Browns sign Austin Hooper

With Covid 19 in full swing, I decided to give each of the new Cleveland Browns additions their own post and write a bit more about the new arrival's past and how they will affect the roster at their position.
After all, there is not exactly a plethora of live sports to write about, is there?

Last night, Cleveland addressed the defense with the signing of two veterans in linebacker B.J. Goodson  (Packers) and safety Karl Joseph (Raiders).
I'll have more on those two newcomers and how they fit in with the defense later in the week.

The signing of Austin Hooper was a mild, but very pleasant surprise by Andrew Berry and the Browns to add to a key weak spot on the Browns offense after a disappointing 2019.
Hooper wasn't signed cheaply as the Browns were forced to make Hooper the highest-paid tight end in football as the former Atlanta Falcon signed a four-year contract worth 42 million dollars with 23 million of that total guaranteed.

The twenty-five-year-old was selected by Atlanta in the third round of the 2016 draft from Stanford and has made the Pro Bowl in both of the two most recent seasons with Hooper combining for 146 catches, 1,347 yards and ten touchdowns which are impressive numbers on a team that featured Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley and makes you think Hooper could have similar, if not improved production with Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry surrounding him.
Hooper isn't noted as a great blocker, but he's not a sieve either and is noted as being better as a pass blocker than in the running game.
That makes sense as most of the better receiving tight ends aren't usually among the more physical players, but if Hooper isn't a liability as a blocker, I can't ask for more than that with his pass-catching skills.

Hooper definitely gives the Browns the type of athletic tight end that can gain yardage after the catch that the Browns haven't since Jordan Cameron left for Miami and what Cleveland hasn't received from David Njoku, despite the physical attributes for the position that Njoku brings.
At 6'4, Hooper will also be that leaping red zone threat that it seems that almost every playoff team has at tight end and that the Browns have lacked since Jordan Cameron.
Other than the occasional slice of potential from Njoku or even Ricky Seals-Jones, the Browns have stubbornly stuck with rock-handed players at the position that were used more often as essentially an extra blocker rather than a real threat since the departure of Cameron in 2015.

Some have thought that the signing of Hooper means the end of David Njoku in Cleveland.
I'm not sure of that, although I could see a team trading a day three draft pick for Njoku, should the Browns decide to shop the former first rounder.
However, Kevin Stefanski used two tight ends often during his tenure with the Vikings, Njoku still has tremendous physical potential, and inserting Hooper and Njoku with Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry would create many matchup problems for defenses.
Nick Chubb ( or Kareem Hunt) might lose a bit in run blocking in that lineup, but he could also rip off some huge gains with defenses having to pay so much attention to the various threats in the passing game.
The Browns will tip their hand soon with Njoku as they have a decision to make in picking up his option for 2021.
Should the Browns keep Njoku, they will likely allow Ricky Seals-Jones or Stephen Carlson to go elsewhere as the Browns will keep Pharoah Brown as the blocking specialist and while four tight ends might be a luxury that a few teams carry, five is out of the question.

This is a very intriguing signing and one that the Browns should be given credit for.
Cleveland's skill weapons rank with the best in football and the signing of Jack Conklin to pair with returning veterans Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter along with a left tackle that will likely be the Browns first-round pick or no later than their second-rounder will give Baker Mayfield plenty of choices to throw to and time to make those choices.
There won't be anyone for Mayfield or his supporters to blame this season other than himself, should his regression continue.

I'll try to be back later with a post on Jack Conklin, who may prove to be the most important signing in free agency, if not the flashiest, and how his addition upgrades the offensive line.