I would take Hartline in a heartbeat. I like Shorts as well. Either of those would be an immediate upgrade.
I do not want to add so many guys that we knock Gabriel off the field. Man, he was so productive last year, and then Gordon came back and he was the forgotten man.
Gabriel had 36 catches for 621 yards last year. He had most of that in the 1st 12 games, and he hardly played after Gordon came back. In the final 6 games, he had only 8 catches for 94 yards. In the final game, after he went back into the starting lineup, and with the 3rd string QB in the game, he had 3 catches for 66 yards. He would have been close to 1000 yards if we had lost Gordon for the year, instead of 10 games. I firmly believe that.
I want some size at WR, and a guy like Hartline would definitely add that. He is 6'2", and I think that he could play outside on long down/distance down, bumping Hawkins inside where he has been so effective over the years. Hartline also has experience in a WCO style offense, and runs extremely precise routes.
I have long liked him, and I would be all for getting him. He had 1000+ yard seasons 2 and 3 seasons ago.
I like what a trio of Hawkins, Gabriel, and Hartline would bring to the field.
I am curious to see how our young receivers look in the off-season camps, and pre-season. Maybe we let Rod Smith play some. The Broncos did OK with an UDFA guy by that name.
Anyway, I don;t see the Browns going crazy, bringing in a ton of WR on big contracts. I see us bringing in one guy we think fits, and then probably drafting a guy in the 2nd to 4th round range.
