Getty Harrison Bryant of the Cleveland Browns.
Harrison Bryant may find himself struggling to get on the field with the Cleveland Browns next season, which has put him in the conversation as a potential trade candidate.
Bryant was highlighted on a list compiled by Bleacher Report laying out one trade each team should make before the start of the season.
“As he enters the final year of his rookie contract, it’s looking less and less like he’s going to reach that ceiling with the Browns,” Alex Ballentine of B/R wrote. “They already handed out a sizable contract extension to David Njoku last offseason and reunited Deshaun Watson with Jordan Akins in free agency. That could have Bryant coming into the season as TE3 for the team.
“It’s unlikely that Bryant will get a contract that’s going to factor into the compensatory formula, so the Browns would be better off shopping him to a team that could use him now.”
The proposed deal would ship Bryant to the Washington Commanders for a sixth-round pick.
“The Commanders would be a good place to start,” Ballentine wrote. “They are currently slated to start 32-year-old Logan Thomas with John Bates as the primary backup. Bryant has shown a lot more promise than Bates and would add a receiving threat when the Commanders are in sets with two tight ends.”
Harrison Bryant Agreed to Restructured Contract
The Browns drafted Bryant in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, adding him to a tight end room that included Austin Hooper and Njoku at the time. Bryant initially jumped Njoku on the depth chart and churned out a decent rookie season, catching 24 passes for 238 yards and three touchdowns.
Bryant caught 31 passes for 239 yards and 12 touchdowns last season but only found the end zone once. He played on 48 percent of the offensive snaps, a number that was helped by Njoku missing three games. That could drop next season even more with the acquisition of Akins, who has shown off his early chemistry with Watson during the preseason.
Prior to training camp, Bryant agreed to a new deal that made it more of a certainty that he’d stick around. Bryant’s previous $2.7 million non-guaranteed deal has been revamped in his new contract. The updated agreement now guarantees just over $1.7 million, but it also incorporates incentives that could potentially boost the total value of the deal to $4 million.
It will be interesting to see what Bryant’s role will be with the Browns. Cleveland previously relied heavily on their tight ends but could be doing less of that in their revamped offense.
Donovan Peoples-Jones Another Potential Trade Candidate
Another Browns player who has been mentioned as a potential trade candidate is wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Peoples-Jones has carved out a solid role for himself with the Browns, catching 61 passes for 839 yards and three touchdowns last season. However, he’ll have a little more internal competition this year following the additions of Elijah Moore and rookie Cedric Tillman.
That being said, Peoples-Jones is in good standing with the coaching staff, and head coach Kevin Stefanski has sung his praises during camp.
“Donovan, as we’ve talked about many times, he’s a very friendly target for the quarterbacks,” Stefanski said. “Both because of his size and length and leaping ability and he’s always going to be where he’s supposed to be. So there’s been plays already this camp where he’s doing exactly what he’s supposed to do and the ball is making it to No. 11 because that’s the result of him doing his job.”