One of the biggest adjustments an NFL wide receiver has to make is that he isn’t going to get the ball on every play. That is difficult to accept for some, which is why there is so much turmoil at the position around the league, year after year.
It is also a hard lesson for a rookie to learn, after likely being the focal point of his offense in college. That is why the Cleveland Browns are making sure every one of their wide receivers is on the same page entering this season.
Browns assistant coach Christian Jones is sending a clear message to their wide receiver room, saying that if you run the proper route, the ball will eventually come your way.
“All we gotta do is put it on tape. I try to tell them in the film room every time. Put it on tape, whether you get the ball or not. The quarterback watches every spot. They watch every clip. They’ll see it, so as long as you put it on tape, that ball will come your way. Just keep winning. That’s our job. We go out there, run the route, we try to win. If it comes our way, it does. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t, but that’s the life of a receiver. There’s a lot of things that have to happen for you to get a catch. ‘My job is to win, so I gotta win first,'” Jones said.
With as many as five potential targets available on any particular play, there sometimes aren’t enough footballs to go around. This could be particularly true on the Browns, as second-year tight end Harold Fannin Jr. is the potential centerpiece of the offense after leading the team in targets and receptions last season.
He had one more than veteran Jerry Jeudy, who is doing everything he can to hold on to his role as Cleveland’s No. 1 wide receiver. His production fell off considerably last season, which is part of the reason the Browns used two of their top three picks in the 2026 NFL Draft on KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston.
Those two rookies have been widely praised for their performances in minicamps and OTAs. Concepcion was also recently shown working out with quarterback Deshaun Watson in the downtime before training camp opens in a couple of weeks.
With second-year pro Isaiah Bond also making a strong impression this spring, and running back Dylan Sampson a legitimate threat out of the backfield, the Browns have plenty op options for Watson or Shedeur Sanders as the starting quarterback. That is why Jones’ message is so important as the offense learns its roles under new head coach Todd Monken and first-time coordinator Travis Switzer.
A team can never have too much talent, but it needs to complement each other in the right way for it to be successful.
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