DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum What are the best options left to address Wide Receiver?

With all due respect, imo you are overthinking this. Of course you don't trade Gordon for Johnson. San Fran gave up a 6th rounder for Anquan Boldin, who was younger than Johnson. Gordon is a rare talent that costs you nothing to hang onto, and hope he gets his <stuff> together. His upside is huge, and the risk is negatory at this point: the worst has already happened. All thats left to do with Gordon is to see if he can get his life in order. Send a 6th, or a 5th, or even a 4th to Houston for A Johnson, as a bridge to (hopefully) Gordon's eventual return.

You really do not know what path Gordon will take. You don't know what type of teammate he is? His history shows his actions. If you want to project his future you look at his past actions.

We are not talking about a second chance here. This guy has been been given every chance to clean up. It was made clear to him by Banner and company he was on thin ice. With all the "help" that has been thrown his way from Haslam on down he has turned a deaf ear. With all the money involved it has made no difference.

Bolden was a major factor in the Ravens Super Bowl season. Johnson is a better receiver. You give up a guy that has proven he can not tolerate being sober for a pro bowler with 2 or 3 years left.

I have serious doubts the Texans under the current Johnson contract would consider a 5th or 6th rounder.

I'd trade a 6th for Josh if the Browns were dumb enough to take it. He may not be on the field, but when he is, he's an all pro. You're pretty unlikely to find an all-pro WR outside of the first 3 rounds.

As a group, we will be fine.

Brandon Marshall, Fitzgerald, Dez, Gordon, Megatron and Andre Johnson all have one thing in common with me. I was sitting at home watching the playoffs just like they were. Its nice to have the great wide receiver but it is the one position you can get away with functional more than any other. If they can Catch Johny will buy them time to get open. If they can catch hoyer gets rid of the ball so quick it makes it hard for the defence to cover.

J/C

I'd rather go with our young core than sell the farm for Johnson or anyone else that's unhappy. Not like they'll want to come here anyway. Just say no to aging WRs.

Hawkins Burelson and Austin is the most intriguing group we have had in some time.

If we could get Johnson for something like a 3rd and a 5th which i doubt we could i would do it in a heartbeat. He is 33......i dont think he is worth anything more then a 3rd....io would be shocked if we offered a 2nd....

How many catches did Armstrong, Burrleson, and Austin have last year?

Put it this way..........I don't play Fantasy Football, but if I did, I would spend a pretty high pick on Jordan Cameron.

j/c

So let me make an educated guess at our WR corps (barring any FA pickup and/or trade obviously)

Miles Austin
Nate Burleson
Andrew Hawkins
Anthony Armstrong
Travis Benjamin
Charles Johnson


Does this look about right?

I guess that looks about right without pulling up the roster.


Before we go any further, who out there that is available is going to be better than Gordon? There isn't. Miles Austin has as good a shot of replacing Gordons numbers as Andre Johnson.

I personally like the kid we picked up as an UDFA, Chandler Jones from San Jose State.

He is a smaller receiver, but he ran a sub 4.4 40 and he catches everything thrown his way. I'm not sure how polished he is, but I love the tape from the Minnesota game last year.

I know Josh Gordon is a talent and WE WILL MISS HIM, but you cannot have selfish players on your team. They are stat-mongers who only care about I and ME. I think good quarterback play can more than make up for losing a talent like Gordon's.

JMHO

I was about to rip on Benjamin for being 5'10''.

Then I realized Hawkins is 5'7''

In my opinion Hawkins is the only WR likely to make a big difference. If Austin still has any gas in the tank he will be solid. Everyone else is very shaky and questionable to me. Not having Gordon pretty much tanks this unit down from to below average.

j/c

Nate Ulrich &#8207;@NateUlrichABJ · 10m
Jimmy Haslam's Pilot Flying J announces it has reached agreement with government & will not be prosecuted, provided it meets the terms.

I still look for the Browns to pick up another WR before the season starts.

Me too.

Has anyone said any of our WRs have come in and replace Gordons production? No.

I think of it like Moneyball, if we can get 3 guys to come in and combine for what Gordon has, then well be fine, and anything else we get, will be more than we had last year, cause Gordon was pretty much it..

I see our Run game as being 10x better, so if production wise we can get the same basic stats, well be better as an offense.

I agree, I think Hawkins is the only threat as of now, and he is a slot guy. I think teams will play to take him out of the game, and make the others beat them. The only true threat I see as of now is Cameron.

But, training camp could produce a surprise. I am really interested in Johnson, and how they use Benjamin. Time will tell, who will be the deep threat that will take the pressure off the other guys.

Yeah, I think Johnson is an interesting prospect.

I was just busting some balls over the "we'll be fine" comments. There really is no evidence that our WRs will produce. It's just wishful thinking at this point. I am NOT saying they won't produce, but I AM saying that we have no evidence to make such a prediction.

Agreed on that one for sure.

Johnson could be a diamond in the rough. Come preseason, if he's playing, I will be all keeping an eye on him specifically. Green Bay seemed sad to see the kid go.

Not busting me up. Miles Austin has been a top player in the league providing top numbers. You say he has a injury history yet you don't take in to account Gordons drug history.

I guess where I am comming from is does it really matter why a person misses games? At least from a pure stat standpoint.

People keep comparing our new guys to Gordon like Gordon can still play and we aren't going to play him.

Gordon is going to give us ZERO stats this year. I can guarantee you I could put up better numbers than Josh Gordon this year. I know I could catch at least 1 ball and gain 1 yard minimum.. 100% improvement over what we will get out of him.....so maybe you just need to buy me a few shots of a fine Tennessee Mash, a big steak, sit back and enjoy some stories for a few hours, then maybe smoke a Cuban stogie over a brandy or cognac, then shake my hand.

Yep, that's what needs to happen.

Bro, I am not counting on Gordon for anything other than getting into more trouble and watching his minions defend him. If you check the posts from the past, you will see I NEVER trusted the guy.

I am simply saying that we can not honestly proclaim that these wannabes, stiffs, and has-beens are going to put up the same numbers Gordon put up.

Let this one go, bro.

They aren't going to put up the same numbers. Very few people in the league could, and certainly not anybody "available".

We don't disagree there. My only point is we have done as well as possible in replacing him with viable options, so there isn't any sense in worrying about the numbers that can't be replaced.

Replace them on the ground.

Cleveland Browns Training Camp 2014: WR Preview, Part 1 (Primary Receivers)

our training camp preview for the Cleveland Browns wide receivers beings today, and it gets a bit tricky to diagnose the position due to the Josh Gordon situation. Another interesting note: last year, the four receivers listed in Part 1 of our WR Preview had an average age of 24 years old. This year, the top four receivers listed below have an average age of 28 years old. Today's preview looks at the players who are expected to be in the mix for significant playing time in 2014.

1. JOSH GORDON - STATUS UNKNOWN


The 2013 season was an up-and-down ride for Josh Gordon, and it only continued into 2014. Last year, Gordon was suspended for the first two games of the regular season due to substance abuse. Heavy rumors were initiated that the Browns' front office -- then consisting of Joe Banner and Michael Lombardi -- were trying to trade Gordon, in fear that he would get in trouble again and face banishment from the league.

There were no takers for their asking price, which most fans rejoiced in because we did not want to let go of a player with Gordon's potential. No one could have seen just how quickly Gordon would transform into an elite talent, though. In just 14 games, Gordon led the NFL with 87 catches for 1,646 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns.

The pinnacle stretch of Gordon's career came in a three-week span against the Steelers, Jaguars, and Patriots. During that stretch, he had two straight 200-yard receiving games, the first receiver in NFL history to accomplish such a feat. The three-game stretch saw him post the following stats: 31 catches for 649 yards and 4 touchdowns. The most talked about play was the breakaway speed he showed against Patriots CB Aqib Talib.

Gordon would undoubtedly make the receivers around him better, but he has an appeal hearing in late-July, where he likely faces a suspension. It could even be a one-year ban. The waiting process has made it very difficult on the Browns' coaching staff because he really is irreplaceable. Yes, Gordon needs to sort out his personal life, but selfishly, I want to see Gordon playing in a Browns uniform this season. It still makes no sense to cut him, though, so I hope the Browns don't choose to go down that path.

Job Security: Suspension Pending
Final Roster Odds: Suspension Pending



2. ANDREW HAWKINS - STARTING / SLOT WIDE RECEIVER

Whether Gordon plays or not, one of the best and boldest moves made across the NFL this offseason came when Browns GM Ray Farmer made just the right type of offer to Andrew Hawkins to "steal" him away from the division rival Cincinnati Bengals.

Hawkins is a small guy at 5-7, but he's probably one of the quickest guys you'll see in the NFL in terms of faking out defenders. If you don't believe me, check out this video of his 1-on-1 skills with the Bengals. There is also this video of him in live game action.

If Hawkins is so good, then why let him go? Because of circumstance and great timing by the Browns. Hawkins went undrafted in 2008, but had a workout with the Cleveland Browns. Cleveland didn't sign him, and Hawkins went off to the CFL. He resurfaced in the NFL again in 2011 with the Bengals. In 2012, Hawkins was on the rise with a solid season. Unfortunately, his decline was derailed in 2013 with an injury that forced him to miss the first half of the season. While he was out of action, all of the Bengals' draft pick receivers started to shine, including A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, and Mohamed Sanu. They had also already committed to a two-tight end tandem of Jermaine Gresham and Tyler Eifert. To an extent, running back Giovani Benard did some of the "waterbug" type of duties that Hawkins would have. The Bengals liked Hawkins, but they rode the momentum of the players who were healthy the first half of the year.

This offseason, the Browns made their offer sheet lucrative enough that the Bengals couldn't justify matching for a player who would probably be listed as the No. 4 receiver on their depth chart heading into training camp. Hawkins has been active on social media and was impressive in all of the team's offseason programs thus far. If anyone is bound to break out as the new fan favorite in 2014, it'll be this guy.

Job Security: A+ (to be a top three receiver, either in the slot or the outside)
Final Roster Odds: 100%


3. NATE BURLESON - COMPETING TO BE A STARTING WIDE RECEIVER

Nate Burleson will be entering his 12th season in the NFL. He began his career as a third-round draft pick by the Minnesota Vikings in 2003. He played there for three seasons before becoming a members of the Seattle Seahawks from 2006-2009. From 2010-2013, he was with the Lions, usually as the No. 2 receiver opposite of WR Calvin Johnson.

While Burleson played second-fiddle to Johnson, he might be asked to be the Browns No. 1 receiver this year if Gordon is out. He's still recovering from the injuries to his arm, but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. While I think there is room for both Burleson and Miles Austin on the roster, I am giving Burleson the slight edge because the Browns signed him well prior to the draft. It wasn't until after the Gordon news became public that Cleveland latched on to several other veteran receivers, including Austin.

Don't let the pizza story distort your opinion of Burleson. He's always been known as a very media-friendly guy and he does his job well as a receiver, plain and simple. The issue won't be Burleson's lack of talent, it'll be whether he is in the right role. As a contributing receiver, he's a nice option. As the No. 1 receiver? That's not going to get defenses fretting very much, but that's not his fault.

Job Security: B+ (assuming Gordon isn't available)
Final Roster Odds: 90% (assuming Gordon isn't available)


4. MILES AUSTIN - COMPETING TO BE A STARTING WIDE RECEIVER

"What's that? Another hamstring injury?"

In 2011, Miles Austin pulled his hamstring, forcing him to only play in 10 games. He returned to play 16 games in 2012, but last season, a hamstring injury plagued him again. Austin started 8 games and played in 11, but was a non-factor on offense, notching 24 catches for 244 yards all year.

The Browns have kept Austin out of most of their offseason programs to date because they don't want him to risk straining it again. He's expected to give-it-a-go once training camp begins, but how confident are we that his hamstring won't just pop again? That's the reason he's not rated higher here on the Browns' depth chart.

When Austin is healthy, he's a borderline No. 1 receiver, although certainly more fit to be a No. 2 receiver. In the three seasons Austin was healthy enough to play in all 16 games with the Cowboys -- 2009, 2010, and 2012 -- he averaged 1,101 yards and 8 touchdowns per season. Getting that version of Austin in 2014 would be terrific, but can he still do it at 30 years old with a hamstring that consistently plagues him?

Job Security: B (assuming Gordon isn't available)
Final Roster Odds: 90% (assuming Gordon isn't available)

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2014/7/11/5...-part-1-primary