Browns 2021 Off-Season Thread

bob2the2nd said:

What I would argue the other way. In a game the browns needed their top paid TE to show up the most he decidedly didnt show up, even when force fed the ball

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Hooper was our #1 receiving option in the game. You would expect him to have more targets and less statistical efficiency because he would be receiving above-average defensive focus.

bob2the2nd said:

Right, but Hooper is a top 4 paid TE in the NFL. The browns need a lot more out of him than to be a role player and only pulling in less than half of your targets in a game when a team needs you the most, isnt going to cut it. I went looking but couldnt find any stats, i also believe he had 2 drops that game.

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But he isn't more than a role player. He has never been, and will never be, more than a role player.

Just accept that we overpaid an average tight end to ensure that we'd have a functional offense for our coaching staff and our quarterback to build from.

Us giving Hooper the largest tight end contract in the league didn't make him the best tight end in the league. It just meant that we overpaid in free agency for a position of need.

I feel like all three of our TE's underperformed a bit while flashing at times. We really didn't get our passing game humming till about halfway into the season and Hooper came on strong at the end.

Was he overpaid for his output last year? Definitely but aside from our line, our offense was all over the place last year due to shortened off-season, new system, etc. I think he's earned a do-over year.

The TE market will have a few notable names available

Los216 said:

The TE market will have a few notable names available

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Minimum contract guy. He'll be 37 and had poor 218/2019 years.

Revised rankings are out pre-FA. His Browns D grades were adjusted down (as they should have been). Now sitting at 5th overall.

Hurl Bruce said:

Revised rankings are out pre-FA. His Browns D grades were adjusted down (as they should have been). Now sitting at 5th overall.

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How did the Browns fair in the tight end category... Oh, well look at that. Looks like a few people remember the role of blocking in the job description.

bob2the2nd said:

like i pointed out yesterday.... production for example. Njoku was extremely unproductive last year.

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Was he unproductive or simply not targeted very often?

His yards per target was 7.3, best of his career.

Bryant's YPT was 6.3. Hooper's was 6.2.

Rudolph's the last three years... 7.7, 7.6 and 9.0.

Randolphkeys said:

How did the Browns fair in the tight end category... Oh, well look at that. Looks like a few people remember the role of blocking in the job description.

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Isn't that the same guy who said we have the 8th best safety group in the league just three weeks ago? He also had Baker rated way behind Kyler, Matt Ryan, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Carr, Herbert, Goff, Cousins, Roethlisberger, Tannehill...


I'm not so sure I trust his rankings, but hey, it's certainly a data point.

I'd like to see what that number has to do with Hooper, as opposed to Njoku and Bryant.

But, if his grade is more comparative to the rest of the league, rather than absolute, I'll be a bit more forgiving. The tight end position is pretty bad right now.

• Kittle
• Kelce
• Waller
• Andrews
• Henry
• Goedert
• Ertz
• Hockenson

For as hard as I am on Hooper, that's the complete list of tight ends in the league that I'm comfortable saying are better players than Hooper, and if you wanted to argue that Waller and Andrews don't even belong in the conversation because they play a different position, I wouldn't disagree.

That means I value Hooper around the inconsistent but talented guys like Njoku, Gesicki, Fant, Jonnu and OJ Howard--who haven't proven to be reliable, while Hooper might be the exact opposite of them. Plus, Njoku and Howard might be the only two of that listed group who can block.

I'm perfectly content with our TE position right now even if we trade Njoku. Find a cheap replacement vet and we're good to go. Is Hooper/Bryant/vet/Carlson perfect or the best? Absolutely not. But I'm not worried about it. And that's without projecting better Baker>Hooper chemistry and any improvements from Bryant.

If we're going to make a deep run in the playoffs next year it'll be because of an upgraded defense and not a drastic change to TE. Once we're able to cut Hooper or get out of his contract I'd do it, but I'm not concerned about much here.

Triplethreat said:

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i take it he found his way back to school, or the grocery store or something?

Banner also alluding to a potentially wild offseason. Really glad the Browns have smart people in place.

Triplethreat said:

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PRAISE JEEBUS!

edit: im guessing 20 million signing bonus, 10 million this year, and 10 million next year. Basically Ben retires after this year, and still gets 30 of his 40 owed to him.

Would be a nice signing