By: Michael Welsh

Training camp is in full force around the NFL and football is officially back. The Cleveland Browns have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL and are stacked on both sides of the ball. On the offensive side, there is a plethora of talent at wide receiver. In Kevin Stefanski’s run-heavy offense, it will be intriguing to see how he schemes all of this talent week in and week out. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is great at spreading the ball around, so the wide receivers should all get plenty of opportunities. Let’s take a look at stat predictions for Cleveland’s pass catchers going into the 2021 season.

Odell Beckham Jr

Coming off an ACL tear, it is hard to fully know how good OBJ will be this season. All indications point towards a great bounce-back year, though. He is ahead of schedule in his rehab and is looking good in training camp so far. There is a lot of pressure for him and Mayfield to click on all cylinders this year, but people tend to forget that OBJ was having a good season before his injury in 2020. With consistency on the offense in terms of system, scheme, and players, OBJ should enjoy a “Comeback Player of the Year” type season.

85 receptions, 1,220 yards, 9 touchdowns

Jarvis Landry

Since Baker’s 2018 rookie year, Jarvis Landry has been extremely consistent in a Cleveland uniform. Him and Mayfield are almost always on the same page and there is no reason to think that 2021 will be any different. He is never gonna be the guy to stretch the field and catch a lot of touchdowns, but he is clutch and helps move the chains. He should join Beckham in breaking 1,000 yards this season, similar to how they did in 2019.

73 receptions, 1,078 yards, 5 touchdowns

Rashard Higgins

The chemistry between Baker Mayfield and Rashard Higgins is simply incredible. When OBJ went down with his injury in 2020, Higgins stepped up big and made countless big plays on the back half of the season. He will most likely be the third string receiver, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of opportunities for him. There is a good chance Stefanski’s offense will evolve and have more of the receivers involved at once. Higgins isn’t the fastest guy, but he acts a security blanket for Mayfield. Look for him to have a similar year to what he had in 2020.

41 receptions, 520 yards, 5 touchdowns

Donovan Peoples-Jones

There is a decent chance the Donovan Peoples-Jones beats out Rashard Higgins for the third string roster spot. DPJ looked really good as a rookie in 2020 and he is arguably having the strongest camp of any player on the Browns this year. He has bulked up and gotten faster, and one can assume that Stefanski will have to find ways to get him on the field this year. He stepped up big time when OBJ got injured in 2020 and has proven to have great hands at the NFL level. He only had 14 catches in his rookie campaign, but averaged and impressive 20 yards per catch.

26 receptions, 467 yards, 4 touchdowns

Anthony Schwartz

The last wide receiver that will be fighting for playing time is rookie Anthony Schwartz. He definitely needs a lot of time to develop, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a role in 2021. Being extremely fast, he could help take the top off the defense in certain situations. However, with all of the other talent on the offense, don’t expect him to get a lot of touches. His main role will most likely be on end around and trick plays.

16 catches, 185 yards, 2 touchdowns

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