Cleveland Browns: Rob Housler worth signing

The Cleveland Browns made two nice upgrades at the wide receiver position this offseason by signing Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe, with the latter addition being especially important for a team that came into the offseason with Andrew Hawkins as their clear top option. Now, the Browns have some actual depth at the position, though they still need to add a true playmaker in the draft, preferably someone who has some sort of playmaking impact and vertical ability.

When it comes to pass-catching talent, the Browns are in dire straits at the tight end position after Jordan Cameron unsurprisingly decided to leave for the Miami Dolphins as Charles Clay‘s replacement. Cameron seemed to sour on the organization after constant changes to the team’s offensive philosophy, and he’ll now join a more stable situation on offense coordinated by Bill Lazor and quarterbacked by Ryan Tannehill.

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Josh McCown will likely start at QB for the Browns in Week 1, but regardless who throws passes in Cleveland, they’ll need better receiving tight ends than Gary Barnidge and Jim Dray, who are currently the team’s top two TEs on the depth chart. Both of those guys are clearly blockers who offer almost nothing in the passing game, and that isn’t a recipe for success for any team, much less a Browns team that isn’t set at WR either.

There aren’t any great options available in free agency, but the best option is former Arizona Cardinals athletic TE Rob Housler, who failed to break out under Ken Whisenhunt or Bruce Arians, who didn’t really even use him, after receiving some hype a few seasons ago due to his ridiculous size/speed combo that lends itself to pass-catching upside.

According to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler, the Browns “have had discussions” with Housler, but while there is “mutual interest”, no visits have been scheduled at this point in time. So basically, there’s smoke, but there’s no fire as of yet; in other words, as Fowler puts it, “nothing is imminent”.

Words like “potential” and “upside” usually end up being empty buzz, but Housler also offers more than either Barnidge or Dray as a receiver right now. The 27-year-old 6’5″, 250-pound Florida Atlantic product caught 45 and 39 passes in 2012 and 2013 before becoming a complete afterthought last year with just nine receptions. 45 and 39 catches in a players best seasons with just one career touchdown don’t exactly look like the strongest amount of past production, but consider that combining the career-highs for Dray and Barnidge in receptions would yield just 39 catches.

It’s obvious that the Browns need help at the tight end position, and the draft won’t be enough to shore things up. This is a team that could use another upgrade or two on defense, as well as a top-notch wide receiver in either of the first two rounds. Quarterback can’t be ruled out as an addition either, so there’s little room for them to take a top TE prospect like Clive Walford or Maxx Williams.

What the Cleveland Browns need to do is pick up the best pass-catching TE available in Housler and understand that his floor as a starting TE is still higher than Dray’s or Barnidge’s pass-catching ceilings. While Housler’s upside and physical tools are his calling cards, since there’s still a chance he can blossom on a new team in a new, starting role. But for the Browns, the most important thing is the fact that this guy has actually had some success in the receiving game in the past, and that alone makes him a massive upgrade at their laughably thin group of TEs (as far as pass-catching is concerned).

Rob Housler makes an awful lot of sense as an addition for the Browns, and it would be interesting to see if they can coax a strong season out of him in 2015 upon signing him. Of course, Housler wouldn’t be enough if the Browns are looking to make enough upgrades at the position, because, ideally, they would sign Housler and take a flier on a mid-round TE who has some pass-catching upside (or maybe even dual-threat ability, though that’s more difficult to find in the middle rounds).

We’ll see how much the Browns prioritize the tight end position in the draft, but, either way, it would be a good idea to hedge their bets and take a TE who is, at worst, serviceable as a receiver or, at best, excellent in the passing game. The Browns already have the blocking power, so they don’t need to worry about Housler’s weaknesses in the running game.

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