The Cleveland Browns needed some reinforcements in their wide receiving corps and the team found some in the form of former Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Hall.
The Browns claimed Hall on Monday on waivers. Hall is 5-foot-10, 192 pounds and in his fourth NFL season out of Washington. Hall entered the league as an undrafted free agent with the Raiders in 2016 and has since spent time with the Cardinals, Falcons and most recently, the Lions.
This season with Detroit, Hall played in 11 games — starting five — and caught 17 passes for 290 yards and two touchdowns. For his career, he’s registered 760 receiving yards on 36 receptions and five scores.
The Browns wide receiver have been a little banged up and Hall is a nice insurance policy if anything else pops up. KhaDarel Hodge (hamstring) and Taywan Taylor (neck) both missed the last game with injuries. And, of course, star pass-catcher Odell Beckham Jr. is sidelined for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL tear.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski said Hodge is day-to-day, while Taylor has already been ruled out.
Browns Passing Game Coming Off Impressive Outing
The Browns receiving corps might have been depleted, but churned out their best showing of the season against the Titans on Sunday. Baker Mayfield and the wide receiver Cleveland piled up 340 yards through the air, with 10 different players catching passes. In fact, even Mayfield and offensive lineman Kendall Lamm snagged catches.
“Up front, the protection was great, and our guys were getting open and making those plays. It is a combination,” Mayfield said after the win. “Expect to come in and make some of these plays, and our guys are getting open. We base our gameplan and our style of play off the run game, but we are going to do whatever it takes to win week in and week out. In the first half, that was spreading them out and doing some things to take care of some empty space.”
It was really a well-rounded effort from the Browns pass-catchers, with Rashard Higgins leading the way with 95 yards on six grabs with a touchdown. Donovan Peoples-Jones added 92 yards — most of that coming on a 75-yard touchdown — and Jarvis Landry led the team with eight grabs for 62 yards, also notching a score.
Trust Growing Between Coaching Staff, Baker Mayfield
Mayfield has not thrown an interception over his last five games and has gained the trust of the coaching staff, which was on full display against the Titans.
“I do not specifically know what has changed with Baker, but I can tell you as an offense, I think everybody is getting better and getting more comfortable in what we are asking them to do,” Stefanski told reporters. “He is doing a nice job. Obviously, he is taking care of the ball. He was extremely productive in that game yesterday, found completions to all sorts of guys and had a completion himself.”
Mayfield and the Browns will have another measuring stick game this week on Monday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens walloped the Browns on opening week and Mayfield managed just 189 yards, throwing a touchdown and an interception. The Ravens have since stumbled to 6-5 while the Browns have surged to 9-3.
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