Cleveland Browns: Could Jarvis Landry have more to unleash?

The Cleveland Browns traded and extended wide receiver Jarvis Landry this offseason, but could the former Dolphin be better than ever in his new home?

It’s most certainly been an offseason of making waves for the Cleveland Browns. From trading for Tyrod Taylor, to signing Carlos Hyde, to taking Baker Mayfield No. 1 overall in the draft, the winless wonders of 2017 have made drastic improvements to the talent on their roster. Another such move that falls in that category was the trade and subsequent signing of wide receiver Jarvis Landry.

Throughout his time with the Miami Dolphins previously, Landry has consistently been one of the most productive receivers in the NFL in terms of receptions. He’s hauled in catch after catch throughout his career, spending most of his time running out of the slot in the Miami offense. However, high reception numbers haven’t stopped critics from ardently detracting from Landry’s value as a player.

In fairness to the criticisms of Landry though, they aren’t unfounded. While he hauls in a tremendous amount of receptions, the yardage and touchdown totals haven’t been nearly as spectacular. As has been said before about Landry, if you want a 4-yard reception on third-and-6, he’s your guy.

However, that may not all be Landry’s fault if the wide receiver himself is to be believed. In a recent interview with Ben Baskin of SI, Landry noted several things about the differences between his new home with the Browns and his time with the Dolphins. Most notably, in Cleveland, Landry says his route assignments have expanded greatly from in Miami where he was limited to about four routes and seemingly not allowed to do anything more than that.

Considering the source of such claims, Landry could just be trying to boost his own value heading into 2018, even if he’s already signed an extension with the Browns. But there is equally as likely a chance that he’s telling the truth.

The simple fact of the matter is that the 25-year old wideout’s biggest flaws as a player to this point in his career may not have been his fault. He could have simply been running the limited routes he was given, which led to him being a short-yardage threat in the passing game and nothing more. If that is the case, it’s equally as possible that he has more to offer in terms of how he affects a game.

With the additions and changes the Browns have undergone this season, they have many aspects on their team that will be fascinating to watch. This, however, might be one area that some are overlooking right now — that is, the pseudo-redemption story for Landry.

Landry is being paid like a No. 1 receiver by Cleveland. And from what we’re hearing, he’s going to be playing more of that role with the Browns than he ever did throughout his time in Miami. So if he does have more to offer as a wide receiver, we’ll see it sooner rather than later on the field.