar before ultimately trading Khalil Mack to the Bears. When it comes to Gruden and the Raiders anything is possible.
Free Agents
The biggest name out there is Dez Bryant. Bryant and the Browns met before the season and it was (briefly) shown during an episode of Hard Knocks. Bryant still is unsigned and has not really been linked to any team since his meeting with Cleveland. Much like Perriman, teams do not find value in what Bryant is able to provide. Bryant is not able to create separation anymore and is not the outside threat he once was. If Cleveland were to sign Bryant it would not be all that surprising since there was at some point mutual interest between the two parties.
Rishard Matthews is another receiver that Cleveland was linked to this past week. After a short period where it appeared that the Browns might actually sign Matthews, Hue Jackson stated that they were fine with who they had in house. Of course this was before the injuries to Higgins and Streater. Matthews spent three games with the Tennessee Titans before being released. A lack of playtime was why Matthews requested his release from the team. In three games Matthews caught three of six targets for 11 yards. Not exactly jumping off the page, but again this was due to a lack of time on the field.
What will the Browns do?
Cleveland will most likely sign a free agent off the street. This is exactly what happened when Perriman was brought in. While trading for Odell Beckham Jr. or Amari Cooper is a more flashy thing to do, it is unlikely that either will happen. It is possible that the team could bring in Dez Bryant or Rishard Matthews, but considering that the team already met with both and did not sign either of them they may go in another direction.
A move for a receiver must be made, the team has no depth at the position. Cleveland should have a new receiver on the roster soon. Said receiver probably will make little to no impact, but they need a body. A body just in case another injury does occur. If John Dorsey does work some magic and acquire a big name all the better, but the reality is expect a player who will not stay on the team beyond this season.
