Browns Players That Can Do More On Offense Without Fundamentally Changing Anything
The Cleveland Browns should continue to improve their offensive personnel to try to get the best fits around Baker Mayfield, but there are players already on the team that can help them take steps forward.
The two most obvious are Odell Beckham Jr. and Austin Hooper. Beckham was the most dynamic receiving threat the Browns had on offense before suffering a season-ending ACL injury. His recovery seems to be going well, putting him in position to be ready for the season, but his efficiency needs to improve.
This is on both Beckham and Baker Mayfield and there's every reason to be skeptical given the results of this connection through 23 games. Mayfield took a massive jump in his comfort with the offense that occurred simultaneously, giving the false impression Mayfield was better without Beckham.
Mayfield has forced passes to Beckham in the past. He's also missed open opportunities to Beckham in favor of other receivers. It's difficult to be going into year three with this combination with more questions than answers, but one thing is clear with Beckham on the field. The spacing in the middle of the field is significantly better, creating open lanes to teammates. If the Browns can add more speed, it could have the same effect for Beckham.
No one will enter the 2021 season on the Browns with more pressure on them than Austin Hooper. He was pretty good in his first season with the Browns, but he was signed to be an impact player. An effective blocker, he had some uncharacteristic drops in big spots and needs to do more after the catch.
Jack Conklin was everything the Browns hoped for and more in his first season, earning All-Pro honors. Hooper, their other major free acquisition, had a solid but largely unremarkable season. He needs to do more entering year two and it will be a surprise if he doesn't have a far better season.
There are three more players on offense that can do more without really changing anything the Browns are currently doing on that side of the ball.
David Njoku had a great debut the first week of the season - one of the only players that did, catching three passes on three targets for 50 yards and a touchdown. At the end of the year, he really shined much like he did at the end of the 2018 season. Njoku made big plays in the passing game for the Browns, but he became a pretty dominant blocker. He wasn't just getting in the way and winning with position. Njoku routinely had a highlight block where he would pancake an opponent or throws them off the field entirely.
After requesting a trade for the benefit of his financial future and being denied, Njoku seemed to take strides in terms of maturity. Likely a product of clarity from the team as well as a demanding coaching staff, Njoku really focused on his craft and looked improved across the board. After 19 receptions on 29 targets in the regular season for 219 yards, he caught five passes on six targets for 66 yards in the playoffs.
It's not just about throwing the ball to Njoku, but taking advantage of him going down the field. For a team that lacked vertical threats, Njoku seemed like he could help fill that void and it never really happened.
If Njoku breaks out in the way he's capable in 2021, the Browns may lock him up with the extension he has been seeking without having to change teams.
Kareem Hunt is the most maddening player on the offense if not the entire team. Some of that is his fault and some of it isn't. Hunt's physicality and willingness to run through contact, occasionally dragging tacklers for significant yardage is an endearing quality. He's a player who embodies the cliché of leaving everything on the field.
However, some of the time the reason he's dealing with so much contact is because his vision can be so bad, leaving a ton of yardage on the field. There are times he will put his head down, run as hard as he can and hit his own linemen, missing a running lane in the process. That is further contrasted by the fact that Nick Chubb is just so special in this area.
Where Hunt has excelled is as a pass catcher. There were a few heart breaking drops, but even how the Browns utilized him as a receiver was inconsistent, which helped feed into the frustration.
In games such as against the Cincinnati Bengals (both of them), Indianapolis Colts and the Baltimore Ravens, the coaching staff found ways to isolate him in space or create space for him after the catch. The Bengals games allowed to be wide open as the defense was unable to even account for him at points.
The second game against the Baltimore Ravens was the best of his season. When the Browns found their receivers struggling to create separation from the Ravens defensive backs, the adjustment they made was putting Hunt out wide and forcing the Ravens to choose the defender he was up against.
When receivers drew the teeth of the defensive coverage, Hunt was able to get open and make splash plays that forced the Ravens to reconsider their approach. His 7 receptions for 77 yards helped open up the rest of the offense and enabled the Browns to score 42 points in the game. Hunt only had 227 receiving yards the rest of the season.
It would be great if the Browns could emphasize more of what Hunt does well and reduce the amount of volatility he has. His rushing production fell off a cliff the second half of the year before he turned in a couple nice performances in the playoffs.
Andy Janovich was a great blocker for the Browns in 2020, but he had the worst receiving season of his career. He was only targeted five times this season, catching just two of them - twice as many as offensive lineman Kendall Lamm. The lack of targets was almost certainly a result of drops on plays designed specifically for him.
Arguably the best fullback in the league, no one is better in the zone scheme the Browns utilize. But as a member of the Denver Broncos, he was always a more productive pass catcher. In four seasons with the Broncos, Janovich caught 22 passes on 28 targets for 233 yards.
112 of those yards were in 2018, but it illustrates why the drops hurt so much. Much of the time, Janovich was open with space in front of him. He's not going to become Tom Rathman, but those are often free yards or potentially points out there to be had. If he catches a ball basically every other game, he just becomes a pleasant surprise in the offense. If one of those is in a key red zone opportunity, it could produce a game changing play.
Perhaps it's weird to focus on fullback receptions, but when Janovich was acquired, one of the exciting benefits was getting Janovich the ball out in space when team were worried about everyone else in the Browns offense. It was genuinely disappointing how poorly this season went on that front.
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