Cleveland Browns offseason team needs: Noah’s Ark edition

Offensive Weapons

Turning our attention to the skill positions on the offensive side of the ball, the Cleveland Browns have a ton of talent already in place. With all of those names that I mentioned earlier and throwing in the former first-round tight end David Njoku, the Browns are really more in the market of adding supplemental pieces and forming a complete and well-rounded offensive attack under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.

Wide receivers one and two are not questioned here. While both are recovering from surgery and there have been trade talks swirling about both at some point during their stint with Cleveland, a healthy pairing of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry can truly be the best tandem in the league. They are right there with a couple of guys that Stefanski worked with in his last stint in Minnesota, Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.

But like the Vikings, the Browns have struggled recently to find a reliable third option at the position behind those superstars. Rashard Higgins was nearly excommunicated from the team entirely last season by the previous regime and is set to be a free agent. While he may now return under the new front office and coaching staff, it wouldn’t hurt to utilize the deepest and best wide receiver draft class in years.

There are a TON of viable, starting-caliber receiving options in this draft that you can realistically draft even in the fifth round or later. With the free-agent market a little weak at receiver, I anticipate the Browns will take the opportunity and select a wide receiver in the draft that will complement the LSU duo and could develop into a top option if the Browns are unable to retain both Beckham and Landry at some point down the road.

In addition to a third wide receiver, the Cleveland Browns would be wise to bring in another option at tight end. While Njoku is still young and talented, he has struggled to stay on the field, as well as with drops and blocking. He doesn’t exactly fit perfectly into Stefanski’s zone scheme so I think it is a real possibility that the Browns will look at a high-end tight end option that can really hold their own as a blocker.

Austin Hooper will be the hot commodity at the position as far as free agents go, and the Browns could really benefit from having a guy like him. Only 25, Hooper had a career year with the Falcons as a receiver but is also a very effective run blocker. In the draft, I look at a guy like Adam Trautman out of Dayton that really hangs his hat on his ability to move the man across from him rather than catching touchdowns.

With both Demetrius Harris and Ricky Seals-Jones not likely to return to the team this season, Cleveland may even look at adding a couple of tight ends this offseason. In Minnesota last year, Stefanski used two-tight end (12 personnel) a ton last year, and even three tight ends at times.

With Hooper or Trautman as the Kyle Rudolph, David Njoku as the Irv Smith Jr. and any number of block-first tight ends filling that third spot, the Browns could emulate the success that the Vikes had last season.

While we’re on the subject of offensive playmakers, I’ll address the other positions as well. The Browns have one of the absolute best running backs in the league in Nick Chubb. And assuming that Kareem Hunt doesn’t sign an unmatchable offer sheet elsewhere and can stay out of trouble an on the field, the Browns have arguably the best running back duo in the league.

Stefanski had Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison as a one-two punch last season, and Chubb and Hunt are even better.

It is if for whatever reason Hunt does not return to the field for the Browns next season that running back would be a concern. I think as it stands the Browns probably like their depth at the position as well with Dontrell Hilliard and D’Ernest Johnson being able to fill that third spot on the depth chart and coming in on passing downs.

However, they could look to free agency or the draft for someone new at that position, maybe even the guy who filled that role for the Vikes last season in Ameer Abdullah.

Finally, there has been a ton of talk about bringing in “competition” to push Baker Mayfield to be the best he can be. While I’m not opposed to something that will motivate the starting quarterback to perform at a higher level, I don’t think that is the priority for the Browns at the position. I think they will bring in a quarterback that is capable of running Stefanski’s offense and can keep the ship afloat if something were to happen to Baker.

The first place that I look is Case Keenum. Keenum led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game just a few seasons ago. While Stefanski wasn’t the offensive coordinator at that time, he still runs a very similar offense and is familiar with Keenum from their time together in Minnesota. Keenum excels in play-action, which is what Stefanski’s passing game is primarily based on.

Another guy that excels in play-action is former Oregon and Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. He has a similar game to Keenum while being more mobile out of the pocket. Mariota is younger and would likely cost more, but he could be that bit of “competition” that many are seeking for Mayfield.