The Cleveland Browns should bring back Jarvis Landry, at the right price

The Cleveland Browns could still use Jarvis Landry.

Since arriving in Cleveland, Jarvis Landry has been one of the Browns’ most popular players. He started off really well in 2018 and 2019, racking up over 2,000 yards and 10 touchdowns as a member of the Cleveland Browns. The problem with Landry comes down to his physical capabilities. In 2019, he suffered a massive hip injury and he hasn’t bounced back.

He was never a fast receiver to begin with, and when you couple that with the hip injury, it’s pretty evident that Landry just isn’t the same player he once was. Ironically, in Freddie Kitchens or Hue Jacksons’ offense, that’s not an issue, as the team employed a lot of three and four wide-receive packages. You could pepper in faster guys and Landry’s slow-footed nature wouldn’t be so obvious.

Yet, in  Kevin Stefanski’s two-tight end system, hiding Landry’s lack of speed is far more problematic, and when guys like Austin Hooper and David Njoku are faster than Landry, you know you have an issue at the receiver. Your best receiver should not be among the slowest players on the team.

Despite his decline, there’s room for Jarvis Landry with the Cleveland Browns.

Like with Odell Beckham, there’s still hope for Landry as a second or third option on a team. Yet, like with Beckham, it’s not going to be as a team’s number one option. He’s just not fast enough, he just doesn’t have the vertical needed, and he’s no longer the guarantee option to catch whatever is thrown to him.

He’s actually quite limited right now. He’s not dynamic to be a number one, and he’s not tall enough to be a boundary guy. Sure, in 2003, you could line him up in the slot and challenge linebackers, but a lot of linebackers are now faster than him.

Yet, if you can get a speedster in the draft, and get a massive name like Chris Godwin, or Devante Adams, then Landry can take advantage of one-on-one coverage. He’s still smart enough to beat corners, just not when the entire defense is bunched around him. By getting talent around Landry, you can take the pressure off of him, the literal pressure. Not the emotional kind.

Yet, to make that happen, Landry’s going to have to take a cut to his $16 million contract. His impact is not that noticeable anymore, and it makes no sense to keep paying him what he’s making, especially not when he’s one of the issues as of late.

He’s not the same guy he was in 2018 and 2019, and fans should accept that. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have value, just not as the number one on a team.