Dawgs By Nature
Cleveland can still use some help, and veteran Keenan Allen could be a rookie QB’s best friend.
A general manager’s work is never done in the NFL.
Take Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry as an example.
It’s not enough to spend three days making seven selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, including the quarterback with the biggest spotlight. Berry then had to quickly pivot and start to sign undrafted free agents, which are unofficially at 13 as of today.
Even with all those moves, there are still roster holes to fill, especially at wide receiver. The position is currently manned by Jerry Jeudy, who dominated the stat sheet his first season in Cleveland on the way to earning a Pro Bowl selection.
The Browns like what Cedric Tillman brings to the field, but he needs to stay healthy. Cleveland reportedly signed veteran Diontae Johnson on Monday, but that could be a short-term arrangement after Johnson played for the Carolina Panthers, Baltimore Ravens, and Houston Texans in 2024.
Berry also utilized the free-agent tender on Elijah Moore, but that seems more a transaction to pocket a compensatory draft pick than a move to retain Moore, who has been pedestrian in his two seasons in Cleveland.
After that? Well, the position is not particularly robust, unless you are a big fan of Michael Woods II, David Bell, Jamari Thrash, James Proche, or Jaelon Darden.
If Berry is seeking to add another reliable receiver for whoever wins the upcoming quarterback derby, he may want to consider free agent Keenan Allen, according to Pro Football Network:
With Elijah Moore receiving the rare unrestricted free agent tender, the Cleveland Browns will probably move on from their 2024 slot receiver in exchange for compensatory value. Diontae Johnson signed after the NFL Draft, but the mercurial vet played for three teams last season and has never played more than 21% of his snaps in the slot in a season.
With an inexperienced quarterback likely to soak up most of the snaps in 2025, the Browns could use a little more veteran reliability.
Keenan Allen was miscast in an every-down role with the Bears last year. However, in a more functional environment with the Chargers just two years ago, Allen ranked 12th with 2.37 yards per route. He’s always been a surprisingly effective red-zone weapon as well, with at least six TDs in seven of his last eight seasons.
Allen wouldn’t have to be one of the primary weapons in Cleveland and could play fewer snaps after playing 75% of them last year for the Bears. That might better enable him to be the security blanket he was supposed to be for Caleb Williams.
Allen is an interesting option. He is only one year removed from catching 108 passes for 1,243 yards with the Los Angeles Chargers, his fifth career season with more than 100 receptions and sixth with more than 1,000 receiving yards.
Even in a “down year” with the...
