After losing wide receiver Rashard Higgins Sunday with a sprained MCL, the Cleveland Browns reportedly had interest in Rishard Matthews. This no longer appears to be the case. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported a lack of interest in the veteran receiver.
#Browns Hue Jackson said "we'll see'' on Rishard Matthews. Likes the young guys he has here. They know the system.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) October 8, 2018
Hue Jackson actually has a valid point. The players on the roster know the system. If the Browns were to bring in Matthews he would be behind everyone else on the roster in regards to knowledge of the offense. It appears that Cleveland may be right by looking in house rather than for outside help. Even if Matthews were ready to play this upcoming Sunday, his knowledge of the offense would be limited at best. There is a legitimate chance he would then become a liability and not an asset.
This is not a slight against Matthews, he has been relatively productive during his career. With 228 receptions for 3,147 yards and 21 touchdowns. The majority of his numbers have come after leaving Miami for Tennessee. 118 catches for 1,740 yards and 13 touchdowns in his last two full seasons in a Titans uniform. Even if Matthews is able to produce at a slightly lower level than this he should find a job relatively quickly. With the army of receivers that teams now employ, Matthews will not be unemployed for long.
What will the Browns do?
If Cleveland does not intend to sign Matthews they will need to find help on their roster. Losing Higgins hurts as he was a favorite target of Baker Mayfield. Especially considering the Browns are not doing him any favors in terms of dropped passes.
Baker Mayfield has the highest drop-rate of any QB.
He's already 5th in total drops among QBs like 2.5 games into his career.
— Sam Monson (@PFF_Sam) October 8, 2018
Honestly, this is disgusting. David Njoku is a huge offender in this category as is Jarvis Landry. However Landry’s status in regards to drops is more a result of his overall volume rather than having stone hands. That being said Landry needs to drop a few less passes.
Maybe the Browns found a new weapon for Mayfield in Derrick Willies. Willies had a key catch and run that set up the game winning field goal in overtime. It is also entirely possible that Duke Johnson gets a bigger role in the passing game. Johnson has been relatively absent in the offense this season and this could be the moment when his usage increases.
If Cleveland changes their mind and signs Matthews that is not bad either. Matthews is talented and the deal will most likely be for the duration of the season. A relatively inexpensive deal plus the short time frame means that if he does not work out they can just cut him. The Browns are not hard pressed for money, so if his stay in Cleveland were to be short it would not hurt the team all that much.
At the end of the day the Browns need to make sure Mayfield’s receiving targets hold on to the ball. If they think Matthews can help in that department, awesome. If not and they think they have the solution on their roster, that is fine too. Just give Mayfield targets to throw to and hope it leads to more wins.
