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CLEVELAND, Ohio — We knew what it was from the start. From the beginning, the Browns displayed a wide receiver room that lacked depth and proven experience. Jerry Jeudy solidified himself as the main option. The only question was who’d step up after Jeudy as the next best contributors. Eight weeks in, their production has been anything but productive. More Cleveland Browns coverage Browns trade rumors, Cavaliers stumble vs. Celtics: Thursday’s Sports 4 CLE Who’s to blame for the Browns’ woeful passing game? Film review Myles Garrett trade rumors are out there; here’s why a deal makes zero financial sense for the Browns You know the drill. We’ll evaluate just how unproductive this group has been through the lens of analytics. We just need a good handful of numbers to really paint the picture. Also, the totals will relate individually or to the grouping of Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Isaiah Bond, and Jamari Thrash. Even with Tillman having not played since Week 4 due to a hamstring injury, he’s started half of the games and qualifies for this post. There are six wide receivers who’ve logged statistics, but the four players named above are considered the main contributors or potential contributors. 11 The most glaring portion of this receiving corps’ performance so far has been their dropped passes. Week by week, there’s been a lack of reeling in catches on one or more open targets. It’s driven fans crazy on social media, and for good reason. As a team, Cleveland currently ranks third in dropped passes (17). But of their 17 drops, 11 are on the receivers. Jerry Jeudy has eight of them, which ranks second among all NFL wide receivers. On average, that’s exactly one drop per game. Cleveland led the NFL in dropped passes (49) last season. The year before, it finished second (42). Furthermore, Cleveland ranks ninth for most catchable targets (212), and 20th in on-target catch percentage (89.1%), per Sports Info Solutions. Trends are supposed to end at some point. This proves dropping passes is a bad habit they have yet to be rid of. 2.1 Speaking of Jeudy, he’s struggled to create much separation this season. He currently holds 2.1 yards of separation, which ties for the eighth fewest among qualifying wide receivers and tight ends, per Next Gen Stats. We talk about Jeudy’s tendency to drop passes, but he’s kept himself from more targets due to lacking separation on his routes. However, Jeudy’s average yards of separation has decreased by each season. Back in Denver, he logged 3.7 yards of separation in 2022, then 3.6 in 2023. When getting to Cleveland in 2024, it took a downward spiral to 2.8 yards. Becoming the WR1 comes with more responsibilities, but even fellow WR1s in the AFC North put up far more production than Jeudy. Baltimore’s Zay Flowers averages 3.4 yards of separation, and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase creates 3.2 yards. Pittsburgh’s DK Metcalf (2.5 yards) is a little closer to Jeudy’s separation average, but he still ranks 24th in receiving yards (461). 2.83 It’s one thing to make the catch, it’s another to gain further yardage after making the catch. When Cleveland’s receivers do make the catch, they don’t get very far. The four main wide receivers accumulate an average of 2.83 yards after the catch. Thrash leads the pack in YAC (3.9), while Tillman ranks last (1.5). This is not good. Thrash has appeared in all eight games, but only started one, so he wouldn’t qualify within the receiver rankings, per Pro Football Reference. If he did, his 3.9 YAC would rank 41st. But even for those who do qualify, such as Jeudy (2.5 YAC), he ties for 61st. A lack of gaining yardage after the catch has really hurt the offense. 9 Targets can come with chest-to-chest coverage. That’s football. You still got to make the catch. The Browns haven’t done that. They hold nine combined contested catches, per Pro Football Focus. Bond ties for 38th in contested catches (eight). Jeudy ties for 18th in contested targets (12), but has only caught three of them. Just to compare, five NFL receivers hold nine or more contested catches to their name. Ja’Marr Chase leads all receivers (12), and Dallas’ George Pickens is second (11), per PFF. 70 Cleveland’s four main wide receivers have a combined 54 receptions. Jeudy holds the most catches (22) of the four. So why does it show ‘No. 70′ above? Because that is the amount of receptions Ja’Marr Chase has, which leads the entire NFL. Chase is arguably one of the league’s best receivers. You throw the ball anywhere within his vicinity, and he’ll make the catch. So obviously, it’s crazy to think one single player would have more receptions than one team’s entire receiving corps. But here’s the twist: 38 of Chase’s 70 catches have come in the previous three games with Joe Flacco in the pocket. Cleveland traded Flacco to Cincinnati earlier this month after a bad showing in September. Flacco’s looked rejuvenated in Cincinnati, creating a dynamic duo with Chase. That includes the high scoring Week 7 win over Pittsburgh, where Chase recorded a franchise record 16 catches for 161 yards and one touchdown. This further emphasizes questions about what’s wrong with the Browns offense, considering Flacco looks totally different this season for Paul Brown’s other invention. Conclusion Cleveland’s offense has been one of the worst in the NFL, and the pass catchers aren’t making it easier. The areas we examined above better illustrate the root of their issues. It is because of this that guys won’t come off the bye week playing for the playoffs, but instead, playing for their jobs.
