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January 29, 2015Josh Gordon: I’m not an addict
January 29, 2015Over the last few weeks, I have been reviewing and discussing the performance of the 2014 Cleveland Browns position by position. It was a tough season for the Cleveland Browns, falling in five straight games to end the season at 7-9. The team showed some glimpses of promise and some other areas of concern. So lets get to the next position!
The Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver position improved over the past few seasons, but it still lacks the playmakers who can change the game. This past offseason, the Browns added Andrew Hawkins, Miles Austin, and Marlon Moore in free agency. They also added Taylor Gabriel as an undrafted free agent after last year’s NFL Draft. The receivers as a group had 188 receptions for 2,630 yards and eight touchdowns. The receiving group averaged just 13.9 yards per reception. It is a group with a lot of good receivers, but without a reliable number one receiver. This position will be a point of emphasis to address for the Browns this offseason.
So let’s go through the players who made up the 2014 Cleveland Browns’ wide receiver unit.
Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon’s 2014 NFL season was a complete disaster for the Browns. Because of the drug suspension, he only played in five games, catching 24 passes for 303 yards. ProFootballFocus gave him a +2.1 overall grade for his five games. His first two games from suspension were pretty good, notching 15 receptions for 195 yards. But from week 14 on, Gordon disappeared and ended up getting suspended in the final week of the season because he missed the team’s walkthrough. He is a big receiver with great athleticism for a player his size. He could be the most talented receiver in the entire NFL, but wastes his talent because of many suspensions and character problems. Gordon is the team’s number one receiver, but he is never available to really be the reliable player for the Browns.
Gordon will most likely be suspended for the entire season next year due to another reported failed drug test, this time for alcohol. His future in the NFL is up in the air let alone his future with the Browns. He is a player the Browns can not trust and are not relying on to be on their team in the future.
2014 Grade: F
2015 Outlook: Suspended for Season
Andrew Hawkins
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Andrew Hawkins was the team’s most reliable and best receiver this season. In 15 games last year, he had 63 receptions for 825 yards and two touchdowns. He led the team in receptions and receiving yards this season. ProFootballFocus gave him the highest overall grade of all the receivers with a +11.5 grade. He is a quick receiver with good hands, only dropping four passes all season. He is a player with the ability to make plays after the catch, compiling 404 yards after the catch this year. He runs pretty good routes and plays tough for a smaller receiver. Hawkins is probably better suited as the slot receiver, but was forced to play outside because of the lack of depth and talent in the receiver group. His skill set is a great fit in the middle of the field because of his ability to make tough receptions and run after the catch.
Hawkins will be in line to be one of the Browns’ starting wide receivers next season. He is a valuable player for the offense and the best receiver on the team currently. I am hoping the Browns can find receivers to allow Hawkins to move inside to slot receiver, so he can show off his true skillset.
2014 Grade: A
2015 Outlook: Starting Wide Receiver; Major Contributor
Miles Austin
Miles Austin was a very solid pickup for the Browns last offseason. In 12 games this past year, he had 47 receptions for 568 yards and two touchdowns. ProFootballFocus graded his season with +1.1 overall grade. He started as one of the outside receivers in all 12 games. For a player who had missed a lot of time over the last few years, Austin was pretty reliable before suffering yet another injury that ended his season early. He made a lot of big catches late in games to get first big first downs for the offense. He runs very good routes, making him a reliable target for the quarterback. He does not have the same speed nor athleticism he had earlier in his career, so he is pretty much just a possession receiver at this point in his career.
Austin is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. His future with the Browns will be determined on who the Browns add to the receiver unit this offseason. I believe the Browns will look to go the younger route and probably let Austin go in free agency.
2014 Grade: B-
2015 Outlook: UFA; Unlikely to Return
Taylor Gabriel
Taylor Gabriel was one of the young bright spots on an offense that fell apart last season. The undrafted free agent played in all 16 games, notching 38 receptions for 633 yards and one touchdown. ProFootballFocus gave him the second highest grade of all the Browns receivers (+6.9). He is a smaller receiver with the ability to make big plays because of his quickness and route running. His route running along with his quickness helps him get separation, opening a window for the quarterback. He is pretty similar to Hawkins in that he is best after the catch. He had 289 yards after the catch this season for the Browns. He has solid hands, only dropping four passes all season. Gabriel is definitely a young player the Browns can build with on the offense.
Gabriel will most likely come into next season as a third or fourth receiver for the Browns. He should get more playing time because of his production he showed this past season. I am very high on him having an expanded role next season.
2014 Grade: A-
2015 Outlook: Third or Fourth Receiver; Big Contributor
Travis Benjamin
Travis Benjamin showed glimpses of improvement on offense, but struggled in his kick and punt returning duties. In 16 games, he had 18 receptions for 314 yards and three touchdowns. He had 15 punt returns for 130 yards (8.7 yards/return) and 12 kick returns for 246 yards (20.5 yards/return). ProFootballFocus gave him a -0.7 overall grade for his performance last season. He is a player with blazing speed to make big plays for the offense. Early in the year, he was having his best season of his career, but he ended it with a big drop-off. Benjamin struggled for much of the season in the return game because of an early season fumble problem. He lost his confidence and never really regained his form of previous years.
Benjamin will come into next season as the punt returner and a backup receiver. He has the talent to be a big playmaker for the offense because of his speed. He can be the playmaker in the return game if he can return to his previous form as a very good punt returner.
2014 Grade: C-
2015 Outlook: Starting Punt Returner; Backup Receiver; Big Play Contributor
Marlon Moore
Marlon Moore really emerged as an excellent special teams player for the Browns. In 13 games, he had nine tackles on punt and kickoff coverage, while also returning 13 kickoffs for 322 yards (24.8 yards per return). ProFootballFocus gave him an overall special teams grade of +2.2. He has speed and toughness to get down the field very quickly and make a play in special teams coverage. He has the mentality to play on special teams and energize the team with a big tackle.
Moore is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He is a valuable special teams player, so he has value even though he did not produce on offense. His chance of returning for the Browns next season is 50/50.
2014 Grade: C
2015 Outlook: UFA; 50/50 Chance of Returning
Other Running Backs on the roster with too little playing time: Rodney Smith, Kevin Cone, and Phil Bates
Overview and Outlook to 2015
The wide receiver unit has a couple of good young receivers in Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel, but it lacks a true number one receiver and overall depth. Josh Gordon was set to be the Browns number one receiver, but he is no longer in the plans for the Browns because of another suspension. Travis Benjamin is not a receiver you can rely on for a lot of plays, just here and there in gadget or big play situations. So beyond just looking for a number one receiver, the Browns must add talented depth to this group.
One of biggest things the receiver group lacks is size. In finding receivers this offseason, the team needs to look for some bigger pass catchers to give the unit more versatility. There is no real redzone threat amongst the Browns’ receivers. Adding a bigger player will allow the team to move Hawkins and Gabriel inside to their best position as a slot receiver. The addition of at least two other receivers can help make the players already on the roster better.
The Browns will probably look to add their receivers in both free agency and the draft. There will be a lot of options in free agency to fill this need. Randall Cobb of the Green Bay Packers, Jeremy Maclin of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Cecil Shorts of the Jacksonville Jaguars are some free agent receivers available. In the draft, Kevin White of West Virginia, DeVante Parker of Louisville, and Jaelen Strong of Arizona State are three options to fit the role of a receiver with size for the Browns. I believe the Browns will at least add one receiver in both free agency and the draft. The Browns’ receiver group will be a position that will most likely change a lot over the offseason.
All individual player stats and team stats have come from ProFootballFocus.com.
11 Comments
Hey, where’s SAMMY’s review?
Ummm, oh yeah, I forgot… :/
Forget Sammy how about Odell?
This group needs work…I’m hoping Farmer learned his lesson last year and we see one of those two first round picks used on a WR. #12 or #19 is not to early for a legitimate WR.
https://gifslair.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/frozen-samme-mejias-6.gif
or another song from that movie 😉
the WR class is not nearly as good as last year’s WR class though.
outside Cooper and Parker (who both might be gone by 12), I’m not sure there’s a 1st round worthy WR this year.
plus, I’m still hoping Danny Shelton drops to 12.
it’ll be interesting to see if we try to grab another veteran fill-in guy for the outside (like we did with Miles) or if we truly try to go with youth. of course, it’d be ideal to get both with one of the better UFA’s, but it seems unlikely.
then again, Joker was Cobb’s college coach.
Guessing that Shanahan’s pet receivers coach, who teaches the precision routes Shanahan favors, had something to do with Gabriel contributing so much and Benjamin’s improvement. The players would benefit from coaching consistency.
I agree with most of these grades except maybe Benjamin, as I would separate his issues on ST from WR performance. He was actually running much better routes this year and made some nifty catches, particularly the back of end zone TD catch. Aw, hell, what am I arguing about – I’d probably give him a C+. Close enough.
Parker is who I was thinking at 12.
I pray to god that the Browns don’t use EITHER 1st round pick on a WR. We need at least 1, but we need a NT more and that pesky QB question is still out there. Oh yea, and TE. We can get a good WR in the second round.
The Browns need help on both lines but I’m addressing those needs via free agency. It’s to soon I haven’t looked into potential draft picks but I may be wrong but I don’t think there are a lot of STUD DL especially DT in this draft.
You wouldn’t draft a WR in the first round but you’d draft another TE? No way. If this is the case spend some money and bring back Cameron. I would never draft a TE in the first round unless I had my other skill positions on offense namely WR locked up. Besides this name the last TE the Browns have used effectively? Ozzie?
Browns needs as I see them: DL, at least one LB, at least one DB, RT, WR, K and TE. As I said earlier I’m using some of that money saved up and I’m addressing both sides of the line particularly DL. I want a stud not a collection of mediocre/can’t stay healthy guys.
If Cobb leaves Rodgers & GB for the Browns he clearly needs his head examined.
Or he’s looking to cash in