For the second year in a row, the Cleveland Browns opted to not draft a top wide receiver. The team has had numerous chances to get game-changing players like Odell Beckham Jr, Amari Cooper or even someone like Jaelen Strong. They decided against all of them, instead signing free agents to potentially get the job done. With pressure mounting on players like Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe, will they be enough?
According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Browns have confidence in their current roster and are counting on certain players to really make a jump this season. Cabot reports that the Browns believe the duo of Hartline and Bowe will be extremely productive along with Rob Housler at the tight end spot. Players like Travis Benjamin, Kevin Cone and Taylor Gabriel are expected to step up and improve this season as well.
One player the Browns expect to play a big role in the receiving game is the newly drafted Duke Johnson. According to ESPN's Pat McManamon, the Browns will use the former Miami star in passing situations as he continues to demonstrate good hands in practice. According to offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, Johnson will battle Terrence West and Isaiah Crowell for rushing yards, but will play an even bigger role with the passing game than the two rookies did last season.
There is still a chance that the Browns seek an addition to the wide receiver group. If Benjamin, Cone or Gabriel do not make that leap in the coming months, there are free agent options the Browns can eye. According to NFL.com, players like James Jones, Reggie Wayne and Wes Welker could really add something to Cleveland's offense and be cheap to acquire. At this point, the Browns would be wise to take on as many offensive weapons as they can get.
While DeFilippo is working to build a new offense for Johnny Manziel and Josh McCown, head coach Mike Pettine is expected to play a bigger role in that unit than he did last year. Cleveland.com reports the head coach wants to be more involved in play calling in 2015 in hopes of helping turn the team around. His main goal is the ease the pressure of the quarterback.
"It's a formula, it's not the most common path, people still try to be quarterback driven, and I'm not saying we are going to be looking to win games 9-6," Pettine said, via the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We still want to be explosive on offense. We just don't want to put our quarterback in situations where the percentages aren't there. We don't want to be in third-and-long and second-and-long, where the quarterback is getting hit a lot."
