At 4-3, the Cleveland Browns are still in the thick of the AFC playoff hunt, but things have not gone their way offensively at all. The team is reportedly seeking help at wide receiver prior to the trade deadline, so here are three players they could target to help out Deshaun Watson when he returns.
3. Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos
Having reached 1,000 receiving yards in a season only once in his five seasons in the league, Sutton is averaging only 47.5 yards per game in 2023, but he has caught six touchdowns. He has excellent size at 6-4 and 216 pounds and is a jump ball artist.
He is functioning as the Broncos' No. 1 receiver, but with the Browns, he could potentially be the league's best No. 2 opposite of Amari Cooper. Sutton is still due a decent amount of cash for the remainder of this year, and carries cap hits of over $17 million in both 2024 and 2025, but considering that the Browns are paying the rest of their WR room practically nothing, they could theoretically afford Sutton, and the fact that he wouldn't be a rental should be appealing to general manager Andrew Berry.
2, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, Arizona Cardinals
Adding Marquise Brown would be a rental, but his asking price should reflect that fact. Since being drafted in the first round by the Baltimore Ravens back in 2019, Brown has been unable to fully realize his potential. He's lighting-quick, but inconsistencies in route running and hands have limited his effectiveness.
The Cardinals thought enough of him to essentially part with a first-round pick to land him, but it's really been more of the same for him in Arizona.
The current regime in Arizona was not the one to trade for Brown, and given that there is not a contract extension in place, they may be interested in getting what they can for him before he becomes a free agent this offseason.
If the Browns could land Brown for cheap, they'd have half a season to attempt to figure out how to use him best, and would have the option to either re-sign him or allow him to leave in free agency and contribute to the compensatory pick formula.
1. Jerry Jeudy, Denver Broncos
Despite having two seasons where he's gained over 800 yards and averaged over 14 yards per reception, Jeudy's NFL career has been a disappointment thus far. It seems like the team is unhappy with him, and he is unhappy with the team. A change of scenery just seems like the best option for both sides, and perhaps Cleveland would be a good spot for him to have a career reset.
Jeudy possesses excellent stop-and-start ability, but needs to be more consistent in his route running and needs to reduce the amount of focus drops he has.
He's not a burner who's going to take the top off a defense, nor is he going to turn a 3-yard flat into a 25-yard burst. He's a guy who can create good separation by virtue of his acceleration and deceleration, and he needs to fully lean into that skillset in order to be successful.
His fifth-year option has already been picked up, so he'll be due just under $13 million next season, which is not all that bad considering the current state of WR salaries. Depending on his price, the Browns could take a chance on rehabilitating Jeudy's career and seeing if they can get him to live up to his 15th overall status.