3 receivers for the Cleveland Browns who need to prove their worth this year

The Cleveland Browns have a few wide receivers that need to prove their worth.

The Cleveland Browns’ receiver room isn’t great. PFF doesn’t think so, experts don’t think so, and for what it’s worth, I don’t think so. Shocking, I know. Amari Cooper is not a top-tier receiver but he’s a good piece to have. So is Donovan Peoples-Jones, but like with Cooper, Peoples-Jones isn’t a second-tier receiver.

He’s a third. That doesn’t mean he’s bad, it just means the Browns have room to improve their receiver room. Maybe the team drafted that guy in Cedric Tillman, but we don’t know that yet. What we do know is that with the salary cap situation getting worse for the team, they have to make decisions for the long-tier health of their team.

That means the Browns have to see some of their receivers step up heading into next year and beyond, and these are the three men we think need to prove themselves.

Three receivers for the Cleveland Browns that need to prove their worth

David Bell

As far as hype and expectations go, no one was more disappointing in 2023 than David Bell. Bell came in as a guy who many fans expected to just rip up the league for some reason. He’s undersized, not the fastest, but he’s got crazy good hands. That didn’t help him at all. He has got to step up in 2023 or there’s no reason to keep him on the roster going forward. The Browns are no longer a team that can just carry guys who are projects. They’ve got to be Super Bowl competitors and that means everyone on the roster has to be able to contribute.

Anthony Schwartz

He can’t catch, can’t run his routes, and is largely the worst-drafted player the Browns have had under Andrew Berry. He may not make it past the first round of cuts but something tells me that the Browns, and Berry, are going to do anything they can to keep him as he’s as fast as lighting. If he can show some improvement in the preseason, it’s possible he’s kept around.

Donovan Peoples-Jones

Unlike Schwartz and Bell, Donovan Peoples-Jones doesn’t have to worry about his spot on the team at this point in time. He’s a fine receiver and a player the Browns need. What is up for debate is whether will he be brought back. He’s improved each year he’s been on the team and may actually work himself into a certified No. 2 receiver this season. But if that happens, he may ask for a big contract, as he’s entering into free agency next offseason. He’s in the last year of his deal and he’s going to be asking for more than a few million that he got on his rookie deal. So if the Browns are going to pay Peoples-Jones a lot of money, they have to see him produce at a much greater level than he has been.

• Published on 06/22/2023 at 22:15 PM
• Last updated at 06/22/2023 at 22:15 PM