The Cleveland Browns‘ first priority this offseason is rebounding from the litany of injuries that left them shorthanded for the playoffs. Also near the top of the list should be picking up another playmaker to pair alongside five-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report on Tuesday, January 16, put together a list of three things that Browns general manager Andrew Berry must accomplish over the offseason to first get back to the playoffs in 2024, and then avoid another early and embarrassing exit. Procuring a true No. 2 wide receiver was appropriately the second item on said list.
Knox mentioned both Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals and Michael Pittman Jr. of the Indianapolis Colts alongside perhaps the best candidate, Calvin Ridley of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
At this stage of their careers, mid-level supplementary receivers David Bell, Cedric Tillman, and Elijah Moore are all similar. It’s time for Berry to target a No. 2 target with more upside, but that could alter as they develop more, Knox said. “It would be challenging, but not impossible, to target a receiver like… Ridley in free agency [as of Tuesday]; the Browns are expected to be $13.9 million over the cap.
Although Ridley did not make the Pro Bowl in 2023, his stat line secured him a spot in the stadium for the second season in his very young career.
According to Pro Football Reference, the 29-year-old played in all 17 games and concluded the season with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and 8 touchdowns. Ridley’s punishment for wagering on NFL games (not his own) kept him out of the game for the whole 2022 season. Due to a foot ailment, he only made five appearances in the previous season.
But for the Atlanta Falcons in 2020, Ridley totaled 90 catches for 1,374 yards and 9 touchdowns. Assuming he stays healthy, that output along with his output in 2023 gives an idea of what the free agent’s next team can anticipate from him in the upcoming year.
Over the course of a new four-year contract, Spotrac forecasts Ridley’s market worth to be $68 million ($17 million yearly). In 2023, he fulfilled the $11.1 million fifth-year option on his rookie contract. The wide receiver’s contract was supposed to expire in 2022, but the NFL suspended him, therefore it was postponed by one season.
On March 13, Ridley will formally enter the market when free agency begins.
Alongside Cooper, Ridley would probably be a potent weapon in the Browns’ passing game, especially if Deshaun Watson is in the starting lineup and the offense keeps pressing the ball downfield, as they did well in the last five games of the 2023 regular season with backup quarterback Joe Flacco.
That approach paid off for Cooper, who caught 25 passes for 485 yards and three touchdowns in four games with Flacco—the wide receiver leaving the first one before halfway because of a head injury. Thanks to a strong finish to the season that included 72 receptions for 1,250 yards and five touchdowns, Cooper was named to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career.
Since the Browns traded for Cooper from the Dallas Cowboys prior to the 2022 season, it was his second straight successful season. Cooper has a $100 million contract that runs until the last season, and in 2024, his salary will be subject to a $23.8 million salary limit hit.
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