The Browns Need Upgrades At WR, But 2023 Free Agent Market Is Terrible!

The Browns drafted Schwartz in 2021 to add a speed element lacking at the position. With Schwartz unable to carve out a significant role thus far, the Browns could look to add a player who can stretch the field vertically. It is an area that could be improved on and make this group more dynamic. Mecole Hardman is a player who could fill that role. Hardman has 500 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons and was on pace to do it again this year, but an ankle injury landed him on short-term IR. Hardman exhibits blazing speed and ranked second in yards after the catch per reception in each of his last two seasons and currently ranks eighth in 2022. Paris Campbell, Noah Browns, and DeAndre Carter are some guys that will be on the cheaper end and could provide depth and potential upside at the same time.

The 2023 Free Agent wide receiver class isn’t anything to write home about, and the market exploded last off-season. With large portions of the Browns' cap space already spoken for, it is hard to imagine them swinging big in the Free Agency market. We saw different approaches last off-season with teams like the Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, and Green Bay Packers electing not to pay their stud wide receivers and attempting to duplicate that production with less expensive players. Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, and Los Angeles Rams signed wide receiver contracts between $25 and $30 million, resetting the market.

Jakobi Meyers, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Allen Lazard are the headliners of the free-agent wide receivers available in the off-season and will likely get overpaid. Darius Slayton is an intriguing name depending on the price. He took a $1.57 million pay cut to stick in New York, and after multiple injuries, Slayton is essentially the No. 1 receiver on a Giants team that is better than most expected. The 26-year-old has a career-high 74.8 PFF grade and is on pace to record a career-high in receiving yards.

NFL DRAFT WIDE RECEIVER PROSPECTS

The Browns could look to add another wide receiver in the 2023 NFL Draft. They have no first-round pick and eight picks in total. If the front office thinks David Bell can step forward as their third wide receiver, this is likely the route they will look to go. The amount of urgency Berry and his staff have for adding to this room will be driven by their evaluation of what they have in Bell, Woods, and Schwartz. The NFL Draft has been deep with wide receiver talent over the last few years, and having young wide receivers on rookie deals is extremely helpful when building a roster.

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