auan Jennings #15 of the San Francisco 49ers could make sense for the Cleveland Browns.
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auan Jennings #15 of the San Francisco 49ers could make sense for the Cleveland Browns.
It would not be breaking news to suggest that the Cleveland Browns, as they sit here in late March 2026, do not have a very good crop of receivers. With WR1 Jerry Jeudy posting an awful year in 2025, a forgettable follow-up to his strong 2024 finish, the entire group was rated as the worst in the NFL, and had just 117 catches among six players. The Browns paid little attention to the room in free agency, only adding Tylan Wallace, the former Ravens depth piece who mostly plays special teams.
The Browns have the No. 6 and 24 picks in the first round of this year’s NFL draft, and are almost certain to use one of those picks on a receiver–Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, Denzel Boston, someone. But adding one rookie to the mix, even a first-round player, is not going to be enough to fix this unit.
The Browns still need some veteran help, and Pro Football Focus has the ideal candidate: Jauan Jennings, the top remaining receiver on the market after a breakout two-year performance in San Francisco in 2024 and 2025.
Jauan Jennings an Ideal Browns Addition
Jennings is coming off a season in which he had 55 catches for 643 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games, after posting 77 catches for 975 yards in 2024. He is not boundary-running downfield threat, but is one of the more reliable possession receivers in the game, something the Browns can certainly use if they plan to bring back Shedeur Sanders as the starter in 2026.
One of Sanders’ strengths is extending plays with his scrambling ability, and a smart veteran who knows how to get open, like Jennings, would be an ideal match to help Sanders keep drives going. Of Jennings’ 55 catches, 36 went for first downs.
Good Bargain Contract for Jauan Jennings?
The Browns would have to invest in Jennings, of course. Spotrac projects him as having a market value of three years and $68 million, though given the fact that he has been unsigned through this point, he might be willing to take less on a shorter prove-it deal.
Writes PFF: “Expectations are for Cleveland to explore pass-catching options with one of its two first-round draft picks, potentially landing the team Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon or Jordyn Tyson. But the room could use more established options to reinforce a receiver group that finished last in the NFL in PFF receiving grade (56.4) in 2025.
“Of the Browns’ current receivers, only Jerry Jeudy caught more than 25 passes and generated more than 1.0 yards per route run last season. Jennings would amplify the group as an efficient possession receiver, having generated more yards per route run (1.35) than any receiver on the roster and having hauled in more contested catches (19) than the entire receiving corps combined (18) last season.”
Browns Could Turn Around WR Room Quickly
A move like adding Jennings would, suddenly, give the Browns the potential for a very good and deep receiver room. The team has expressed some faith that Jeudy can return to form, and if second-year man Isaiah Bond, plus a first-round rookie like Tate, Tyson or Omar Cooper, can provide outside speed, with Cedric Tillman and Wallace for depth, it would be a much more formidable group.
As offensive coordinator Travis Switzer said, “You got Jerry Jeudy, who is a very talented player, and that’ll be something that we’re looking to try to tap into. A skill player’s production year-to-year, I mean, there’s just so many variables that go into that, I mean, I think you can overthink things a lot of that is outside of individual player’s control, you know, so we’ll be looking at all those things and we’re very excited about Jeudy and Bond.”