4 reasons the Cleveland Browns may in fact land DeAndre Hopkins

The Cleveland Browns could still easily land DeAndre Hopkins

The Cleveland Browns need help at receiver still. Despite having a lot of names in the room, the room lacks viable depth. There are a lot of “if’s” and “maybe” types of talents, but not a lot of guaranteed guys. People are assuming that past draft picks made by the Browns will finally “break out”. They also believe that Elijah Moore, who the New York Jets gave up on due to his poor performance and poor attitude, will turn things around here.

That’s a lot of hope to rely on. That’s why someone like DeAndre Hopkins is so enticing for the team.

Everyone wants Hopkins, except no one seemingly wants him. The issue with Hopkins, beyond the presumed declining abilities, is his price tag. Hopkins wants a number similar to that of Odell Beckham Jr., who the Baltimore Ravens over-paid, to get a massive name in their receiver room.

No one else is going to be doing that for Hopkins. The market is slow and because it’s slow, many people are unsure who will eventually land the former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals receiver. A multi-time Pro Bowler, Hopkins was once among the elite receivers in the game, now, not so much.

That said, a lot of teams still need help at the position, and the Cleveland Browns are among the teams who are apparently very interested in him. And despite what is believed by others, including our sister-site Dawg Pound Daily, the Browns are very much in the running to land him.

1. Everyone else is pulling out

The New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Tigers,  and Jacksonville Jaguars are already five teams who have made it clear that they’re out on DeAndre Hopkins. And while teams like the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots have some apparent interest, there are others who are pointing out that those teams may be done perusing Hopkins.

The Bills remain interested, despite what the Tweet claims but like with the Chiefs, there seem to be limitations that Buffalo will have to deal with. The Cleveland Browns may not make the most sense right now, as they do have some of the most shallow pockets going in the game, but the fact that the market is collapsing around DeAndre Hopkins and his desire for a Beckahm-like contract should give the Browns hope.

After all, if you’re Hopkins, you don’t want to go the Latrell Sprewell route and price yourself out of the league. If the goal is to get paid, then the best option is to take a one-year, prove-it type of deal and then go back into free agency in 2024 with a solid season under your belt.

What’s the alternative, take no contract, make no money, and sit out for a year? Go play in the XFL? Most people would agree that $7 million is better than nothing, even if you wanted $15 million.

2. The Cleveland Browns are clearing cap space

One of the reasons that the Cleveland Browns are considered to be a long shot to land DeAndre Hopkins, and really the only one that makes sense, is the fact that they have very little cap space left. None of that is untrue, the Cleveland Browns only have so much money to spend. The concern, however, shouldn’t be about that, however.

The team is going to have to blow up this roster next year anyway, more than likely, so why not go for broke this year when you have the chance? More than likely you’re going to see a lot of mainstays get cut next offseason. The competitive window, for the most part, will be closed. 2023 is the season to push it all in.

More to that point, the Browns do in fact have the space to offer him a deal he wants. They currently have $15 million worth of cap space remaining, after the release of Joe Haeg. A move is done, seemingly, to help clear cap space to in fact go after Hopkins.

The Cleveland Browns released Joe Haeg, saving $2 million dollars. The idea of the Browns maintaining cap space each year to avoid having to blow up the roster all went out the window when they overpaid for Deshaun Watson in the first place, so there’s no reason to start penny-pinching now.

3. The Cleveland Browns front office has been known to land guys “out of their price range” before

One of the big salary cap issues the Cleveland Browns are facing currently has to do with owed money to players no longer under contract. The Browns have done deals for Amari Cooper and Jadeveon Clowney that saw owed money get deferred after they’ve seemingly left the team. Clowney will still collect over $6 million still owed to him by the Browns, even though he’s a free agent, and Cooper will collect around $10 million after his contract expires.

That means in 2023 and 2024, Clowney will count $1.6 and $4.8 million against the team’s salary cap, even though he’s not on the team anymore. For Cooper, he’s going to be paid nearly $10 million in 2025 and 2026, but only about $7 million will count against the cap in 2025.

The Browns are well aware that they’re not building a dynasty. This is about winning now, a bad methodology for sustained excellence but that’s what the team is doing. The Browns can structure the DeAndre Hopkins deal, specifically the signing bonus, to pay out portions of the owed money after the deal ends. It’ll obviously hurt whoever the next GM of the Cleveland Browns ends up being, but they may just land the missing piece for the team to succeed in 2023.

4. The Cleveland Browns don’t have the depth some claim

The Cleveland Browns have the ability to land DeAndre Hopkins. We know that, as it’s been done before with guys like Jadeveon Clowney, Amari Cooper, and more recently Za’Darius Smith. The team can once again make a huge swing and just like with Clowney, Cooper, and Smith, the Browns need to land Hopkins.

While some are really hyping up guys like David Bell, Cedric Tillman and for some reason, Elijah Moore, none of those three have proven anything in this league. They’re just as likely to be mistaken, busts if you will, and gone from the team by 2024 than they are anything else. This thought process that Andrew Berry is playing four dimension chess just isn’t true. He’s had his hits and he’s had his misses, just like any GM, so this thought process that these three men can help the Browns win is laughable.

They’ve done nothing of note and were acquired simply because the Browns need to try something. They may pan out, they may not. But we know who Hopkins is. We know he’s been hurt and we know he may only provide 700-800 yards of productivity in a season. That’s acceptable.

We know what he’s capable of, and if he does somehow turn back the clock, then the Browns will benefit from it. They won’t have to rely on guys with shotty track records to over-produce beyond their inherent value. Landing Hopkins will bolster the receiving room, even if he’s not better than Cooper anymore, or even if he’s on the same level as Donovan Peoples-Jones at this point in his career.