Getty Quarterback Deshaun Watson of the Cleveland Browns warms up before a game against the Washington Commanders in January 2023.
The Cleveland Browns appear stacked at the wide receiver position heading into this season, though that could change quickly.
Personnel uncertainty will permeate Cleveland’s roster for the next four years due to the remainder of QB Deshaun Watson’s fully-guaranteed $230 million contract. One of the most likely salary cap casualties due to that deal is wide receiver Amari Cooper, as the Browns can trim nearly $12.5 million off of the wide receiver’s approximately $23.8 million cap hit in 2024 by cutting or trading him after this season.
Should Cooper find himself playing elsewhere a year from now, the Browns will have a handful of quality targets in the passing game without boasting anything like a true No. 1 option. That is where former sixth-round pick Donovan Peoples-Jones factors into the equation. Peoples-Jones is a player the team must seriously consider extending long-term now in order to soften the blow of the potential loss of Cooper next spring.
Donovan Peoples-Jones Went From Potential Odd Man Out in Cleveland to Possible No. 1 Option in 2024
GettyWide receiver Amari Cooper #2 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates a touchdown alongside teammate Donovan Peoples-Jones #11.
Peoples-Jones ending up, at the very least, a bridge savior to the Browns’ next big-name pass-catcher isn’t a notion that can be proposed absent a twinge of irony. The fourth-year wideout was mentioned numerous times as potentially the odd man out in Cleveland should the franchise pursue free agent DeAndre Hopkins, a former Pro-Bowl teammate of Watson’s with the Houston Texans.
Adding Hopkins now reads as a pipe dream, more or less, for Browns fans, particularly in contrast to the sobering reality that Peoples-Jones and Elijah Moore may be WR Nos. 1 and 2 as early as one year from now. But that scenario isn’t as dire as it might appear at first glance.
Peoples-Jones’ trajectory as an NFL player is encouraging. His target totals, receptions and receiving yards have all increased with each passing season, capping out at career-highs of 61 grabs for 839 yards and three touchdowns on 96 looks across 14 games played in 2022, per Pro Football Reference.
Furthermore, those numbers were produced primarily with Jacoby Brissett and what was presumably a subpar version of Watson under center attempting to shake off nearly two years of sideline rust on the fly. There is no reason to expect that Peoples-Jones, who established himself as a legitimate No. 2 option last season, can’t make another leap in 2023.
That, combined with the confidence he would glean from a new contract and more targets via the potential exit of Cooper, lines up to render Peoples-Jones far better than the worst candidate for a top receiver job that the NFL as a whole can produce.
Donovan Peoples-Jones Should be Among Browns’ Top Priorities Ahead of 2023 Season
GettyWide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones of the Cleveland Browns reacts after making a first-down catch during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in November 2021.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report contended on Monday, June 19, that Peoples-Jones is the most important player for the Browns to extend before the 2023 campaign begins in September.
The Cleveland Browns took steps to revamp their receiving corps this offseason, signing Marquise Goodwin, trading for Elijah Moore and drafting Cedric Tillman. Because of this, extending 2024 free agent Donovan Peoples-Jones may seem counterintuitive.
However, extending Peoples-Jones could be a vital part of maintaining offensive continuity moving forward. … While Peoples-Jones might not be suited to take over the No. 1 role, he emerged as a dependable second option last year.
Peoples-Jones is the longest-tenured Brown in the receiver room and has spent his entire career under head coach Kevin Stefanski. He can take over as the veteran leader in the receiver room if Cooper departs, but the Browns run the risk of losing both wideouts if they don’t extend him now.
Cleveland had approximately $17 million in cap space at its disposal as of June 19 and a roster stacked with talent across most other units, rendering an extension for Peoples-Jones relatively painless should the franchise choose to pursue it.
