Getty Harrison Bryant of the Cleveland Browns celebrates scoring a touchdown with teammate David Njoku.
The Cleveland Browns reunited Deshaun Watson with one of his old targets Jordan Akins, which could spell bad news for tight end Harrison Bryant.
Akins spent his entire career with the Houston Texans and played three seasons with Watson as his quarterback.
Akins has 151 catches for 1,755 yards and eight touchdowns over his five seasons in the NFL and is coming off a career year. Despite the Texans’ unstable quarterback situation, he caught 37 passes for 495 yards and five touchdowns last season. Akins’ nose for the end zone will be valued by Watson.
The question becomes where Bryant — a former fourth-round pick — fits into the equation for the Browns. He took up the second tight end role for the Browns last season behind David Njoku, catching 31 balls for 239 yards and one touchdown.
Harrison Bryant’s Roster Spot in Danger
The signing of Akins could put Bryant’s spot on the depth chart — and maybe even roster – in danger. Dan Labbe of cleveland.com laid out the situation Bryant and the Browns are facing.
“Andrew Berry hasn’t cut many draft picks, but the time is coming where they will have to make some decisions,” Labbe wrote. “The addition of Jordan Akins signals a battle is coming for Bryant, who had 31 catches for 239 yards in 2022. Akins wasn’t brought in to displace David Njoku as the top tight end, so the No. 2 tight end is the thing to watch.”
Bryant will make $2.7 million on the final year of his rookie deal, which is boosted thanks to the Proven Performance Escalator. That’s pricey for what could be a third-string tight end and the Browns could use that money elsewhere.
Akins’ deal with the Browns was for two years and $3.9 million. He’ll count just $1.55 million this season, per Spotrac.
As for Njoku, his spot atop the depth chart is safe after signing a hefty four-year extension last offseason. He shared his expectations for his partnership with Watson last season, saying they could be similar to Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
“First off, those two are legendary, you know what I mean?” Njoku said. “All the kudos to them, Patrick and Trav and, yeah, I feel like we can definitely do things similar to that as well. It’s only a matter of time, so I’m very excited.”
Browns Looking to Go More Pass-Heavy Next Season
The Browns have utilized multiple tight end sets as much as any team in the league under Kevin Stefanski, although that could being to shift next season, with the team tailoring the offense more to Deshaun Watson’s skill set.
“Cleveland’s offense is going to be really interesting next year. Look for the Browns to add a speed wide receiver this off-season to go with Amari Cooper,” Matthew Berry of NBC Sports reported after the NFL combine. “One source told me ‘They are really going to open up the offense. Go five wide. Pass a lot. This is going to be Deshaun Watson’s offense, not Nick Chubb’s. They will pass a lot more than folks expect.”
Watson had to deal with some very noticeable rust after almost two years away from the game. He played the final six games for the Browns, with the team going 3-3. He completed 58.2% of his passes for 1,102 yards and seven touchdowns with five interceptions.