After leading the Cleveland Browns in receiving against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, Donovan Peoples-Jones turned some heads around the NFL with his rock-solid performance. Making contested catches look easy is his specialty, and Cleveland’s receivers coach and pass game coordinator Chad O’Shea seems to have taken notice.
He spoke to the media on Friday about the receiver’s ability to make the toughest catches, telling reporters that the highlight-reel plays are a manifestation of intense practice and preparation by Peoples-Jones.
“I think Donovan has put himself in position to be real successful on the field because of what he has done prior to the game,” O’Shea explained. “His preparation has been outstanding. When I talk about preparation, there are a lot of things that go into preparation. One of the things is your fundamental preparation. He has worked extremely hard to be fundamentally sound at catching the football.
“He has worked hard in all areas, but that has been an area that he has really focused in on. He has ability. He has ability to make contested and difficult catches because of his size and his catch skills. Obviously, he has the ability, but he also has worked extremely hard to make sure that he is consistent in that area, and it showed up in the Carolina game.”
Peoples-Jones has some stiff competition ahead of him on the depth chart in Amari Cooper and is still coming into his own as a third-year receiver. Originally a sixth-round draft pick, he has exceeded every expectation for the Browns so far in his career and seems to be developing chemistry with Jacoby Brissett that could accelerate his development early this season.
While he likely isn’t ready to take on the rigors of facing opponents’ top cornerbacks on every down, he is growing into a complementary role behind Cooper and should prove to be a major asset to Cleveland’s offense all season.
