Browns: 2015 Preseason Review Part 2: WRs, TEs, OL

By Kristopher Grimes | Aug 29, 2015

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Wide Receivers

The Cleveland Browns have drafted one wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft since returning in 1999. That one WR was Braylon Edwards in 2005. The best offensive season the Browns have had since returning in 1999 was Edwards’ Pro Bowl year in 2007. So why haven’t the Browns gone back to drafting a WR in the first round since 2005? It’s a question that many fans and analysts have asked since Edwards was traded to the New York Jets in 2009.

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It’s not due to lack of talent in the 1st round, as the Browns have passed over the likes of current Atlanta WR Julio Jones, Buffalo’s Sammy Watkins, Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans, and Miami’s DeVante Parker in recent drafts. Each of those players have had 1,000 yard seasons, come close, or simply given their teams a go to WR.

Sure, the Browns found a gem with Josh Gordon in the second round of the 2012 supplemental draft, but that’s rare. He has led the Browns in receiving yards the past two seasons, but won’t help the 2015 offense because he’s suspended for the entire year for failing the NFL’s Substance Abuse Program.

So who will step up? Who will replace Gordon’s production? That’s the question the current crop of Browns receivers must answer. GM Ray Farmer brought in experienced veterans Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline to pair with slot receiver Andrew Hawkins and last year’s surprise weapon Taylor Gabriel. Bowe might be on the downside of his career after an underwhelming 2014 season and Hartline is more of a slot weapon like Hawkins.

Neither receiver is considered to be a deep threat or play-maker in the mold of Gordon, but both are capable of producing within any given offense. Have they shown enough through two preseason games to give fans confidence in their ability to help the Browns offense? Let’s take a look

Next: Once A Pro Bowler, Still A Pro Bowler?

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