Browns Advised to Trade for $26 Million WR Ahead of Deadline

Pundits have singled out every part of the Cleveland Browns offense in trade speculation in recent weeks, and if the team does eventually make a move, it will happen quickly.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on Oct. 21 that expanding the wide receivers and offensive line are Cleveland’s top priorities.
Back-to-back shoulder injuries to quarterbacks Deshaun Watson and Jerome Ford don’t seem to have changed that paradigm.

On Friday, Oct. 27, four days before the NFL trade deadline, the Tennessee Titans were on the trade block for DeAndre Hopkins. Bleacher Report’s Christopher Knox suggested the Browns have one of Hopkins’ best players and should keep an eye on him after this weekend’s game against the Seattle Seahawks.

With Tennessee looking like the last seller, it might be time for Cleveland to rethink the idea.
The Titans signed Hopkins after he was released from Arizona, but the move did not make Hopkins a title contender.

The 4-2 Browns may be one of the AFC’s top contenders, but their passing game (31 yards) remains a potentially fatal flaw.
Watson is still dealing with a shoulder injury, but Cleveland’s offense has been weak with or without him.

DeAndre Hopkins has had great success working with Browns QB Deshaun Watson in the past.

Cleveland Browns tight end Deshaun Watson (left) and Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (right) talk after a 2023 NFL game.
Hopkins performed well again this season despite playing in a smaller offense in Tennessee.

He caught 27 passes for 376 yards in six games in 2023, putting him on pace for his seventh 1,000-yard campaign in his 11-year NFL career and first season in 2020, according to Pro Football Reference.
Hopkins has appeared in 10 and 9 games, respectively, over the past two years due to injury and suspension for violating the performance-enhancing drug (PED) policy.

Analysts linked the Browns to Hopkins in the offseason because of the type of investment the franchise should make in its upcoming Super Bowl roster and Hopkins’ history of success with Watson.
The pair started 2 1/2 seasons with the Houston Texans, during which Hopkins earned the final All-Pro honors of his career.

Hopkins wouldn’t necessarily be paired with Watson if Cleveland pursues him in a trade.
At least immediately P.J. Walker is expected to start this weekend and will likely play the next few games while Watson rehabs his shoulder.
Eventually, the two will come together and try to lead the Browns offense into the playoffs with a legitimate chance to reach the Super Bowl.

DeAndre Hopkins could initially fill in for Amari Cooper and replace him if needed.

Hopkins’ financial woes may not have started in Cleveland’s offseason, but things have changed since then.
Donovan Peoples-Jones regressed for the first time in his four-year career and is the only player the Browns could consider before the end of the month. Elijah Moore has performed well since arriving from the New York Jets, but he hasn’t been the versatile weapon Cleveland hoped for.
In addition to needing more money for Hopkins, the Browns have more cap space to sign Watson after restructuring the contracts of several top players to prepare for a disastrous $64 million cap hit in 2024 .Two seasons.

Despite all their efforts, the Browns’ 2024 salary cap is still expected to hit $7 million.
But the team still has more than $34.5 million to make in the rest of the year.

Hopkins signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Titans this offseason.
Cleveland could easily fit his number into the 2023 cap hit and handle the roughly $16 million Hopkins will bring in in 2024.

Amari Cooper, the franchise’s leading receiver the last two seasons, will enter the final year of his contract next year and will cost the Browns $23.8 million to keep him. If Cleveland decides to part ways with Cooper and save roughly $12.5 million in the process, Hopkins is an affordable option to fill the No. 1 role.

If not, the two could be one of the most potent duos in the NFL in 2024, which could last for the rest of this season if the Browns decide to be aggressive before the trade deadline.