How Long will Both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Remain in Cleveland?
Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry has big financial decisions looming for Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr, which could result in moving on from one of them next season. Talented wide receivers in the NFL come at an extremely high premium with it being a passing dominated league. Wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham have the Browns two highest salary cap hits at $14.55 million and $14.25 million respectively. Landry and Beckham’s contract totals are both in the top ten highest in the NFL. Odell Beckham leads the duo ranking third at $90 million and Jarvis Landry ranks seventh at $75.5 million total.
Having an elite and borderline elite talent at wide receiver can be conceived as a luxury or necessity depending on the offensive scheme and construction of the overall roster. Being focused on improving the development of Baker Mayfield this season would make it seem more of a necessity given his struggles last season. Mayfield can enter the 2020 season with confidence knowing he has two sure handed receivers and an improving offensive line. Thus, if Baker Mayfield is able to showcase growth this season behind improved offensive line play, then the need to allocate money to the wide receiver position becomes a luxury given the run heavy scheme Kevin Stefanski intends to employ.
Andrew Berry will be faced with the decision to move on from Jarvis Landry or Odell Beckham sooner than fans may expect. When it comes time to decide, their on-field chemistry with Mayfield, production, schematic fit, and contract details will be determining factors for who will be released. At this current stage Jarvis Landry obviously has better chemistry with Baker Mayfield after playing two seasons with the third-year gunslinger. Beckham has an opportunity to make up ground earlier in the season as Landry recovers from hip surgery. Beckham is also recovering from a hernia surgery of his own, but the recovery timetable is sooner than Landry. If both receivers come back healthy as expected, there may be a higher probability for Beckham to have the better production and schematic fit in 2020.
Beckham displays a unique combination of agility and route running nuance that should result in big plays in Stefanski’s offensive scheme. Beckham can expand the field and get over top of defenders on a more consistent basis compared to Landry if evaluated on a pure athleticism basis. Stefanski’s run-centric offensive scheme will feature plenty of play-action and big plays down the field can be setup more effectively through play-action. Beckham’s natural ability presents a more essential need for the scheme and Landry’s role could be replaced at a cheaper price tag. There aren’t many reasons why both receivers can’t have one-thousand yard receiving seasons if healthy but based on the skillset Beckham offers his production should exceed Landry’s.
Salary seemingly maybe the biggest decisive factor for which wide receiver Andrew Berry and company decide to retain. Analyzing their current contracts, Berry could move on from both high-profile receivers with minimal cap space implications. Odell Beckham has no remaining guarantees in his contract after 2020, so if released he would have no dead money from the termination of his contract. Beckham has four seasons remaining before he is an unrestricted free agent in 2024 at age thirty-one. Landry on the other hand has three seasons remaining on his contract and would create three million in dead money if released next season. There are very minimal scenarios in which money pigeonholes Andrew Berry into deciding to retain either wide receiver.
In the situation that Berry has to move on from Jarvis Landry or Odell Beckham, the more logical decision would be releasing Landry. The reason it would be more ideal is that you can better replace Landry’s role in the offense and sign two players at his cap hit. Landry’s skillset best suits playing in the slot and making plays in the intermediate parts of the field. Based on TE Austin Hooper’s new multi-year contract, he will be a mainstay in the intermediate and middle areas of the field. In terms of a slot wide receiver that fulfills a similar role, current unrestricted free agent Rashard Higgins could be a cheap and familiar option to bring back to Cleveland. The final solution could result in using draft capital this year on a big bodied X receiver such as Notre Dame’s Chase Claypool.
Preparing for Landry’s release next offseason could have higher draft day implications this month than many perceive. His release would only result in a miniscule $3 million dead cap hit while saving $11.8 million in cap space. It could also result in the return of fan favorite Rashard Higgins and providing the offense with the big body receiver it has sorely lacked since trading away Josh Gordon. Jarvis Landry has been very productive and provided much needed stability to the wide receiver room since coming to Cleveland, but his contract could see the team moving on sooner than fans may want. Also, Landry’s leadership in the locker room is extremely invaluable yet Odell Beckham when healthy, his talent and production are irreplaceable.
