Browns wide receivers blamed for Cleveland's offensive struggles

“Flacco fell off a cliff. Well he actually didn’t look all that bad in that Cincinnati offense,” Fontana said. “It’s easier when you have Tee Higgins and Ja'Marr Chase.”

It’s clear the Browns wide receivers have been abysmal so far this season. The Browns have dropped 15 passes this season, the second most of any team in the league. The Jaguars lead with 21.

Jerry Jeudy has been the main contributor to that stat. He has dropped eight passes already this season, and has struggled to stay involved during games.

Jeudy has just 20 catches for 240 yards so far this season, and has yet to find the endzone.

Last year it looked like Jeudy had really figured things out, hauling in 90 passes for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns. He was a dynamic piece of the offense and the favorite target of Jameis Winston on some exciting deep balls.

Now he just hasn’t been able to be on the same page as Flacco or now Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel looks scared to shoot deep, and the few times he has, Jeudy hasn’t helped him. Jeudy has also had a hard time creating any separation consistently.

Cedric Tillman looked okay in the games he played this season, catching 11 passes for 106 yards and a team-high two touchdowns. He’s been placed on IR over the past few weeks though, along with DeAndre Carter, who has yet to catch a pass this season.

Undrafted rookie Isaiah Bond was brought in to be a speedy threat, having one of the fastest 40 times ever. So far, he’s had a hard time doing anything this season. With consistent reps he still has just 11 catches for 123 yards. For a deep threat, he’s only had two plays of over 20 yards this season.

The Browns hoped Jamari Thrash would be able to show improvement after struggling to get on the field in his rookie year. So far, he hasn’t shown much. Filling in for Tillman, he only has 53 yards this season.

It says a lot about the state of the wide receiver room when the leader in both catches and yards is a rookie tight end, Harold Fannin Jr. He’s caught 28 passes for 254 yards, being one of the only members of the offense that has been reliable this year, and a favorite target of both quarterbacks. 

The other tight end, David Njoku, adds 23 catches for 223 yards. Tight ends are heavily outproducing wide receivers so far this year in Cleveland, and that just can’t happen for an offense to find success. 

While people will always default to blaming quarterbacks for the offensive woes, it’s clear that in Cleveland, some changes are desperately needed at the wide receiver room. It’s a position the Browns will heavily need to address in the offseason if any quarterback is going to succeed here.

While Flacco will likely continue to produce this season in Cincinnati, just remember who’s catching passes for him. He wouldn’t have anywhere near the same production in Cleveland until any wide receiver begins to step up.