Cleveland Browns: Does a potential Dez Bryant signing move the needle?

The Cleveland Browns and free agent wide receiver Dez Bryant have shown mutual interest, but does a potential Bryant signing move the needle in a good or bad way for the Browns?

Free agent wide receiver Dez Bryant and the Cleveland Browns have been heavily linked over the past two weeks. The Browns have a noticeable need at wide receiver, and Bryant needs to find a new home before the regular season starts.

Bryant made his first visit with the Browns on Thursday, alongside his agent. The visit has carried over into Friday, and Bryant’s agent being in town could point to the two sides working on a deal and finishing it in the near future.

But would a potential Bryant signing move the needle for the Browns offense? Could his addition give the Browns’ passing offense the chance to be one of the elite offenses in the league? Or would Bryant bring his diva-like mentality that he showed in Dallas and negatively effect the Browns’ locker room and young talent?

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For the most part, a Bryant signing would not move the needle in either way for the Browns. When Bryant’s name is brought up, the casual NFL fan will think of him as the superstar talent that he was between 2012 and 2014. But he has not been that player ever since.

Injuries have slowed Bryant down and he is not an elite route-runner. Over the past few seasons, Bryant has not made the big plays that he was accustomed to making in 2014. Adding the 2018 version of Bryant is not going to take an offense to the next level.

Add in the fact that Bryant has been known to become upset with his lack of targets and not having a large role on the offense, his attitude may negatively impact the younger players in the locker room. The Browns would want a veteran to come in and help groom the younger receivers. Look at Todd Haley telling Jarvis Landry to basically be a mentor for rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway.

But even though Bryant is on the downside of his career, Browns general manager John Dorsey was adamant on bringing him in for a visit. That is because Dorsey wants to see what kind of mentality Bryant would have coming to Cleveland.

With Landry, David Njoku, Duke Johnson, and maybe Josh Gordon, Bryant is not going to be asked to be a number one receiver. The Browns will want him to be a solid contributor, not relying on him being a game-changing receiver. Bryant is used to being the go-to receiver, and will need to prove that he is willing to take on smaller role.

But if Bryant were to take on a smaller role, he could still show glimpses of the receiver he used to be. Even in a down-year for Bryant in 2017, Bryant still had the ability to make some good plays, and did so on multiple occasions. He may not be a game-changer, but he can still make plays that will make people flashback to what he did four years ago.

If Bryant is open to a smaller role than he is accustomed to, he might be worth the risk. If he does sign a deal with the Browns, it would likely only be a one-year deal. Bryant will have a chip on his shoulder and is going to want to prove a lot of people wrong. And he will also hope that a good 2018 season will help him cash in on a multi-year contract next off-season.

With how much Bryant would have on the line this upcoming season, he may not openly complain about the amount targets he is getting. If he can accept a smaller role and give occasional help to the young receivers, he will not negatively impact the team that many would assume that he would.

But Bryant is not going to make the Browns offense a powerhouse if he were to sign. He is still a good red-zone receiver and is a big-body that quarterbacks can target. His addition would give the Browns another big target that can sometimes make a big play. But it’s not like the Browns are adding the All-Pro version of Bryant. Bryant alone will not make the Browns an elite offense.

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With the amount of discussion that Bryant’s potential addition has created, it creates the question of how much does Bryant move the needle for the Browns offense. But with all things considered, a potential Bryant addition really would not move the needle much for the Browns, either in a good way or a bad way.

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