Week 8 should seal Browns WR Donovan Peoples-Jones fate at the NFL trade deadline

Week 8 proved one thing for the Cleveland Browns that they need to go ahead and take care of.

It was nice while it lasted for WR Donovan Peoples-Jones in Cleveland, he’s been a great story. It’s time for that story to end with how this season has gone for him.

Ahead of the trade deadline tomorrow, the Browns need to move Peoples-Jones for a late-round pick.

Coming into the season, it was a talking point on whether he or Elijah Moore would be that second wide receiver. To this point, it has been Moore and it is not close. Peoples-Jones has just eight catches for 97 yards on the season. In the loss to Seattle on Sunday, Peoples-Jones did not have a single catch. It is the second time that has happened this season. In two other games on the year, he had just one catch.

Sure, some of it may have to do with poor quarterback play. Peoples-Jones is not a separator, he’s one of the worst in the league. He backs that up with the ability to make tough catches, essentially because he has to do that to produce.

Trading Peoples-Jones would not make the Browns sellers, it would be them moving a player that is giving them virtually nothing. Cleveland should be buyers and there is at least one move they should make. Peoples-Jones is a free agent at the end of the year and the Browns could very well let him walk, it’s certainly trending that way.

After being a sixth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, the Michigan product has gone far above his draft stock. He has improved his production in each of his first three seasons consistently until this year. As a rookie, he had 304 yards receiving, followed up by 597 yards in 2021. Last season, Peoples-Jones finished with 839 yards.

Cleveland drafted Cedric Tillman in the third round who ideally takes over for DPJ when the time comes. The Browns have not had to rely on Tillman so far, he had had just one catch as a rookie.

Whether or not the Browns trade Peoples-Jones is yet to be seen. But it is time for the Browns to make the right move.