The Cleveland Browns do not have a ton of offensive firepower after parting ways with wide receiver Amari Cooper and running back Nick Chubb, which means the team could be on the hunt for some playmaking ahead of the regular season.
Jerry Jeudy is the No. 1 receiver coming off a career year in 2024, while tight end David Njoku was a Pro Bowler in 2023 before injuries derailed his campaign last season. The Browns drafted a couple of running backs in Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson, but the offense is glaringly absent another pass-catcher in the receiver room who can help out whichever quarterback(s) Cleveland decides to start during the upcoming season.
Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus on May 8 suggested the Browns attempt to trade for Alec Pierce of the Indianapolis Colts, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract.
“Declining to select a receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft has left Cleveland in a precarious spot. The team’s recent signing of Diontae Johnson is a cheap alternative with potential upside or possibly an empty addition, given his recent issues. That still leaves the door open for this offense to add an impact X receiver via trade,” Cameron wrote on May 8. “One option could be Alec Pierce, who played with Joe Flacco in Indianapolis last season, where he earned a 73.3 PFF receiving grade while catching passes from the veteran.”
Browns Enter Preseason With Serious Questions at Quarterback
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.
Prognosticators have projected Cleveland as among the worst teams in the league next season, in large part because of the quarterback situation.
Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders are in camp as rookies — third- and fifth-rounders, respectively — alongside Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Quarterback Deshaun Watson also remains on the team, though he is unlikely to play in 2025 due to a twice-torn Achilles tendon and clear messaging from the Browns front office and ownership that he has likely had his time — three years to this point, during which he’s failed to capitalize and has started only 19 games (9-10).
That said, the general manager Andrew Berry and two-time NFL Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski probably need to show some significant improvement and outline real promise for the future if they hope to avoid the proverbial hot seat in 2025. Because of that, an addition like Pierce could make considerable sense.
Alec Pierce Can Offer Browns Crucial Wide Receiver Option Behind Jerry Jeudy
GettyIndianapolis Colts wide receiver Alec Pierce.
Pierce, a former second-round pick out of Cincinnati, has just one year remaining on his current contract, which pays him approximately 3.65 million in 2025.
His salary is one the Browns could justify and absorb with relative ease, though his trade price could fluctuate based on how high the Colts are on potentially signing him to an extension either this summer or the next.
Pierce has never been, and likely never will be, a No. 1 option at receiver. However, he has been productive as a secondary and/or tertiary target, producing 110 receptions for 1,931 yards and 11 TDs over the course of his three-year NFL career.
He put up career highs in yards (824) and touchdowns (7) last year in Indy, working with Flacco a significant amount of that time. Pierce also led the league with 22.3 yards per reception, which is the kind of production Cleveland will need to be competitive in 2025.
