The Cleveland Browns have two major needs on the offensive side of the ball: offensive line and wide receiver.
Of the two, wide receiver is the more pressing position of need. There are plenty of interesting draft options for the Browns this year. But, in free agency, the Browns should also be active.
The top free agent wide receiver is Mike Evans. But, according to a recent report from ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Browns have almost no chance of signing Evans thanks to his
Mike Evans won't sign with Browns for 4 reasons
"He wants a quarterback he believes in, a chance at a Super Bowl, a top-shelf offensive coordinator and the promise of high-volume touches," Fowler reports.
These are Evans' four criteria for the team he will sign with this offseason. For the potential future Hall of Famer, the Browns are not a good fit at all.
Of these four criteria, the Browns can only lay claim to one, and it's the high-volume touches. Jerry Jeudy and the rest of the WRs wouldn't take away from Evans getting plenty of targets if he joined the Browns.
While Todd Monken has received plenty of praise as an offensive play caller in recent years, Evans likely wouldn't see the Browns' coaching situation as a good one. It's his first year with the team, and a lot can go wrong in year one.
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But, where the Browns really fall short is on the other two criteria. Cleveland is very far from being a Super Bowl contender, and the starting quarterback isn't exactly ideal.
Shedeur Sanders might be the starter in 2026, and if not him, it's either a veteran free agent, Deshaun Watson, Dillon Gabriel, or a completely unproven rookie.
Even without these criteria, it was hard to imagine Evans would join the Browns this offseason. But seeing the Browns fall well short on 50% of Evans' desired traits in a landing spot cements the fact that Evans won't be a Brown barring a miracle.
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