Browns: 4 players to trade for before the NFL Trade Deadline

Allen Robinson

The Browns have no elite wide receivers. It’s hard to say they have any Pro Bowl-caliber ones either after Sunday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. For some reason, the narrative is still on Baker Mayfield, but that’s flat-out wrong. The Browns pushed the ball down the field, quite often in fact. It was the receivers, not Kevin Stefanski’s play-calling or Mayfield’s passing, that hindered the offense.

If every player Mayfield threw the ball to catch the pass and didn’t drop it, Mayfield would’ve had a completion percentage around 84-87% on the day. More than likely two touchdowns as well. Stefanski and Mayfield can’t make these receivers catch the ball. They got them opportunities, but they aren’t capitalizing. Landry’s day was by far the worst with three drops (and a fumble), but D’Ernest Johnson had a drop, Odell Beckham had a drop, Rashard Higgins didn’t have a drop – statistically speaking – but he let the ball go right through his arms on what would’ve been a first down had he caught it.

Those six are just the ones I remember off the top of my head. Imagine how much better the offense would’ve been if the $45 million-plus the Browns were paying to Beckham, Landry and Austin Hooper actually translated into performance.

The Browns trading for Allen Robinson won’t be comfortable on the cap by any means, and you’d probably want to trade him with Beckham to not incur even more salary, but the Browns need an elite wide receiver. Maybe Robinson isn’t “elite” but he’s different. Maybe that’s what the Browns need, something different.

The biggest issues with Robinson are a perceived decline in his play, his age (29), and his contract (last year). He’ll want a three or four-year deal after this year at least and the Browns would be wise to walk away from that type of contract.