Browns Ecstatic To See Revamped Wide Receiver Room
It's clear that heading into the 2023 offseason, the Cleveland Browns improved their wide receiver room. The question was never if they would improve their wideouts for quarterback Deshaun Watson. It was always who they would bring in to do it.
Last season, the Browns wide receiver room consisted of Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, David Bell, Anthony Schwartz and Michael Woods ll. Now, the room looks completely different.
The Browns have made several key moves this offseason to bring in additional offensive threats, starting with former Jets wideout Elijah Moore.
Cleveland traded back 32 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft in order to bring in Moore.
Moore, a former second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, is a player who found himself in an unfortunate situation with the Jets.
Moore never had the privilege of playing with an elite quarterback during his two seasons in New York. He was brought down by below average quarterback play.
Now, when the Jets finally got their quarterback in Aaron Rodgers this offseason, they also decided to bring in additional talent to the wide receiver room.
Moore's name began to get buried on the depth chart and a trade made sense for both sides.
Cleveland has had Moore on their radar for a little while and finally had the perfect opportunity to strike a deal.
Moore, still only 23-years-old, has sky-high potential and the Browns have loved what they've seen from him so far this summer. He's expected to have a major role in the offense and it will be imperative for him and Watson to click and build chemistry starting in training camp.
Moore will give the Browns a ton of speed on the field, as well as versatility. Moore has experience and can play in the slot as well as outside of the numbers.
Rumors began swirling about a potential Watson-DeAndre Hopkins reunion in Cleveland when the Arizona Cardinals decided to part ways with the five-time Pro Bowler.
However, the Browns never had real interest in a reunion. They have fallen in love with Moore and want to give him every opportunity to be successful. Bringing in Hopkins would make it that much tougher for Moore to see the field consistently, something the Browns are driven to make happen. It would've created a near identical situation to the one Moore just got out of in New York.
In addition to Moore, the Browns also brought in veteran speedster Marquise Goodwin, who looked phenomenal in organized team activities. He appears to have already built a nice chemistry that is sure to continue to grow throughout the rest of the offseason and preseason.
Goodwin is a prototypical deep threat that has the ability to stretch the field. His speed alone is something that opposing defenses will have to take notice of.
Even after making two splashes at wide receiver, one via trade and one via free agency, the Browns weren't done.
With their first draft pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, in the third-round, the Browns selected rookie wide receiver Cedric Tillman from Tennessee.
Tillman is a bigger receiver, standing at 6-foot-3, and has the innate ability to go up and over defenders to make big-time catches.
Tillman will not see the field all the time in 2023. The Browns are excited to develop him this season and see his progress similar to Donovan Peoples-Jones.
When Amari Cooper's time in Cleveland is finally done, the hope is that Tillman can grow into that exact role.
However, all three wide receivers who were brought in this offseason have a great chance at making the roster. When you throw Amari Cooper and Peoples-Jones into the puzzle, both of which are roster locks, it only leaves a spot or two open.
Players like Jakeem Grant Sr., Anthony Schwartz and David Bell will all have to fight for a spot on the final 53-man roster.
Competition in training camp brings out the best in every player, something the Browns are most definitely looking forward to.
