Browns: 5 undeniable awful truths after the first five games
By Chad Porto
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The offense is lacking other playmakers as well
The rest of the offensive players are fine, none are ghastly but none are great. Donovan Peoples-Jones had a nice day but that’s because the Chargers were trying to cover everyone due to Mayfield’s ball placement and not targeting just a few guys. So Peoples-Jones got some good breaks. He’s not a starting-caliber wide receiver. He was a sixth-round pick for a reason and he’s shown us why.
David Njoku is too inconsistent and is a god-awful blocker, whatever progress he made in the preseason was either lost through the mystical barrier that was the start of the regular season or proof that most of the guys he blocked were bad at their jobs. Harrison Bryants is a solid blocker and a solid receiver but isn’t getting enough reps to show us he’s anything more. It’s starting to look like he’s your run-of-the-mill fourth-round picks who don’t get a second contract. Austin Hooper is fine but grossly overpaid. He’s not stretching the defense ever but can catch anything underneath.
The team should’ve gone after Hunter Henry instead, but we’re here now.
As for the rookie additions, they’re not exactly impressive. Anthony Schwartz and Demetric Felton? They’re special teams players but little else at the moment. This offense is going to be in trouble if Mayfield’s injury persists or if Chubb gets hurt again. It’s still the start of the season and they’re just rookies sure, but how does any of that help us win games by making excuses for them? They either need to produce or the team needs to find someone who can.