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Jerry Jeudy #3 of the Cleveland Browns
On Tuesday at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken was asked about what he likes to see in a wide receiver in the NFL. While it was not a question that was directed at any one player on the roster of his new team, Monken’s answer certainly was an eye-opener, and should be a cause of concern in the receiver room.
ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi noted that he asked Monken about his ideal receiver.
Monken gave a telling answer: “It’s real simple: big, fast, physical, ball skills, run after catch. I mean, of course, that’s what everybody’s looking for. But I do think, like any position, looking for a player, that what is their elite trait? How can you continue to develop and round out the rest of their game, and how does it fit into what you want to do offensively?”
Browns Have Just 3 WRs Over 6-Feet
Monken’s description of an ideal receiver for his Browns roster should be of some concern. That’s because there’s pretty much no receiver that checks all those boxes–or even most of those boxes, on the team’s current slate of players.
The notion of bring “big” is the obvious concern. The Browns have one of the smallest groups of receivers in the NFL, with only three players–Jerry Jeudy (6-foot-1), Cedric Tillman (6-foot-3) and Jamari Thrash (6-foot-1) standing over 6-feet.
The Browns have three receivers at 5-foot-11, including new guy Tylan Wallace, who was brought in from the Ravens and is more likely to see action in special teams. Malachi Corley and Isaiah Bond are the others.
There are also three players, farther down the depth chart, who are 5-foot-9 or shorter: Isaiah Woods and Gage Larvadain are 5-foot-9, and Luke Floriea is 5-foot-6.
GettyCleveland Browns coach Todd Monken
Browns Struggled With YAC
Fast, of course, is more of a subjective measure–players can run a healthy 40-yard dash time but without being to play fast, while some slower players can create speed with start-and-stop ability. But all of those skills, when put together well, should yield yards after catch, one of the other attributes Monken wants to see.
The Browns simply don’t do that well. The No. 1 receiver for yards after catch last season was Jeudy, and he had a mere 166 yards after catch, which did not even rank among the Top 200 in the NFL. No other Browns receiver topped 80 yards. The team was led in that category by tight end Harold Fannin, at 352 yards.
Draft Will Be the Answer
The Browns are pretty well wrapped up when it comes to free agency, though it is still possible that they could seek to make trades in the coming weeks. It’s a longshot, though, to think they’ll find a significant receiver upgrade that way.
The team’s struggles at the position, then, will be left to the draft. It’s widely anticipated that the Browns will add at least one receiver (Carnell Tate? Jordyn Tyson?) in the first round, but don’t be surprised if they take swings at the position later in the draft, too.
They need all the help they can get.
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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