Growth by Donovan Peoples-Jones Could Provide Interesting Challenge for Browns

There isn't a Cleveland Browns practice without at least a mention of how second-year wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones continues to grow as a player, racking up highlight catches. It's virtually unanimous that he's been the most improved player on the offensive side of the ball thus far in training camp, which is great for the team planning ahead for 2022, but creates an interesting quandary in 2021.

If Odell Beckham and Baker Mayfield hit their strides the way that was anticipated when the trade was made ahead of the 2019 season, the Browns could have a remarkable dangerous set of receivers in 2021 as well as 2022.

A sweet set up for the Browns next year with potentially Beckham, Jones, pending free agent Rashard Higgins and Anthony Schwartz, selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Should Jones continues to improve in training camp and the coming preseason, the team will have the welcome challenge of figuring out how to get their best players on the field this year.

Stressing over how best to utilize talent because there's so much of it is a welcome change over the alternative. There were any number of seasons since the Browns came back in 1999 where Jones would be the team's top receiver as opposed to battling for spot anywhere from the second to fourth receiver option on the team.

With no logical reason to expose Beckham and Landry to a single preseason snap, that will almost certainly provide further opportunities for Jones to bolster his argument why he should be on the field more often this season. Whether the former sixth-round pick is catching passes from Case Keenum or Kyle Lauletta, he could continue to make it impossible to deny what he has to offer the team, whether that's out of the gate on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs or later in the year.

Assuming the weapons on the Browns stay healthy, Jones would be taking snaps at someone's expense.

The immediate answer is KhaDarel Hodge. Initially heavily used at the start of the season because he offered speed that could stretch the field, Hodge proved a fantastic blocker who made some important receptions scattered throughout the season.

Despite missing eight games due to hamstring issues, Hodge appeared in 27.35 percent of the team's offensive snaps in 2020. Many of those could go to Jones.

If Beckham and Jarvis Landry are cemented as the top receivers, reps might also come from Higgins as he entered camp as the next best option. However, no receiver has more chemistry with Mayfield, which was evident in both the 2018 and 2020 seasons. Landry, now slimmer, seems more geared to play in the slot, so perhaps Jones could see more reps in two receiver sets.

In terms of playing traditional outside receiver roles, Beckham and Jones are the two who best profile to play on the boundary. Jones is strong, explosive, has speed and terrific hands. He could provide a dynamic threat both before and after the catch. Within the Browns stable of receivers, no one else has a skill set like Jones.

It helps the cause for Jones that he's training at all three receiver spots in the Browns offense. In other words, Jones could a threat from just about anywhere on the field, which makes it that much easier for the Browns to put him in position to succeed and get the ball in his hands.

Jones is also competing for reps from players like Kareem Hunt and the tight ends. In 2020, the Browns played a significant amount of snaps from multiple tight end sets. A staple of Kevin Stefanski's offense, the Browns have tremendous firepower at the tight end position.

Still, it's possible the Browns will embrace utilizing more three and four receiver sets if the talent continues to deem it prudent. Matchups could also dictate using more receivers against certain teams.

So much changes if Beckham both remains healthy and plays as well as the talent he's shown capable. Nevertheless, as a rookie with Beckham missing half the season, Jones only played 25.9 percent of the team's offensive snaps. Seemingly, that number will increase but just how much is still to be determined.

The combination of size and speed Jones offers is something the Browns hasn't had at the wide receiver position since Josh Gordon was on the team, so it could add a dynamic that could further torture defenses and produce instant offense. 

The Browns allowed Jones to grow at his own pace as a rookie, enabling them to taste an appetizer's worth of what he can do, leaving many wanting more. In 2021, Jones might force the team to offer up a much bigger serving of the young receiver at the rate he's becoming seasoned.

READ MORE: Josh Allen's Extension has Limited Impact on Baker Mayfield Negotiations