CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski has made it no secret just how important tight ends are to his offense.
Executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry made securing the top free agent this offseason his first major move, Atlanta’s Austin Hooper.
“I’m really excited to add Austin into the fold,” Stefanski said. “I just think his skill set fits so perfectly in what we want to be offensively. He's a very smart young man. You can see in the way they've used him over the years in Atlanta, he's got a legit skill set in all areas of the field. Had a ton of production and just excited to add the person and the player.”
Hooper passed his physical and put pen to paper Friday on a four-year, $42 million deal he agreed to on Monday to become the highest paid tight end in the league, at least for now.
RELATED: Austin Hooper tells 92.3 The Fan Browns offense “On paper, it’s pretty scary”
Hooper brings 214 receptions for 2,244 yards, 16 touchdowns and two Pro Bowls to Cleveland.
“I’m really excited. Coach Stefanski, from what I’ve heard about him, I just really valued his coaching style and schematically it matches what I’ve been asked to do before in the past, so hopefully it’s a smooth transition,” Hooper said. “And the amount of talent on this team, it just really excites me.”
Last season in Minnesota Stefanski’s top two tight ends Kyle Rudolph and Irv Smith were targeted 95 times and they accounted for 75 receptions, 678 yards and eight touchdowns.
“Versatility is a big word for us when it comes to our offensive attack,” Stefanski said. “To have multiple tight ends allows you to do so many different things. I was fortunate last year to have multiple tight ends and deploy them in varying ways. Definitely excited to add Austin to an impressive room already.”
Berry and Stefanski are hoping that teaming Hooper up with David Njuku will be able to produce similar results.
“The nature of the position is block someone 40 pounds heavier than you or outrun someone 40 pounds lighter than you,” Hooper said. “It’s a position that definitely takes some time but I definitely feel like I’ve gotten a lot better in terms of timing my routes and in terms of just stemming into certain routes, and finer details and points of route running. And in terms of line of scrimmage, I’ve honestly just grown into my body and just understanding leverage at a different level because some of the best athletes on the field are typically those guys on the edge. They present a good challenge week in and week out.”
The Browns also announced the signing of free agent linebacker B.J. Goodson after coming to terms on a one-year deal on Wednesday, the signing of tight end Austin Hooper, who agreed Monday to a deal along with right tackle Jack Conklin, and the acquisition of fullback Andy Janovich from Denver in exchange for a 2021 seventh-round pick on Friday.
