$96 million All-Pro Wide Receiver for the Browns in a trade-off

The Cleveland Browns have problems all over the field this season, primarily because of injuries, but the position of wide receiver, aside from quarterback, may provide the greatest amount of uncertainty going forward.

Even if the Browns’ quarterback situation is far from ideal, at least they can rest easy knowing that Deshaun Watson will return healthy and play in 2024 during the third season of a huge five-year contract. Cleveland may have to part ways with wide receiver Amari Cooper and his $23.8 million salary cap charge during the summer due to Watson’s contract, among other factors.

If Cleveland decides to make Cooper a cap casualty, the Browns will have to look for a Watson parter in the passing game to avoid leaving the best defense in the league to fend for themselves as much as it has already this season. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills, who Connor Livesay of The 33rd Team predicted would be available for trade in 2024, could be one option coming offseason.

Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir are both developing well, and the Bills may consider moving Diggs in the summer given the strong wide receiver class that is upcoming.

For a few years now, the Bills-Diggs marriage has been a little strange. Though it’s possible that we read too much into Diggs’ reactions on social media and his on-field contacts with [QB Josh] Allen, it doesn’t appear like everything is great between the Bills and Diggs.

Diggs got a $96-million contract extension in 2022, and he has just been playing for two years. In exchange for Diggs, the team would forfeit draft capital and take on a sizable contract.

Browns Get An Upgrade From Stefon Diggs Compared To Amari Cooper

Diggs’ salary cap cost of $27.85 million actually exceeds Cooper’s salary cap hit for the upcoming season, which raises the question: rather than cutting Cooper and swallowing a significant amount of dead money and paying Diggs more?, why not just stick with him at a reduced price?

That’s a fair query, and the answer is as complicated as it is subjective. Nevertheless, a few details emerge from the murk that could make Diggs the superior choice. First, finding the Browns’ top wideout of the future is going to be expensive for the organization, regardless of how they do it.

For better or worse, the Browns are spending lavishly everywhere on the field as they go all-in for their current postseason window. Cleveland is one of the few teams in the league where it makes sense to play for the now while putting off spending as much money as needed in the future, risking the long-term future in exchange for a short- to mid-team’s chance of winning the Super Bowl.

In that situation, the team could restructure Diggs’ contract in a manner akin to what it did when it acquired Cooper, paying the bonus money in full now and deferring a significant chunk of his cap hit for later years. That puts the squad in a difficult situation later on because it will be somewhat dependent on Cooper through 2024.

But the plan also matches Watson with Diggs, a player who is just a year older than Cooper and unquestionably superior. Diggs is poised to surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the sixth straight season. Diggs has been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the previous three seasons, including two All-Pro choices.

Browns Thin at Wide Receiver Behind Banged Up Amari Cooper

Diggs might end up being an overly costly and/or complex choice for Cleveland, especially considering that acquiring him will also require draft capital. But regardless of whether they decide to go for a household name like Diggs, the Browns need to make some changes to their wide receiver room in front of the 2024 season.

The only wide receiver other than Cooper with more than 108 receiving yards in 2023 is Elijah Moore (543 yards on the year). Third-place finisher Cedric Tillman, a rookie, has the previously mentioned 108 yards, followed by former Detroit Lions wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones (97 yards) and second-year pass-catcher David Bell (86 yards), according to ESPN.

With 227 receiving yards, running back Jerome Ford is putting up good numbers out of the backfield, and tight end David Njoku is headed for a career-high 600 receiving yards through 13 games. However, Moore, Ford, and Njoku aren’t the players that can reliably offer Cleveland’s pass offense with more downfield presence. When healthy, Cooper is that guy, but he will take that component of the Browns’ offense with him if he leaves in the upcoming offseason.

Rookies are a risky wager to make when a team expects them to be top players from day one, but the 2024 NFL Draft offers an alternative. Moreover, the Browns will save their pick for the second round which means the top handful of wide receivers will already be off the board.

Cleveland’s best options are therefore a trade or free agency, and a proven player acquired through either route won’t come cheap.