Former Arizona Cardinals All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins is now a free agent, and though the veteran is about to turn 31, he's expected to have several suitors. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills are considered to be two of the favorites to land Hopkins, but the Cleveland Browns could be a dark horse in this race.
Hopkins' former quarterback, Deshaun Watson, of course signed a fully-guaranteed, five-year $230 million contract with the Browns last offseason. Could Cleveland make a move for the wideout? That's what head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked by reporters on Tuesday.
"I really, really like our wide receiver room," Stefanski said, via Cleveland.com. "I love the guys that are in there. Andrew (Berry) and his crew are always looking at every avenue and that type of thing , so I won't comment specifically on the player other than to say that I really like our roster."
Watson told reporters "of course" he would love to have Hopkins in Cleveland, per 247Sports, but echoed what Stefanski said in saying it was up to the Browns' front office. One potential hurdle the Browns will have to overcome when it comes to potentially adding Hopkins is money, as Cleveland has $6.9 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. That ranks No. 23 in the NFL.
The wide receiving corps is headlined by Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones, but Cleveland also added Elijah Moore via trade, and Cedric Tillman in the draft. It's fair to say the Browns' offense underperformed in 2022. Cleveland ranked No. 25 or worse in points per game and yards per game with Watson as the starter. The Browns were in the top 12 in both categories from Weeks 1-12, when Jacoby Brissett was under center.
