The Cleveland Browns were 3-14 last year and have almost totally remade their quarterback room in response to those failures. However you might rank those five quarterbacks, the Browns still have needs at wide receiver and safety, two positions that have only lost or potentially lost players of significance this offseason.

Specifically at the wide receiver position, things started to pick up in NFL free agency on Monday. Former Cleveland WR Elijah Moore took a visit with the Buffalo Bills, then the Browns reportedly signed well-traveled WR Diontae Johnson.

Cleveland GM Andrew Berry wasn’t done with Moore, showing why being the “smartest guys in the room” isn’t always a bad thing. Applying a seldom-used tag to Moore in case he does sign with the Bills also gives the Browns a chance to bring Moore back on a one-year, $3.428 million deal. The tender was last used in 2022, twice by the Kansas City Chiefs:

The UFA tender is rarely used. It was last used by the New York Giants in 2020. If either player signs with a new team before July 22 or the first day of training camp, whichever is later, the signings would count toward the NFL’s compensatory formula.

If they don’t sign by the deadline, the teams would retain exclusive negotiating rights to the respective players at 110% of their 2021 salaries, according to the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Before the move, if Moore had signed with Buffalo or any other team, it would not have counted against their compensatory picks for next year’s draft, nor would Cleveland benefit in the same formula. Now, any team signing Moore could see their formula impacted, which could lead to a reunion with the Browns this offseason.

As of now, Moore signing elsewhere would not lead to a comp pick for Cleveland, so the move indicates a strong desire to keep the former second-round pick with the Browns.

Having just completed his rookie contract, the 25-year-old Moore has spent most of his career as a slot receiver with a career high 61 catches in 2024 and a career high 640 yards in 2023, both with Cleveland.

Do you think the Browns should want to bring Moore back? How do you feel about a receiver room of Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Diontae Johnson, Elijah Moore, DeAndre Carter and Jamari Thrash?

Share your thoughts in the comment section below