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August 4, 2015Photos: Graham Rahal’s Ohio State-themed IndyCar helmet
August 4, 2015Training camp is in full swing with Browns getting closer and closer to taking the field for their first preseason game. Over the last several weeks, I have looked at most of the positions of the 2015 Cleveland Browns. I previewed every group on the defense and looked at the offensive line, running backs, and tight ends and fullbacks. We are closing out the preview series with the most talked about positions on the team, wide receiver and quarterback. So today, let’s take a look at the wide receiver group of the Cleveland Browns.
2015 Browns Position Previews: Safeties | Cornerbacks | Inside Linebackers | Outside Linebackers | Defensive Line | Tight Ends/Fullbacks | Running Backs | Offensive Line | Wide Receivers
Wide Receivers
Additions
Dwayne Bowe (Free Agency – Kansas City Chiefs)
Brian Hartline (Free Agency – Miami Dolphins)
Darius Jennings (UDFA – Virginia)
Josh Lenz (Free Agency – Indianapolis Colts)
Vince Mayle (Draft – Fourth Round from Washington State)
Terrelle Pryor (Waivers – Cincinnati Bengals)
Shane Wynn (UDFA – Indiana)
Subtractions
Miles Austin (Free Agency- Philadelphia Eagles)
Phil Bates (Waived- Unsigned)
Josh Gordon (Season Long Suspension)
The Starters: Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline, and Andrew Hawkins
The Browns will see some new faces on the outside starting at wide receiver this coming season. After an offseason in which the team saw two of their starting receivers either leave via free agency (Miles Austin) or get suspended (Josh Gordon), the team needed to add some receiving threats to the depleted corps. The Browns did just that by adding Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline this offseason. In my opinion, these two players will be thrust into the starting lineup alongside slot receiver Andrew Hawkins. Last season, Pro Football Focus graded Dwayne Bowe’s season with the Kansas City Chiefs with a plus-0.6 grade, Brian Hartline’s season with the Miami Dolphins with a minus-9.5, and Andrew Hawkins’ season with the Browns with a plus-11.5. The top grade given out by Pro Football Focus to any wide receiver last season was a positive 23.4 grade to Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown.
Dwayne Bowe will have a huge part in deciding whether the Browns offense has success this coming season, most likely filling in as the number one outside receiver. Last season with Kansas City, he played in 15 games, catching 60 passes for 754 yards, but no touchdowns. The Browns will be hoping that the change of scenery, and more importantly scheme, will give Bowe’s career a little boost so he can get back to his former Pro Bowl level.1 Bowe is a big target with the size to be a mismatch in the Browns passing game, and the team will look to him to be a big-play receiver downfield. Bowe’s biggest weaknesses are his hands and concentration, as he dropped seven passes last year. The Browns are hopeful that Bowe can recapture some of the production he had in his Pro Bowl level seasons.
Brian Hartline was an underrated addition to the Browns receiving unit. Last season in 16 games with the Miami Dolphins, he caught 39 passes for 474 yards and two touchdowns. Prior to last season, Hartline had two straight seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards. Hartline is a quick receiver with reliable hands. Just like Bowe, the Browns will hope they can recapture the form of Hartline’s previous seasons prior to last season’s disappointing output. But, the Browns should expect to get experience and reliability from Hartline on the outside as the second or third option from the former Ohio State Buckeye.
Andrew Hawkins was the Browns best receiver last season. In 15 games, he caught 63 passes for 824 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in receptions and receiving yards. Hawkins is best suited as the slot receiver, utilizing his speed and excellent change of direction ability. He adds playmaking and can cause damage after the catch. Along with his quickness, Hawkins has sure hands to make the tough catch in traffic and is a reliable target for the quarterback. While he plays most often in the slot, last season’s injuries forced him outside. With Bowe and Hartline, the Browns can hopefully keep Hawkins inside at his bread and butter position.
I believe the Browns starting wide receiver group is improved from last season. You might think that that is crazy to say with the loss of Josh Gordon, but last season the Browns hardly even had his production. The new additions, Bowe and Hartline, are both more talented and healthier than Miles Austin. These two can at least solidify the starting lineup, which was a major problem last season. The group, though, lacks a true number one threat and not one of these three receivers forces defenses to change their gameplan. It is a solid group, but one that will need to produce as a group because of their lack of a true top receiver.
Contributing Wide Receivers: Taylor Gabriel, Travis Benjamin, and Terrelle Pryor
The Browns will need a group of receivers to contribute alongside the starters because of their lack of a true number one receiver. The team would love to find another Taylor Gabriel — someone who became a contributor that nobody expected. The group of Gabriel, Travis Benjamin, and Terrelle Pryor will compete to be the next man up behind the starters. Last season, Pro Football Focus graded Taylor Gabriel with a plus-6.9 grade and Travis Benjamin with a minus-0.7 grade.
Taylor Gabriel could be the breakout player of the wide receiver group. Last season in his rookie year, he played in 16 games, catching 36 passes for 621 yards and one touchdown. He is a speed receiver who can make big plays downfield, showing multiple times last year that he can get open for big gains. Gabriel has good quickness and makes it difficult for defenders to line him up and tackle him. He should be a major contributor this season, even possibly breaking into the starting lineup if he produces. His development this season will be interesting to watch.
Travis Benjamin had one of the more confusing seasons last year of all the Browns players. In 16 games in 2014, he caught 18 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns, while also returning 15 punts for 127 return yards and 12 kickoffs for 246 return yards. Benjamin’s niche in the NFL was as a dangerous return man, but last year he really struggled, fumbling on multiple occasions as a returner. As a receiver, he started the season hot, scoring all three touchdowns in the first four games of the year. Benjamin is a speedster with explosion to take any play for a big gain. His consistency and returning ability will make or break his status with the Browns this season.
Terrelle Pryor is the most talked about and interesting Browns player in training camp this season. Pryor is making the switch from quarterback to wide receiver, after playing his first four seasons of his career at the quarterback spot. Pryor is a physical freak, running as fast as anyone else on the field while towering over his teammates at 6-foot-4. He is a great athlete but a really raw receiver, just learning the position this offseason. His success will be based on how well and fast he can develop as a receiver. But, I believe his athleticism and size are too good to let go, making me think that he will make the team as a wideout.
The Browns seem to be growing some solid young depth at the wide receiver position, in particular Taylor Gabriel. The youth could make or break this unit because the team will need their backups to produce without a true stud receiver on the roster. I think the Browns will be pleasantly surprised by the play of their backup pass catchers, especially with the intrigue of Pryor. It will be all about development with these young backups.
Strictly Special Team Contributors: Vince Mayle and Marlon Moore
The Browns will likely have one receiver who is strictly a special teams contributor, but they will have two players vying for that spot. Vince Mayle and Marlon Moore will both compete to make the roster, likely only playing on special teams if they make it. These two could be fighting for the last spot on the entire roster.
Vince Mayle was the Browns fourth round pick of the 2015 NFL Draft after playing his college ball at Washington State. Last season as a senior, he caught 106 passes for 1,483 yards and nine touchdowns. Mayle is a big receiver at 6-foot-2, but is at his best after the catch. He is a tough player to tackle with good agility along with strength to break through tackles. Mayle will have a tough time cracking the lineup with the numerous players in front of him, but he could see some time if he can produce on special teams and perform well during the preseason.
Marlon Moore does not give much value on offense, but he is an excellent special teams player. Last season, he was the gunner on both kickoff and punt coverage, while also seeing time as the kick returner last year. Pro Football Focus graded his performance on special teams, which included nine tackles, with a plus-1.8 grade. His making the squad could be a tall task because of his lack of production on offense.
Other Wide Receivers on Roster: Kevin Cone, Darius Jennings, Josh Lenz, Rodney Smith, and Shane Wynn
Making the Browns receiver unit will be tough for these five pass catchers given the number of players ahead of them. The team is likely taking seven receivers at the most, so that leaves these guys out of the running unless they really impress during the preseason. These five are young players who will need to showcase their skills loudly to get noticed by the coaching staff. It is highly unlikely that any one of these players will make the team this season.
Biggest Strength: Speed and Athleticism
The Browns biggest strength of the wide receiver group is its overall speed. The unit has three agile speedsters in Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel, and Travis Benjamin, all of whom are among the fastest players on the entire roster. But not only are they fast, they are also quick and able to change direction on a dime. Besides these three, the Browns have big, strong athletes in Terrelle Pryor, Vince Mayle, Dwayne Bowe, and Brian Hartline. They may not be burners, but with the combination of size and speed they possess, these guys are not too shabby. The Browns 2015 receiving group will be a unit of very good athletes, which could translate to playmaking ability.
Biggest Weakness: True Number One Receiver
The Browns biggest weakness at the wide receiver unit is the lack of a true number one receiver to rely on. With the loss of Josh Gordon to suspension, the Browns lose their number one receiver, leaving a hole to fill. The position has good depth with plenty of options, but it lacks a player who puts fear in the minds of defenses like Gordon did. There doesn’t look to be any player in line to become the team’s go-to receiver this season, relying more on winning with numbers rather than superstar talent.
Biggest Position Battles: Terrelle Pryor vs. Travis Benjamin vs. Vince Mayle vs. Marlon Moore
The Browns will likely keep no more than seven receivers on the active roster, so the quartet of Pryor, Benjamin, Mayle, and Moore will most likely fight for the last three spots on the depth chart. With the way Pryor has performed early in camp, along with his rare athleticism and size, I think he will make the squad. I also believe Travis Benjamin will make the roster because of his returning ability and his elite speed he brings to the unit. The true battle for the last spot could go down to Vince Mayle and Marlon Moore. Both are guys who can contribute on special teams, so it could come down to how they can contribute on offense. If all is square, though, the tie will most likely go to the rookie, Mayle.
Grade: C+
I am higher on the Browns receiving corps this season than most people seem to be. The veteran experience of Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline will give the group steady leadership group at the top, along with the returning Andrew Hawkins. The group played better than you would think last season, especially since it did not have great quarterbacking. It possesses a number of quick speedsters who can make plays downfield. The real intrigue will be watching Taylor Gabriel develop and seeing what Terrelle Pryor can be as a receiver. The biggest weakness of the group is their lack of a go-to guy as the number one receiver. This will make the unit have to play as a team and not rely on just one player to make plays. The Browns wide receivers should form a solid group this coming season.
All stats (unless noted otherwise) are from ESPN.com
- Bowe made the Pro Bowl in 2010. [↩]
5 Comments
Nice analysis, although I wouldn’t list Mayle behind Pryor. Presumably Mayle already has experience releasing past a decent corner and getting quickly into his route. Pryor’s never done that on any level and if he can’t he’s Carlton Mitchell.
The biggest prob I see is the lack of a deep threat to draw the safeties away. That tightens the field for the slot guys and the TE. On the other hand maybe either Bowe or Hartline will surprise us and loosen things up enough to let a mediocre QB move the ball a little.
Looking at this group makes the inability of #12 to be able to keep his act together an even bigger shame. Gordon would be an absolute perfect fit and elevate this group to probably at least a “B” but it won’t happen (for at least a year).
No one’s counting on Josh Gordon walking in that door and peeing clean into that cup. And if he was here I doubt they would have signed Hartline or Bowe. Gordon and the smurfs running precise routes underneath would have been more than sufficient.
Absolutely on not counting on Gordon but had he still been playing I think the WR corps needed improvement. Hartline would have probably been sufficient though.
The question mark I have on Benjamin is this: last season was his first back from an ACL tear, and the conventional wisdom is that it takes two years to get back to 100%. Does that mean that this season he might again be the dangerous return man we saw change games early in 2013 (think: Thursday night Buffalo at home)?