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Is Cleveland in need of another receiver?
When the Cleveland Browns hired Andrew Berry away from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020 to become their new General Manager, he was given the keys to the franchise. Part of his job duties is to oversee the college draft in April, sign free agents, re-sign existing players to new agreements, and deal with every portion of the roster.
That means that every player on the team deals with Berry regarding contracts. There are a few players on the current roster who are not a by-product of Berry’s choosing, but the vast majority are being paid by the Browns because Berry personally picked them.
He found second-round talent Martin Emerson, Jr. in the third round. He decided to ditch Baker Mayfield and trade for Deshaun Watson. He signed Jack Conklin to anchor the offensive line. He kept Denzel Ward after another concussion. He used a fourth-round pick on kicker Cade York. He gave the roster a capable backup QB each season with Casey Keenum, Jacoby Brissett, Joe Flacco, and Jameis Winston. He drafted Jedrick Wills instead of four-time Pro Bowler Tristan Wirfs. He found Dawand Jones. He selected this year’s leading tackler Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and last year’s leading tackler Grant Delpit.
One tendency that Berry has so far is the habit of grabbing a defensive back and a wide receiver in every draft. Here’s a list of the receivers he has selected to date:
2020: Round 6 – Donovan Peoples-Jones
2021: Round 3 – Anthony Schwartz
2022: Round 3 – David Bell, Round 6 – Michael Woods
2023: Round 3 – Cedric Tillman
2024: Round 5 – Jamari Thrash
Not exactly a glowing list, but the majority of drafts have been without first-round draft picks due to the Watson trade and even some second-round spots vacated due to other trades.
Another practice is Berry’s propensity to trade for wide receivers. This tendency he has performed for the past three years. Perhaps since his draft prowess selecting receivers hasn’t been that great he compensates for his draft process ineptness by trading for players who already have a track record of production:
2022: Amari Cooper – Dallas Cowboys got a 2022 fifth-round pick and a swap of 2022 sixth-rounders
2023: Elijah Moore – New York Jets got 2023 second-round selection, Browns get player plus 2023 third-round pick
2024: Jerry Jeudy – Denver Broncos got 2024 fifth and sixth-round choices
A quick glance at the Browns current receiver room looks like this:
- Jeudy entering his second year of a four-year deal
- Tillman entering his third year of a four-year deal
- Woods entering the final year of a two-year deal
- Thrash entering his second year of a four-year deal
- Bell entering the final year of a two-year deal
Free agents include Moore, James Proche (kick returner), Kaden Davis, Jaelen Gill, and Tony Brown (special teams ace). Of these players, Moore stands out the most because Berry traded out of valuable second-round pick for him, and a third-round selection, despite the player having had average production numbers in the pros at the time of the trade. While with Cleveland, that trend continued and now he will be able to find employment elsewhere.
The big questions are: what receiver will Berry draft this year and which receiver will he work out a trade for? The franchise is also about to hit one of their trickier off-seasons being over $30 million over the salary cap.
Each receiver Berry traded for had current contracts with their existing team. Some expressed a desire to leave their NFL club.
Here are some guesses for the Browns’ annual WR trade roundup.
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Cooper Kupp – Los Angeles Rams
Age: 31
The Rams have already told Kupp that he will be traded. The only question is to which NFL franchise. After being named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year (2021) just a short time ago, he has struggled to remain healthy and get in a full season although he made an announcement that he’s “healthy as ever.”
There are concerns about his large salary and how that could factor into negotiations. The Rams will need to eat some of Kupp’s contract in order to move him and ease the burden of his future team. Los Angeles seems willing to pay down the $7.5 million signing bonus which is fully guaranteed.
For the Browns, this would give them a reliable WR2 opposite Jeudy. Kupp catches almost everything thrown his way and has exceptional yardage after contact.
Kupp will need to be willing to sign a below-market deal especially being on the wrong side of 30-years old. He is a Super Bowl champion, one Pro Bowl nod, voted First Team All-Pro (2021), and was the NFL receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns leader in 2021.
Browns offer: 2025 fifth-round pick, 2026 fourth-round pick
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Deebo Samuel – San Francisco 49ers
Age: 29
There are rumblings that the 49ers are “expected to explore trading” star receiver Deebo Samuel during this off-season. The talented receiver requested a trade last year and now has been given permission to seek a trade partner.
Samuel is entering the final year of a four-year deal and is expected to count $15.83 million against the salary cap. Because of his age, skill set and contract status, Samuel wouldn’t be a fit for every team. Then there is the fact that San Fran may not have realistic value expectations and ask for too much. The Niners extended WR Brandon Aiyuk last year and love rookies Ricky Pearsall and Jacob Cowing.
The #49ers are expected to explore trading star WR Deebo Samuel, sources say.
In what could be a wild offseason, a parting for Samuel and SF is not guaranteed, but it may make sense for all parties.
My story: https://t.co/g5WdqHQXfvhttps://t.co/g5WdqHQXfv
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 9, 2025
Samuel is also a runner so Cleveland would benefit from running plays that involve him.
With Jeudy last season, the Browns were able to receive a quick turnaround which is what Samuel will offer as well. The addition adding a seasoned veteran to the mix would be advisable. Samuel was voted First Team All-Pro and named to his only Pro Bowl in 2021.
Browns offer: 2025 third-round pick, WR Cedric Tillman
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Garrett Wilson – New York Jets
Age: 24
If Berry could pull this off, he would become a genius trader. Garrett is in the final year of his four-year deal and will count just $6.5 million against the cap. He is still a very young man and extremely productive and has proven to be a beast every year in the league.
The Jets cleaned house in management and may want to move Garrett although that may be a far-fetched idea.
Garrett made the NFL All-Rookie Team and was voted the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2022 after being the 10th overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.
Browns offer: 2025 second-round pick, 2026 fifth-round pick
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D.K. Metcalf – Seattle Seahawks
Age: 27
First off, Metcalf is 6’-4” and weighs 235 pounds. The former second-round draft pick has two Pro Bowls and was voted Second Team All-Pro in 2020. In his fourth season, he inked a three-year $72 million extension, so he has already had his payday. He is in the final year of that deal and will count $31.875 million against the cap. Trading and signing Metcalf would be a huge plum, but the odds are against it due to the money he would insist upon.
All six seasons in the NFL Metcalf has come close to getting 1,000 yards or eclipsed that mark with a high of 1,303 yards in 2020. He has 48 career TDs, with 284 first-down conversions. If he came to Cleveland, the coaching staff would have to proclaim they have two #1 receivers.
His production took a dip that past season with a Pro Football Focus grade of 75.0 which is the lowest of his career. Metcalf and Seahawks’ QB Geno Smith do not seem to have much in terms of chemistry so Seattle might be inclined to move on from the talented receiver instead of getting into a new contract.
Browns offer: 2025 second-round pick, CB Greg Newsome
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