Browns Out of Mix for Superstar Free Agent Barring Material Change

Getty Head coach Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns.

The Cleveland Browns were once the favorite to land DeAndre Hopkins but are out of the mix for the former All-Pro — and for good reason.

Hopkins was released by the Arizona Cardinals on May 26. It brought an end to his three-year stay with the team. The Browns have been linked to Hopkins and Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson even made a public pitch to his former top pass-catcher. However, Hopkins has been making his rounds as a free agent and the Browns have not broached the idea of bringing him in for a visit. Hopkins has had face time with the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans.

It turns out the Browns just aren’t all that interested in landing Hopkins, due in large part to the offseason additional Elijah Moore. The Browns have high hopes for their new pass-catcher and don’t feel like they need to add Hopkins to bolster their receiving corps, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.

“By all accounts, [Moore] had a really strong spring and he contributed to the comfort level that Cleveland had with its receiver room, which is a reason why the team hasn’t dipped its toe into the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes quite yet (and probably won’t, barring some sort of material change),” Breer reported on June 26.

So what would a material change be? Perhaps an injury to one of the Browns’ key receivers, like Moore, Amari Cooper, or Donovan Peoples-Jones.

Things are also quiet around the facility in Berea right now, so maybe the Browns have a change of heart closer to training camp and pursue Hopkins, who already has some built-in chemistry with Watson. The Browns have about $16.9 million in remaining cap space.

Elijah Moore Primed for Breakout Season

Moore was traded to the Browns on March 22 after an interesting two years as a member of the New York Jets. He had a strong rookie year, notching 43 catches for 538 yards and five touchdowns in just 11 games. However, he couldn’t improve upon that a year ago, catching just 37 balls for 446 yards and one touchdown.

Moore clashed with quarterback Zach Wilson last season and requested a trade. The Jets came to the conclusion that it’d be best for both sides to give Moore some new scenery, sending him to Cleveland for a second-round pick. The Browns also received a third-round pick in the package for Moore.

“We feel very good about Elijah,” Browns GM Andrew Berry said in March, shortly after the trade went down. “Loves ball, hard worker. He’s a good teammate. This is a guy that despite some of the ups and downs in New York, and obviously we have a really good relationship with that organization, but we feel good about who Elijah is bringing him into our building and think he’s going to do well there.”

Browns Finding Out What Elijah Moore Does Best

Moore can be a dangerous vertical threat but the Browns have been testing the limits of his skill set in offseason workouts. They’ve moved him around the field and even in the backfield at times.

“You got to put things in the laboratory, see what they look like,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We got to find out what he does best.”

Cleveland wide receiver coach Chad O’Shea is equally excited to test out Moore’s versatility.

“Elijah is very unique in that he can play multiple roles,” O’Shea said. “He has a great skill set physically, but the thing that’s been most impressive about Elijah is his ability to function mentally across all the spots we’ve put him. Mentally, he’s been able to handle that. He increases his value for us as he increases his role.”

The Browns are expected to be more pass-heavy next year in Year 2 of Watson, so having Moore in the mix alongside Cooper and Peoples-Jones should only help their cause.