Al Saunders: Cleveland Browns WRs are exciting

The Cleveland Browns have reworked their wide receivers into a position group that, according to coach Al Saunders, has the potential to be pretty exciting.

The Cleveland Browns have worked hard to improve an offense that struggled in 2015 whenever Josh McCown was not at quarterback.

No where has more work been done than at wide receiver, where the Browns selected four players in the 2016 NFL Draft, welcomed back Josh Gordon (or will once he serves his four-game suspension as part of his conditional reinstatement), and have seen notable progress from Terrelle Pryor.

Add it all up and for the first time since 2007, the Browns may have a group of pass catchers that opposing defense actually feel nervous about.

“Working with those guys and the effort and energy they’ve put forward ever since OTAs, the hard work they’re doing on the field, watching every one of those guys improve in their technique and skill, it’s a wonderful group,” position coach Al Saunders said on Tuesday. “Our meeting room is just phenomenal. They’ve all developed great bonds with each other. They help each other. They enjoy working with each other. You can’t teach experience, but what you can teach is fundamentals and techniques and learn how to learn and effort and all those things.

“I think if you took our roster and looked at every single receiver we have, in my opinion, every one of those guys has the capability of playing in the NFL.” – Wide receivers coach Al Saunders

“We always tell them, there are four things you have to do – you have to know what to do, you have to know how to do it, you have to do it with energy and enthusiasm and you have to do it all the time. Your assignment, your technique, your effort, and your consistency determine your value.”

With much of the focus during the opening days of training camp on first-round pick Corey Coleman and Pryor, that has allowed rookies Rashard Higgins, Jordan Payton and Ricardo Louis to go about the work of learning to play at the NFL level.

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“I’ve been learning from Andrew Hawkins and Marlon Moore, just the older guys that have been in the room, not only in the film studies but when we’re out here practicing, as well,” Higgins said. “Those guys are always finishing on their blocks, just doing the small things that have kept them in the league so long. That’s what I’m trying to learn from and hopefully pick up the things that they can teach me.”

Even though they are competing against each other for a limited number of roster spots, the rookies are doing what they can to help each other.

“It’s great energy, honestly. It kind of brings you back to going into college. In college, you always have 12, 13 receivers on the depth chart so it’s healthy. We all help each other,” Payton said. “We’re all there for each other. Every day we’re competing, but at the end, it’s making everyone better. As long as you buy into competing and into making yourself better, which is going to make the man next to you better, everything is good.”

It is that competition that is going to make the receivers and, by extension the Browns, a better team.

“Quite honestly, I think if you took our roster and looked at every single receiver we have, in my opinion, every one of those guys has the capability of playing in the National Football League,” Saunders said. “Now some qualities and some needs from other teams and from our team will differ, but I think they all have the physical skills to be able. If somebody develops those guys and gives them the opportunity to play, I think every one of those guys in that group have the opportunity to play in the National Football League.”

Next: Competition at RT a plus for Browns

The competition will move to a new level starting this Friday when the Browns face the Green Bay Packers in their opening preseason friendly.

No matter what happens over the next few weeks, in the words of Saunders it should be pretty exciting for Browns fans.

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