Newsletter: First Half Performance Reviews -- Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Continuing analysis on the Browns first half performances and what shapes our perceptions in the second half.

(Photo — Cleveland Browns)

Make no mistake about it, while the Browns remaining games feel worthless on the surface they remain very important for many of the names you have grown accustomed to in the last five seasons. Crossroads is probably an overused term but I believe they are sitting right at that divergent path as we speak.

This weekend’s game against the Saints is about as low volume as you will find a game across the league. The Saints are without much of a general direction having fired Dennis Allen and find themselves rudderless in both the talent picture and future outlook. The Browns are fighting some of those narratives themselves as more reactions pour in over the disappointing start.

These sorts of talking points will continue to be popular throughout the remainder of this season and we will have to sort out the talent level against the results. Some of this is solved with better quarterback play, sure, but there will be decisions around that position based on the level of skill supporting it. We have to parse out if the talent is legitimate and can be counted on for next year.

The discussions above will flood your timelines. We are trying to gauge that ourselves. Do these guys tear it all down and rebuild or do they try to course correct at the most important position and keep this progressing forward as the organization moves into a new era over the course of the next five years? I can hear arguments about it in both directions and we all want to believe deep down they have enough smart people in important positions. What they can’t do is play lifeless football for two months. That is what will be most interesting. It starts in New Orleans.

Now we shift over to finishing our evaluations of the first half performances with an eye on what we’re watching the rest of the way.

WIDE RECEIVERS

(Photo - Cleveland Browns)

Data Profile

Browns playmakers have had difficulty separating from the nearest defender thus far in 2024, ranking 22nd in average separation (3.4 yards). Further, the group is not accumulating yards after the catch, with +32 yards after the catch over expected, which is the 5th-fewest in the NFL.

One bright spot has been 2nd-year wide receiver Cedric Tillman, who from Weeks 7 thru 9, accumulated the 5th-most receiving yards (255) and T-2nd with three touchdowns among all players at the position.

Exceeded Expectations

Cedric Tillman

This is all aided by Tillman’s role increase with Amari Cooper traded but there is no doubt Tillman’s three week surge is beyond intriguing. He is playing the important X role in the offense and thriving in ways he had not shown in his previous 22 Browns games. This is the second time they traded a player to increase his role and the organization clearly covets him. He is the most important development over the next 8 weeks.