Browns’ Rising Star Playmaker Projected as ‘Bust’ This Season

Getty Wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones of the Cleveland Browns.

The Cleveland Browns crowded the wide receiver room this offseason, which could prove fortuitous if any of the team’s top options struggle.

Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report predicted recently that the “biggest bust” of the Browns’ 2023 season will be wideout Donovan Peoples-Jones, who is expected to occupy the No. 2 or No. 3 spot behind presumed top option Amari Cooper.

The projection is somewhat curious, considering Peoples-Jones has improved in each of his first three NFL campaigns and is entering a contract year. Ballentine addressed that counterpoint in his argument on Monday, July 10.

Theoretically, this should be the year where [Peoples-Jones] puts everything together, takes another step and locks up a second contract. But that’s assuming that [his] role last season was based on his skill set and not an incredibly shallow receiver room.

The truth is that [Peoples-Jones] saw 96 targets because the next receiver in line was rookie David Bell. Anthony Schwartz never amounted to anything more than a guy with a really fast [40-yard-dash] time, and the Browns relied on David Njoku to be the de facto second receiver. That’s not going to be the case this year.

Browns Added 3 Receivers This Offseason Who May Play Big Roles in 2023

GettyWide receivers Elijah Moore (left) and Anthony Schwartz (right) are now teammates as members of the Cleveland Browns.

Ballentine’s argument may hold some credence, as Cleveland addressed the WR position group in a big way this offseason.

The Browns traded a second-round pick for former New York Jets pass-catcher Elijah Moore, a former second-rounder himself in 2021. Moore never really got off the ground with the Jets, playing with subpar quarterbacks and battling through locker room struggles over his first two NFL seasons. However, the 23-year-old’s skill set is undeniable, and he should get a shot to showcase his talents alongside Cooper and Peoples-Jones in the starting lineup.

Cleveland also signed free agent wideout Marquise Goodwin to a one-year deal worth $1.7 million. Goodwin has had an impressive offseason to this point and his downfield abilities pose a threat to the likes of Schwartz and other borderline players at the position.

Finally, the franchise drafted receiver Cedric Tillman out of the University of Tennessee with the No. 73 overall pick in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft. Tillman will join Bell, another athletic playmaker drafted in the third round back in 2022, as young pass catchers who will vie for snaps in Cleveland this season.

All the new talent will make for some intense competition when training camp begins in late July, which is the premise of any argument for Peoples-Jones to regress in 2023 after progressing steadily over the course of his entire career.

“Expect Moore and Tillman to both take up important roles, while Peoples-Jones becomes a bit more obscure within the offense,” Ballentine wrote.

Donovan Peoples-Jones Poised for Big Contract if Upward Career Trajectory Continues

GettyWide receiver Amari Cooper (left) of the Cleveland Browns celebrates a touchdown with teammate Donovan Peoples-Jones (right) during an NFL game in 2022.

The Browns selected Peoples-Jones with the No. 187 overall pick in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. That choice has paid dividends ever since.

Peoples-Jones has produced an increase in targets, catches and yards with each passing season, capping off that run with career-highs of 61 grabs for 839 yards and three touchdowns last year, per Pro Football Reference.

He rated out with a 64.9 overall player grade in 2022, per Pro Football Focus, which was good enough to rank Peoples-Jones 72nd out of 113 wide receivers who saw enough snaps to qualify at the position.

Peoples-Jones will play the fourth and final year of his $3.5 million rookie contract in 2023 before becoming an unrestricted free agent next March.