Buy Or Sell: Browns Will Move On From Jarvis Landry In 2022

Probably not, but there is one position group that might warrant an overhaul.

Cleveland’s wide receivers have failed consistently when called upon and there are bound to be changes in the group.

But does that mean the Browns will move on from Jarvis Landry in 2022?

Buy: Landry Will Be a Salary Cap Cut 

Jarvis Landry is one of a handful of players who present significant salary cap relief to the Browns.

Cleveland frees up $15 million in 2022 cap space by releasing or trading Landry after this season.

Other than Case Keenum ($6 million) and JC Tretter ($10 million), no one else saves more than a million or 2.

Andrew Berry could offer to renegotiate Landry’s contract if there is mutual interest.

But it will take a very creative deal to satisfy both sides.

With an eye on free-agent receivers, Berry is more likely to release Landry to seek a deal elsewhere.

Sell: Experience and Consistency Count 

Baker Mayfield takes a while to warm up to new receivers.

Landry and Mayfield barely connected for 53% of their targets in their first 2 seasons together.

That number improved to 70% since the beginning of the 2020 season.

Stefanski and Berry know, as most Browns fans know, that signing a good wideout does not guarantee success.

That is why they’ll negotiate a mutually beneficial shift of salary and bonuses to keep Landry on board.

And that familiarity between Landry and his quarterback will pay off in 2022.

Buy: It’s a Locker Room Purge 

Something is wrong in the Cleveland Browns’ locker room.

And jettisoning one top wide receiver didn’t settle the matter.

Baker Mayfield and his offensive teammates are not the chummy group Stefanski would like them to be.

Browns players say they appreciate Mayfield’s guts and willingness to play through pain.

But a precious few call him a good or great quarterback or really play him up as a vital part of their careers.

Nobody is sacred this offseason, including the best friend of a former player or any other wide receiver.

Sell: Berry Knows 2021 Is a Fluke 

Kevin Stefanski didn’t forget how to run an offense, and Baker Mayfield didn’t forget how to find receivers.

And Jarvis Landry is due to have a season with fewer injuries and more targets.

Injuries to Mayfield and the offensive line definitely hurt Stefanski’s game planning.

And he admitted defenses adapted to his general offensive scheme.

But he and his assistant coaches are too smart to return in 2022 without a new plan.

One that takes into account everything they learned in their second year, including how to use their All-Pro wideout.

Buy or Sell? It Could Be Up To Landry 

Andrew Berry and the whole Browns management team excel at keeping things close to their vests.

Even after an hour in front of the press last week, we don’t really know much about Berry’s future plans.

The salary cap might be the biggest factor in determining Jarvis Landry’s future in Cleveland.

But what if Landry doesn’t want to return in 2022?

There are signs the OBJ situation hurt a few feelings around Berea and left some tension in its wake.

And that is the biggest reason I’m buying the Browns moving on from Landry in 2022.