Factory Of Sadness
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Cleveland Browns: The 21 best pass-catchers since 1999

By Chad Porto

Pittsburgh Steelers Safety, Chris Hope, breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland's Aaron Shea during their game, Sunday December 24, 2005 at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Steelers beat the Browns 41-0. (Photo by Jamie Mullen/NFLPhotoLibrary)
Pittsburgh Steelers Safety, Chris Hope, breaks up a pass intended for Cleveland's Aaron Shea during their game, Sunday December 24, 2005 at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. The Steelers beat the Browns 41-0. (Photo by Jamie Mullen/NFLPhotoLibrary) /
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Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph tackles Browns wide receiver Dennis Northcutt during the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Stadium on November 26, 2006. The Bengals won the game, 30-0. (Photo by Steve Levin/Getty Images)
Bengals cornerback Johnathan Joseph tackles Browns wide receiver Dennis Northcutt during the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals at Cleveland Browns Stadium on November 26, 2006. The Bengals won the game, 30-0. (Photo by Steve Levin/Getty Images) /

6. Braylon Edwards

Braylon Edwards was the first Browns wide receiver to go to the Pro Bowl since the team returned. A top-three overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Edwards never reached the heights he was supposed to. He was gone from the team in less than five seasons, but he did manage to catch 238 passes for 3, 697 yards, and 28 touchdowns during his time with the team. Injuries and inconsistent play forced Edwards out of the league just three years after his trade from Cleveland.

5. Josh Gordon

Josh Gordon was not supposed to be here. Not at this spot, and for two drastically different reasons. ANOTHER second-round draft pick, this time out of the 2012 supplemental draft, Gordon emerged out of nowhere as a real deep ball threat. In his first two seasons, Gordon a whopping 2,451. A supplemental draft pick isn’t supposed to be that good. Yet, he wasn’t supposed to be here for another drastically different reason. Gordon was supposed to be higher. After his first two years, Gordon ended up being unable to stay clean and the league responded by suspending him indefinitely. After coming back in 2017, the team traded him in 2018 to New England. During his time in Cleveland, Gordon had 179 receptions for 3,106 yards and 15 touchdowns. Had Gordon not been such a disaster with substance abuse, who knows what Gordon could’ve done with the Browns. He’s only 28 as of the posting of this column but he’s once again suspended indefinitely.

4. Dennis Northcutt

Cue the music, ANOTHER SECOND-ROUND PICK! Dennis Northcutt was the Browns’ second pick in the 2000 NFL Draft. He spent seven years with the Browns, where he totaled 5,943 total yards combined (receiving, returning, rushing). He had 15 total touchdowns and became infamous for his stylish punt returns, and was invaluable on the team during their 2001 and 2002 progressions and playoff chases. He had three straight seasons of 600+ yards receiving. He’s no slouch even if his pure receiving numbers don’t impress you.

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