Why Browns' WR room is more concerning than they want to believe

The Browns are believed to have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL, and that was proven when they made the playoffs with four different starting quarterbacks in 2023.

However, here is why Cleveland's wide receiver room is much more concerning than the team may want to believe.

Lack of depth

Outside of Amari Cooper (1,250 yards), the Browns didn’t have a wide receiver eclipse 650 yards receiving in 2023. In fact, their second-leading receiver behind Cooper was tight end David Njoku (882 yards).

That's concerning for the future of the room as Cooper will turn 30 this offseason and is entering the final year of his deal in 2024. Cleveland must find a reliable No. 2 wide receiver to pair with Cooper and potentially take his role in the future.

Little cap space and draft capital

That won't be easy, however. The Browns are heading into 2024 with $19.5M over the salary cap, per Pro Football Focus. As a result, they likely won't be able to target any of the potential top free-agent wide receivers, such as Tee Higgins, Michael Pittman Jr. and Mike Evans.

To make matters worse, Cleveland is without its first-round pick once again in the 2024 NFL Draft due to its trade for QB Deshaun Watson in 2022. So, if the team wants to add another rookie to the room, it will have to wait until day two, barring any trade up of course.

Not worth the investments

But when the Browns have invested in their wide receiver room through the draft, it hasn't worked out as of late. They've used two third-round picks on wide receivers Cedric Tillman and David Bell the past two years and they combined for just 35 receptions for 391 yards and three touchdowns in 2023.

Last offseason, Cleveland also traded a second-round pick for Elijah Moore. But the former second-round pick failed to meet expectations once again, posting 59 catches for 640 yards and two touchdowns.

The Browns have certainly done their best to give Watson the best arsenal of weapons possible. But with Cooper another year older, a lack of draft capital and an unimpressive track record of drafting the position, Cleveland may be a year away from tearing it all apart.