3 Cleveland Browns who saw their Week 9 stocks sink in Cincinnati

1. Cleveland Browns TE Austin Hooper

When you start looking for players the Cleveland Browns might let go to secure some of that oh so sacred cap space, Austin Hooper’s name comes to mind.

The veteran tight end caught both of his targets for 14 yards. If Odell Beckham Jr.’s time in Cleveland taught us anything, it’s that you can get wrapped up into that kind of stuff, however, if you think about the day, both David Njoku and Harrison Bryant made more memorable plays.

Njoku’s touchdown came in garbage time, but the grab was a reminder of how dangerous he can be when the Browns get him the ball.

Njoku is a free agent at season’s end, and while it’s taken some time to come around him, I”ll hate to see him go. Hooper’s due to earn $9.5 million next season and there’s no way out of it for the Browns, as he carries a $13.25 million cap hit, according to Sportrac.

Njoku will be looking for a pay day, and obviously, I’d like to give that money to The Chief right now.

For comparison’s sake, Hooper’s caught 20 balls this season for 183 yards and a score. Compare that to Njoku, who had 21 catches for 341 yards and an outstanding 16.2 yards per catch average.

Never say never, but it’ll be interesting to see what Njoku’s market is if he ends up hitting free agency.