Would the Browns consider bringing Taylor Gabriel back to town?

The Cleveland Browns could use help at wide receiver. If he hits free agency, would the team look to bring Taylor Gabriel “home” to Cleveland?

The Cleveland Browns are expected to add at least one, if not two, wide receivers during the offseason.

That search could lead the team to bring home one of its former players in Taylor Gabriel.

The Browns originally signed Gabriel as an undrafted free agent out of Abilene Christian in 2014. In two seasons in Cleveland, Gabriel caught 64 passes for 862 yards and a touchdown, while appearing in 29 games and making six starts.

Nice numbers, certainly, but the type of production that should have resulted in the outcry from certain corners of Browns Nation when the club released Taylor prior to the 2016 regular season.

Gabriel ended up following offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to the Atlanta Falcons, where he had a nice first season with the eventual NFC Champions. On the way to the Super Bowl, Gabriel had 35 receptions for 579 yards and six touchdowns (plus a rushing touchdown).

His production fell off this past season however, as he dealt with an offseason leg injury. Despite appearing in 16 games for the first time since his rookie season, Gabriel’s numbers fell across the board as he finished with 33 receptions for 378 yards and just one touchdown.

Now, according to ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, the Falcons may be ready to move on from Gabriel, who is looking at the possibility of hitting the open market as a positive:

"“The last time I was cut, but this time I’m a free agent, so I don’t know if I have a choice to, I guess, pick a team now. I’m really not sure how it’s all going to work. But I will say that I’m just grateful I was able to play with the Falcons and grateful to go to a Super Bowl.”"

So would the Browns be open to bringing Gabriel back to town?

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The Browns are set with their top two wide receivers — at least if they pick up a little bit of luck. They just need Corey Coleman to be available for a full 16 games, something that has not happened so far as he has missed parts of his first two seasons with a broken hand; and for Josh Gordon to stay on the field for a full season, something has not done since entering the league in 2012.

With Coleman and Gordon lining up on the outside, Gabriel could be an enticing option for the slot receiver role. Gabriel is also more productive than Terrelle Pryor, another former Browns wide receiver that people will link to the team in free agency.

So the Browns would likely be interesting in Gabriel. But would he be interested in them?

Gabriel’s best season came with Shanahan calling the plays in Atlanta in 2016. Shanahan is now with the San Francisco 49ers and is in need of playmakers for recently signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, so a reunion on the West Coast would seem more likely than one on the North Coast if Gabriel does hit the free agent market.

The Browns can counter Shanahan with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, however, who showed in Pittsburgh that he knows how to build an effective passing game.

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It may be a bit of a long shot, but if Gabriel does become a free agent, general manager John Dorsey could do a lot worse than to give Gabriel a call.