The Cleveland Browns had a little makeover this offseason. Quarterback Brian Hoyer left for Houston, wide receiver Josh Gordon got suspended, and Danny Shelton and Cameron Erving were drafted. That is to name just a few examples of the moves that will certainly have an impact on the Cleveland Browns in 2015.
But no position underwent as much change as the wide receivers.
Quarterbacks are widely regarded to be the most important players in the game – or even in all of sports. So it is too bad that quarterback is the position that the Browns have the biggest question mark on. With neither Johnny Manziel nor free-agent acquisition Josh McCown having proven that they can be full-time starters, head coach Mike Pettine wants to take the focus off of the position. One of the positions that needs to improve in order to take the focus off the quarterbacks is the wide receivers.
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As mentioned above, No. 1 wideout Gordon got suspended once again. This time around, it is for the entire 2015 season. Nobody knows if he can come back from that, or at least if we will ever see him in a Browns jersey again. Therefore, the general manager Ray Farmer and Pettine was forced to look elsewhere for improvements.
In free agency, elite players like Randall Cobb of the Green Bay Packers were dreamt of. However, Cobb re-signed with the Packers, and the Browns settled for veterans Dwayne Bowe from Kansas City and Brian Hartline from Miami. Surely not the sexiest signings, but ones that can have a positive impact on the Browns’ offense. Additionally, last season’s receivers, Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, and Travis Benjamin are still around, and Washington State’s Vince Mayle was selected in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, but he will be out until training camp due to upcoming thumb surgery.
Oct 26, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Andrew Hawkins (16) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
So who will get the starting jobs? The consensus No. 1 receiver seems to be the aging veteran Bowe, who has eight seasons with the Chiefs under his belt. Bowe has recorded 7,155 receiving yards and 44 touchdowns on 532 career receptions in his NFL career. The 1,000-yard-mark was hit three times during his tenure in Kansas City.
Behind that it gets a little trickier. While Hartline is the favorite for the No. 2 slot, Hawkins should not be left out of the conversation. Many people seem to think that size and speed are everything to succeed as a wide receiver. However, route running and the ability to make catches consistently are even more important – and Hawkins is arguably better than Hartline in that regard.
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As a result, we can expect to see a neck-and-neck race between the two. Hartline has slightly more experience, having played two more seasons, while Hawkins had the better 2014 campaign. Who will start as the season as the No. 2 receiver will therefore be decided in training camp. The “loser” of that competition will start in the slot, where Gabriel joins the conversation as well.
Gabriel had a solid rookie season in 2014 after being signed as an undrafted free agent. He made 36 receptions for 621 yards – an average of 17.3 yards per reception. After only starting two of the 16 games that he appeared in, Gabriel will be hoping to earn a starting spot this year. Since that is rather unlikely, expect him to rotate with Hartline or Hawkins as the slot-receiver.
“I’m not knocking what Travis (Benjamin) did because I do think the guy was productive for us and did a lot of really good things for us. The reality is I think he’ll be even better this year.”- General manager Ray Farmer
Behind Gabriel, you find Benjamin and Mayle on the depth chart. Both of them are hoping to earn a roster spot, but it is still questionable if either one of them will reach that goal. As of now, Benjamin, whose season was ended due to an injured knee, has the advantage over Mayle. That is mainly because Benjamin is one of the better kick returners in the NFL.
As per Farmer, the Cleveland Browns expect Benjamin to return “even better than this year,” especially as a returner. That sounds very much like they are wanting to keep him. However, Benjamin and Mayle really need to give everything they can in order to make the 53-man roster and not get cut. The two are on the roster bubble, and the most important thing for them this offseason will be to outplay one another. Furthermore, it remains to be seen how well Mayle can do with McCown and Manziel throwing him the ball.
With Gordon suspended and new veterans signed in free agency, the Cleveland Browns seem all set at wideout. However, as we all know, anything can happen in training camp. If the receiver corps has actually improved since last year, we can expect a decent season from the Cleveland Browns. If not, however, along with struggling quarterbacks … well, let’s not talk about it.
How do you feel about the group of wide receivers the Browns have assembled?