In the third of three series, we will take a look at the top five National Football League wide receivers who changed teams in the offseason. The player number one on the list was always to be Antonio Brown, however on the weekend Brown made NFL headlines when he was cut by the Oakland Raiders and then signed a one year contract worth $15 million with the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. Here are the top five receivers who changed teams since the end of the 28 Super Bowl.
5) Randall Cobb–Dallas Cowboys–One of the top wide receivers in the Green Bay Packers system for the last eight years, Randall Cobb of Maryville, TN only played half the season in 2018 due to a hamstring injury. In limited action, he had 38 catches for 383 yards and two touchdowns. However, Cobb has the potential to be a dynamic force in the Cowboys offense to accommodate Amari Cooper, who the Cowboys acquired during the 2018 season from the Oakland Raiders. At 29 years of age, if healthy, Cobb could help the Cowboys win their second straight NFC East division title. He signed with the Cowboys on March 19 to a one year contract worth $5 million.
4) Golden Tate–New York Giants–At 31 years of age, the New York Giants brought in Golden Tate of Hendersonville, TN to give the Giants a worthy option with the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. who was traded to the Cleveland Browns. In 2018, Tate shared his time with the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles. In 15 games, Tate had 73 catches for 795 yards and four touchdowns. Eli Manning will be hoping the Giants acquire the Tate who had four consecutive seasons of 90+ receptions with the Lions from 2014-2017, of which three of those years he had 1000 yards. Tate signed a four year deal worth $37.5 million on March 14, before being suspended four games for violating the NFL’s drug policy.
3) Donte Moncrief–Pittsburgh Steelers–At age 26, expectations are rather high for Donte Moncrief of Raleigh, MS. He is expected to at least help replace Antonio Brown in the Steelers offensive system. Those are obviously gigantic shoes to fill, however Moncrief is at least expected to improve on his 2018 season with the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he had 48 catches for 668 yards and three touchdowns. Montcrief signed with the Steelers on March 14 to a two year contract worth $9 million.
2) Odell Beckham Jr.–Cleveland Browns–In what could have been considered one of the biggest trades in the NFL during the offseason, Odell Beckham Jr. (best known as OBJ) of Baton Rouge, LA, was traded from the Giants to the Browns for safety Jabrill Peppers, a first round draft pick and third round draft pick on March 13. In 2018 with the Giants, OBJ had his fourth 1000 yard season in five years as he caught 77 catches for 1052 yards and six touchdowns. Beckham Jr. becomes the second Browns receiver the franchise has acquired in two years. In 2018, it was Jarvis Landry, who the Browns acquired from the Miami Dolphins. Expectations are high for the Browns in 2019 and anything less than a postseason spot will be a bitter disappointment.
1)Antonio Brown–New England Patriots–The Antonio Brown saga continued on Saturday when the controversial wide receiver signed a one year contract with the New England Patriots. The signing makes the Patriots instant Super Bowl favorites, however where precisely Brown of Miami, FL, will fit into the Patriots remarkable offense will be very interesting. One thing is for sure, Brown can forget taping any further conversations with his new coach Bill Belichick. If he does, his one year contract worth $15 million, will be dropped like a hot potato! Last year Brown had 104 catches for 1297 yards and 15 touchdowns in Pittsburgh.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
