The Browns traded for Jarvis Landry at the start of the offseason. He cost them fourth- and seventh-round picks; not too expensive. But it looks like he might be playing for them on just the one-year franchise tender, and won't necessarily be with the team long-term. After leading the league with 112 receptions last year, odds are against him being similarly productive in 2018.
In Miami's offense, Landry played in the league's most wide-receiver friendly passing game. In Cleveland, he'll play in one of its worst for the position. Personnel had something to do with it, of course, but you've got to figure Landry's production will suffer with the Browns.
Landry's team last year, the Dolphins, saw its wide receivers account for a league-high two-thirds of the passing game's receptions, as well as a league-high 73 percent of its yards. The Browns were at the opposite end of the spectrum; just 43 percent of the receptions and barely over half of its yards. Only Buffalo, which had no wide receivers for most of the season, was worse in both areas.
| WIDE RECEIVERS, PERCENT OF TEAM, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | No | Yards | %Rec | %Yds |
| Miami | 247 | 2776 | 66% | 73% |
| Pittsburgh | 238 | 3304 | 62% | 73% |
| Atlanta | 214 | 2848 | 62% | 69% |
| Green Bay | 227 | 2396 | 64% | 68% |
| Detroit | 214 | 3024 | 57% | 68% |
| Minnesota | 203 | 2601 | 57% | 66% |
| Houston | 179 | 2409 | 60% | 66% |
| LA Rams | 205 | 2642 | 64% | 66% |
| Jacksonville | 177 | 2426 | 56% | 65% |
| Tampa Bay | 226 | 2985 | 60% | 65% |
| NY Jets | 174 | 2247 | 54% | 64% |
| Arizona | 198 | 2541 | 58% | 64% |
| Dallas | 183 | 2111 | 59% | 63% |
| Denver | 195 | 2312 | 59% | 63% |
| Cincinnati | 167 | 2094 | 55% | 62% |
| LA Chargers | 192 | 2792 | 52% | 61% |
| Seattle | 177 | 2433 | 52% | 61% |
| Oakland | 189 | 2280 | 54% | 61% |
| San Francisco | 182 | 2530 | 50% | 60% |
| Chicago | 146 | 1809 | 50% | 59% |
| Tennessee | 159 | 1977 | 52% | 58% |
| Carolina | 150 | 1922 | 51% | 58% |
| Philadelphia | 178 | 2269 | 52% | 57% |
| New Orleans | 198 | 2604 | 51% | 56% |
| Indianapolis | 125 | 1814 | 44% | 56% |
| New England | 174 | 2397 | 45% | 55% |
| NY Giants | 172 | 2023 | 46% | 55% |
| Washington | 176 | 2242 | 51% | 55% |
| Baltimore | 146 | 1734 | 40% | 54% |
| Kansas City | 165 | 2285 | 45% | 53% |
| Cleveland | 134 | 1801 | 43% | 51% |
| Buffalo | 115 | 1474 | 40% | 48% |
Adding Landry will maybe help the Browns climb out of that bottom spot, but of course they've added the quarterback in Tyrod Taylor who helmed the offense that made the least use of wideouts (granted, they didn't have a pass catcher like Landry). Regardless, Landry won't again league the lead in receptions. He'll probably slip quite a bit.
For Miami, meanwhile, there's going to be some value in the wideouts. DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills are the holdovers; Albert Wilson and Danny Amendola the incoming guys. Stills and Amendola have produced in the past, while oft-disappointing Parker and Wilson look like the longer shots (though probably more upside, too).
--Andy Richardson