The Cleveland Browns made Austin Hooper the highest-paid tight end last offseason to help the Browns adjust to Kevin Stefanski’s tight end heavy scheme. Hooper’s experience in the wide zone-blocking scheme, from his time with Kyle Shanahan in Atlanta, was seen as a big plus for the Browns.
With Atlanta, Hooper had 146 catches in his last two seasons to go along with 10 combined touchdowns. With the Browns in 2020, Hooper had his lowest reception total since his rookie season with 46 for only 435 yards but did have four touchdowns.
While the Browns paid Hooper a handsome sum to relocate to Cleveland, he has never produced like the top tight ends. He has averaged less than 11 yards per catch for the past four seasons, only topping that mark his rookie year when he only caught 19 balls. His career-high in touchdowns was six in 2019.
Prior to the season, Pro Football Focus had Hooper rated as the 11th best tight end in the league. They valued his consistency, hands, and blocking to go along with the production as a receiver noted.
After a down season, PFF has dropped Hooper to the 17th best tight end in the league:
The move to Cleveland came with a downtick in production last season. Hooper’s PFF grade fell from 78.3 in 2019 to 69.8 in 2020. He still profiles as a reliable target over the middle of the field who has averaged at least 1.3 receiving yards per route run in every season of his career. Hooper just isn’t going to strike fear in defenses the same way some of the elite names at the top of this list will.
The Browns are hoping for a bounce-back year for the former Stanford Cardinal but it is unlikely that he will suddenly become an explosive player for the team.
The huge contract the Browns gave Hooper last year doesn’t make for an easy departure from the team anytime soon. The Browns would have dead cap hits of $19.5, 11.25, and 7.5 were they to cut him in the next three seasons. During those same times, if he is on the team, his cap hits are $8.25, 13.25, and 13.25. Only before the 2023 season would the Browns be in line for decent savings, $5.75 million, off the cap if they moved on from him.
Instead, the team hopes that he can return to the form of his last two seasons in Atlanta and stay consistent through the length of his contract. With David Njoku scheduled to become a free agent after the 2021 season and Harrison Bryant still unproven, the Browns need a steady presence at the tight end position.
Neither Njoku nor Bryant were rated in PFF’s top 32 tight ends.
As it is, if you agree with PFF’s rankings, 17th best tight end for top tight end money won’t cut it for the Browns with Hooper.