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The Cleveland Browns are in need of some added depth at wide receiver and Marvin Jones could be a name that the team could wrangle via trade.
Jones is coming off a pair of 70-plus catch seasons where he sniffed around 1,000 yards and scored 13 combined touchdowns. He’d be a heck of a second option for the Browns behind Amari Cooper and would give Cleveland a veteran presence in a room filled with youth.
Bleacher Report examined possible landing spots for veterans who should seek trades and the Browns were identified as a team that could be in the mix.
In Jacksonville, Jones is a lame-duck veteran in the last year of his contract nearing the end of his career. In Green Bay, he could easily be the No. 1 receiver for a Super Bowl contender. The Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans are all potential contenders who could use a boost at the position as well.
Jones is a solid veteran but he’ll have to compete with new faces in Zay Jones and Christan Kirk. And 23-year-old Laviska Shenault could also be a key piece for the Jags receiving corps next season as he looks to build off a 63-catch season a year ago.
Jacksonville finished last season 3-14 and Jones was eager to move on from that disappointment.
“You have to flush it,” Jones said this week at OTAs. “Not just in football, but in any business. You just flush it and you keep going as usual and be a professional. I think everybody has done that. Everybody has taken their time off to do whatever they needed to do mentally, and I think we’re on a good track.”
The question would be the price for Jones, although considering the circumstances it probably wouldn’t take too much to make it work.
Cooper Was a Steal for the Browns Via Trade
The Browns made moves to bring in Cooper and Deshaun Watson this season to form the new-look offense in Cleveland. It rings in a new era, with Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry in new situations and the obvious drama with Baker Mayfield still simmering.
The price for Cooper was basically a fifth-round pick, with the Browns also swapping sixth-round picks with the Cowboys in the deal. It was a heck of a bargain for the Browns when looking at other wide receiver moves around the league, particularly for Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams. While Cooper is a step down from the elite level of those two pass-catchers, he’s still a very capable No. 1 option.
Cooper had a pair of 1,000-yard seasons while in Dallas and was a top 10 receiver in just about every major category. He ranked eighth in targets (428) among receivers, seventh in receptions (292), ninth in receiving yards (3,893) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (27) during his time in Dallas, per ESPN Stats & Information.
“I wouldn’t say I wanted to leave. But at the same time, it’s never personal. It’s just business, and that’s part of the business of being in this league,” Cooper told reporters. “Things like that happen all the time — players get cut, players get traded.”
Browns QB Deshaun Watson Winning Over Teammates
With a possible suspension looming, Watson has been working hard to build chemistry with his teammates. He treated the offense to an all-expense-paid trip to the Bahamas and is quickly winning them over with his leadership.
“He has been great. The throws he makes are incredible,” Browns running back Nick Chubb said at OTAs. “He is definitely a special player. I can’t wait to be on the field with him.”
Outside of Cooper, the Browns have some nice, young weapons in Donovan Peoples-Jones, rookie David Bell, Anthony Schwartz and veteran speedster Jakeem Grant Sr., who will also play a key role in the return game.
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