The Cleveland Browns continued the rebuilding process by releasing veteran receiver Brian Hartline.
The Cleveland Browns terminated the contract of Brian Hartline Monday afternoon. Hartline was one of only a handful of veteran receivers on this team following the draft. When a team drafts four wide receivers, someone is bound to be on the bubble or simply on the way out the door. The Browns cut the one receiver that made logical sense to cut. But was Hartline’s production last season enough for him to get a look by another team?
The Browns wide receiver room is mainly stocked with rookies. The rookies drafted were of different shapes, sizes, speed and route running ability. A professional wide receiving group requires a multiplicity of skill sets handling a variety of responsibilities. One of the mistakes the Browns have made in the past is getting the same type of receiver. Have the Browns done enough to solidify all their receiver needs? This is a burning question now that Hartline has departed.
The Browns new front office has made some bold moves this offseason. Most of the headlines have gone to whom the Browns have let go instead of who they have kept and brought in. The Browns have strategically drafted multiple wide receivers. By cutting Hartline, the new front office has gone “All In” with the rebuilding project. The 2016 Browns may have their bumps and bruises, but it will be fun to watch these kids play.
Next: Cutting Hartline and the cap
Brian Hartline is a 29-year old veteran with seven years experience in the NFL. He signed a two-year $6 million contract in 2015. Of that $6 million, there was a $1.5 million prorated bonus. That bonus money will count against the cap this season to the tune of $750,000 in dead money. However, by cutting Hartline before June 1 of this year, the Browns saved themselves $3 million in cap room.
Hartline played in twelve games last season. In those games he caught 46 passes for 523 yards. He struggled early in the year, but he finally found his niche when he was used as a slot receiver. He was a reliable target for Browns quarterbacks, especially on third downs. At this point in his career, Brian Hartline is essentially a possession receiver and veteran presence in the locker room.
Sadly, Hartline is a victim of age and cost versus projected production. The question an analytics-based regime would ask is: Is a 29-year old receiver who played12 games, caught 46 passes for 523 yards and two touchdowns worth $3.75 million in 2016? Could the Browns get that same production out of a recently drafted (and cheaper) rookie? With the Browns getting younger this season, it does not make much sense to keep an “expensive” veteran in the midst of a youth movement.
Next: Hartline's chances elsewhere
The Browns may have helped Hartline by cutting him during OTA’s. The timing of the move gives him a chance to latch on to another team. Had the Browns waited until the middle of training camp, Hartline would have had a much more difficult time finding work in the NFL. It made sense for the Browns to keep Hartline until now given the unsettled situation at wide receiver, which was addressed multiple times in the 2016 Draft.
Hartline did not fit the Browns plans moving forward. The role of the number three receiver on the roster is that of a possession, route running, slot receiver. Hartline fits the bill. However, Andrew Hawkins is a better fit for that role. Hawkins’ $1 million cap hit makes him a better option in the slot. The number four receiver spot is reserved for a developmental player who can play special teams. This is not Brian Hartline.
Brian Hartline is a serviceable number three wide receiver in the NFL. He does not have the speed or size to play as a team’s number one option. He is a great route runner and can get separation. However, he failed to live up the number two role he played last season with the Browns. By putting Hartline in the slot, the Browns may have increased his value. If a team is willing to pick him up for the veteran minimum with a plan for using him effectively out of the slot, then Hartline is a great addition.
Next: Putting faith in the rookies
Not only does the decision to cut Hartline make sense from an analytic perspective, it also makes sense from a football perspective. The Browns are rebuilding, rebooting, re-whatever-you-want-to-call-it next season.
The Browns identified wide receiver as a position of need. With all the draft capital spent on receivers, it only makes sense that the Browns would want their investment on the field. Cutting Hartline puts the Browns in position to sink or swim this fall with draftees Cory Coleman, Ricardo Louis, Jordan Payton, and Rashard Higgins. But did the Browns draft the wide receivers to fit all the wide receiver roles?
Corey Coleman was drafted to be the number one receiver on the team. The number one receiver is the team’s playmaker and deep threat. Ideally, the number one wide receiver requires a team to game plan for him, which helps the run game. Coleman fits that description. In college, Coleman was the Biletnikoff winner and a unanimous All-American. His professional comparison has been Steve Smith. Coleman plays with a style that is similar to Smith. At 5-foot-11 he is two inches taller than his comparison. If Coleman plays similar to Smith, the Browns will have placed a safe bet.
The Browns are also all-in with Jordan Payton and Rashard Higgins. At 6-foot-1 and 216 pounds, Payton is built like a number two and possession receiver. His physical style and skills with the ball in the air make him an ideal number two receiver.
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Rashard Higgins was taken in the fifth round and is by far the wild card of the group. His stock fell over lack of ideal measurables at the scouting combine. He comes to the Browns as an accomplished college receiver who played in a pro-style offense. He also runs the best routes of all the draftees. Look for Higgins to compete for the number two position. If not, he is a keeper as the number four developmental receiver.
Ricardo Louis fits the mold of a number two receiver with the potential to be a number one. His measurables are great. His speed led him to be drafted before Payton and Higgins, and his difficulties catching the ball make him a developmental project. He is a clear fourth or fifth receiver on the team and will need to be a special teams contributor to make the team.
These four, combined with veterans Andrew Hawkins,Terrelle Pryor and Taylor Gabriel, have the makings of a complete wide receiver group. By going “all in” with the rookies, Brian Hartline became expendable.
Next: A fun team to watch in 2016
The Browns are clearly committed to the rebuilding project under Sashi Brown, Paul DePodesta and Hue Jackson. With all that has gone poorly for the Browns since 1999, it is nice to see the Browns take a completely different approach. The analytics approach has worked in baseball and basketball. It is time to find out if an analytic approach to organizational structure and team building will be successful in the NFL.
The first year under this rebuilding project will be fun to watch. Gone are “expensive” veterans and entrenched stars. In their place are fresh new faces from college who have something to prove. The Browns may or may not be very good next year. Regardless, it will not be a team that is unsure of assignments. This will not be a selfish team concerned only about the next paycheck (not saying past teams were).
Instead, this team will be hungry to prove themselves. They have a coach who is motivated to prove that the Browns made the right choice by bringing him to Cleveland. They have an Executive VP of Football Operations looking to prove he does in fact know what he is doing.
Next: Browns drafted character with Shon Coleman
It may not look pretty all the time, but this team will be all in on winning. The wide receiver group is at the forefront of the Browns commitment not only to their analytic approach but also to bringing a winner to Cleveland. The Browns are “all in”.