Mike Pettine: Dwayne Bowe hurt by his lack of versatility

Sep 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Dwayne Bowe (80) can

Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine tried to clear up why wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is not playing, but that still left one question unanswered.

With three games remaining in the 2015 NFL season, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe has turned into one of the stranger free agent signings in franchise history.

Bowe, as Browns fans know and are quick to point out, was signed to a two-year $12.5 million contract this past off-season with $9 million in guaranteed money after spending the first eight years of his professional career with the Kansas City Chiefs.

While no one was realistically expecting Bowe to put up the numbers he did with the Chiefs, where he averaged 66 receptions, 894 yards and almost six touchdowns a year, it was reasonable to expect more than what Bowe has given the Browns so far.

A healthy scratch for most of the season, Bowe has been active for just five games, totaling three receptions for 31 yards.

Heck, even Andre Rison, one of the worst free-agent signings in franchise history, at least caught 41 passes for 701 yards and three touchdowns in his one season with the Browns.

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On Wednesday, head coach Mike Pettine came as close as he has all season to explaining why Bowe can’t get on the field.

“There is frustration I am sure on both ends that it hasn’t worked out as we had hoped.” – Head coach Mike Pettine on Dwayne Bowe

Turns out, Bowe is limited by, well, his limitations.

“As I have said, each week is a separate story line, a separate set of circumstances that we evaluate. In more weeks than not, he was not in the group of receivers that we were going to have up,” Pettine said. “A big part of it is that he only plays the one spot, which is the X, (a position that) Travis Benjamin has occupied that spot and played at a high level for most of the year.

“Our other guys know multiple positions. Again, it is tough. I know he is frustrated that it hasn’t worked out. That is a week-to-week decision that we make. We hit the reset button and talk about who are the guys that we are going to have up and what spots they are going to play. Usually, it is multiple spots. Then I always use the phrase ‘we backfill’ from a special teams standpoint.”

That is a perfectly reasonable, football-related answer to why Bowe is not playing. After all, Benjamin is having a good year as he currently second on the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

There is one problem though.

Benjamin was on the team when the Browns signed Bowe. Everyone knew Bowe could only play the one position. So why did the Browns sign Bowe in the first place?

That is a question that still has no answer.

For what it is worth, Bowe says he is frustrated by the situation. (Although $9 million dollars probably helps him deal with the frustration.)

“It’s hard because I feel like I can contribute,” Bowe told cleveland.com. “If something’s not working, you might want to go to something else, but I’m a player, not a coach. I’m also a team player, so whatever they want to do, I’m all about that.’

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“When I got hurt (in training camp), it set me back as far as the coach getting to know what I can do and things like that. I just got so far behind in the playbook and they added most of the main content when I was out. When I was got back, they were so far ahead, and to go back for me would’ve set the whole offense back.”

With the Browns losing wide receivers seemingly almost every week – Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel to concussions, Brian Hartline to a broken collarbone, Darius Jennings to the waiver wire – it would seem that Bowe should be able to find his way onto the field, especially for a team that is 3-10 and playing for not much more than draft position.

To his credit, Bowe has not been a problem in the locker room this season and is do what he can to help the less-experienced receivers on the roster – something not every veteran is open to doing.

“I’m just keeping the guys motivated, just helping them stay positive,” said Bowe. “I just want to let everybody know it’s not the end of the world if you’re losing. You’re still building chemistry. You still have a job. There’s still a lot of positives to take out of this situation.’

“When it’s their turn to deal with adversity, hopefully they’ll remember to come to work with good energy and keep the guys around them together. You have to contribute in some type of positive way, or it will drive you crazy.”

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