Can Shane Wynn find a spot on the Browns final roster?
By Thomas Moore
Aug 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Shane Wynn (5) celebrates with teammates after catching a pass for a touchdown during the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
In mid-June the Cleveland Browns were awarded Shane Wynn off of waivers, a move that created little buzz around the NFL.
But since that time the 5-foot-6, 167-pound Wynn has done his best to make the Browns and the rest of the league take notice.
It started early in training camp with Wynn making plays that caught the attention of head coach Mike Pettine.
“He’s a guy that I think, for obvious reasons, gets overlooked just because of his stature and all he does is come out here and work and look to make plays,” Pettine said back on Aug. 6. He’s done a nice job because we brought him in late so he was a little bit behind as far as learning the system. Credit to him, he was able to pick it up quick, he knows what to do. When he gets a chance to make a play he makes it.”
“I take every opportunity seriously. I’m just going to go out and practice and work hard as I’ve been doing.” – Wide receiver Shane Wynn
Wynn got his chance Thursday night against Buffalo and, just like Pettine said, he made a pair of highlight plays.
The first came on his 21-yard touchdown reception from backup quarterback Johnny Manziel in the fourth quarter. A few moments later Wynn was at it again, returning a punt 57 yards. The return was nullified by a penalty but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Wynn flashed NFL-type speed on the return.
Even if Wynn’s performance came against Buffalo’s second- and third-team players, it was easy to see how Wynn finished his college career at Indiana tied for second in catches (189), seventh in receiving yards (2,189) and third in receiving touchdowns (20) in school history. He also is ranked third in kickoff return yards (1,854), fourth in all-purpose yards (4,429) and tied for eighth in total touchdowns (25).
The best part about Wynn is that, unlike some higher-profile players on the team, he is taking advantage of his opportunities and doing everything he can to make it tough on the coaches when it comes time to start trimming the roster. (And while talent should always trump geography, the fact that Wynn is a hometown player is not a bad storyline.)
“I take every opportunity seriously,” Wynn said after the Buffalo game. “I don’t see any leeway in trying to make the team or anything like that. I’m just going to go out and practice and work hard as I’ve been doing.”
So, back to the question we raised in the headline: can Wynn do enough to earn a spot on the Browns final 53-man roster? Maybe, but it isn’t going to be easy.
The Browns kept five wide receivers last season and even if they decide to go with six this year, Wynn could still find himself on the outside looking in.
Even though he has yet to play in the preseason, you have to figure that Dwayne Bowe will make the team. The Browns would take a $4.5 million cap hit and have $9.1 million in dead cap space if they were to release Bowe. So he’s on the team.
Andrew Hawkins and Brian Hartline are also locks to make the team, and as much as the club has talked about Taylor Gabriel during the preseason, he’s on board as well.
This is where it starts to get tricky as there are likely three other players, along with Wynn, fighting for what may be just one roster spot.
Let’s scratch Terrelle Pryor off the list since, as general manager Ray Farmer said this week, “you can’t make the club if you are in the tub.” Pryor can’t get on the field because of hamstring issues, and so little time left to show something that it would be irresponsible for the Browns to hand him a roster spot.
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Then there’s Vince Mayle, the club’s fourth-round selection in this year’s draft. Even though Mayle hasn’t really stood out so far, he was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection and Biletnikoff Award semifinalist last season with Washington State, where he had a school-record 106 receptions (good for fourth in the nation) and 1,483 receiving yards (fifth best in the nation), including a pair of games with more than 250 receiving yards.
If the Browns were going to pick between Pryor and Mayle, why would they not go with the player who actually is a wide receiver?
Which brings us to Travis Benjamin, who is looking to be fully recovered from his season-ending knee injury in 2013 and, in addition to his role as a wide receiver, is also the Browns primary punt returner.
The fact that Benjamin duplicates what Wynn brings to the field could be the determining factor when it comes down the final decision of who stays and who goes.
Pettine is building the Browns through competition and putting players on the field based on performance, not draft status.
It remains to be seen if Wynn has performed enough to earn a spot with his hometown team come the fall.
Do you think Shane Wynn can show the Browns enough to earn a roster spot?