The Cleveland Browns have had a lot of changes around their roster, especially at a few important positions on offense. Veteran stalwarts like J.C. Tretter and Jarvis Landry were followed out the door by Baker Mayfield and Austin Hooper.
The Browns added Deshaun Watson, Amari Cooper and David Bell to help create a more explosive offense but it is Donovan Peoples-Jones who might benefit the most from the changes.
While Watson’s upside is much higher than Mayfield’s, returning from a year off could set him back a bit. We also don’t know whether he will be disciplined for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.
It is the other moves that saw Peoples-Jones noted as a top breakout candidate for 2022 from The Draft Network.
Cooper’s addition bumps the former sixth-round pick down to the second receiver spot and should lead to less defensive attention. Releasing Hooper without adding another significant tight end should keep three receivers on the field more often while Bell takes mostly the slot receiver role and is less of a threat to play outside often.
As noted by TDN, the lack of other threats after Cooper and TE David Njoku really opens up the possibilities for Peoples-Jones:
Peoples-Jones is expected to start in Cleveland due to a lack of general activity at the position outside of acquiring Cooper. Jakeem Grant Sr was Cleveland’s lone free-agent signing at receiver, and Grant isn’t expected to find himself in a positional battle with Peoples-Jones given their differing body types and skill sets. Long-time veteran Jarvis Landry was released from his contract and Rashard Higgins signed with the Panthers as a free agent. The offseason departures of both Landry and Higgins further cemented Peoples-Jones’ positioning on Cleveland’s pass-catching depth chart.
The former Michigan star still needs to prove it on the field but Watson should help raise his play. For his career, the Cleveland receiver has 901 yards and five touchdowns on 48 receptions. Is it possible for him to eclipse those two-year totals combined in 2022?
