Cleveland Browns: Familiar dynamic, superior weaponry on offense

The Cleveland Browns receiving threats have had a complete makeover over the past two years, but while the names have changed, the overall dynamic has remained the same.

With the release of Andrew Hawkins and Gary Barnidge, Randall Telfer is the Cleveland Browns’ lone holdover from the 2015 season at wide receiver and tight end, a season in which he didn’t even play due to an injury that he suffered in college. A combination of six draft choices and the signing of Kenny Britt have accounted to the team’s overhaul for receiving threats.

What’s interesting is the Browns as they are constituted for 2017, even with a completely overhauled receiving corp, have the same overall dynamic as the 2015 group did.

For the 2015 season, the Cleveland Browns had an offense run by John DeFilippo for a single year. Kyle Shanahan had decied to resign and Josh Gordon was (wait for it) suspended. The running game was dreadful, but the offense in general and particularly the passing game were surprisingly effective. Gary Barnidge made the Pro Bowl and got a new contract, Travis Benjamin got a payday from the San Diego Chargers and Duke Johnson showed to be an extremely promising rookie weapon.

DeFilippo, his year as an NFL offensive coordinator, warranted criticism for the struggles with the running game because they tried to do too much and didn’t work to the strengths of the running backs enough. That said, the passing game was inspired and really caused a lot of problems for defenses.

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Josh McCown enjoyed success between injuries. The offense worked on a lot of quick passing to get the ball out of McCown’s hands quickly and allowing him to use his experience and ability to read defenses to take advantage of favorable matchups. It featured size in the middle in the form of Gary Barnidge and smaller, speedy receivers that were dubbed by many in the media “Smurfs”.

It consisted of the aforementioned Travis Benjamin, Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel; a group of diminutive but speedy receivers that could cause some problems on the outside. Brian Hartline was the “size” of the receiver group, who was a massive by comparison just over 6-1.5 and 200 pounds.

The 2015 receivers were fast, but they were short and not very thickly built. The 2017 group has all of the speed but offers more size and strength. The best athlete of that group was Travis Benjamin, a former fourth-round pick out of Miami(FL). Benjamin measured a hair under 5-10 and 172 pounds coming out of college.

40-Yard Dash: 4.36s
Broad Jump: 9’11”
Vertical Jump: 38″

Corey Coleman is almost an inch taller than Benjamin and more importantly, weighed 194 pounds at the combine. That’s 22 pounds more than Benjamin, 27 pounds more than the 5-7.5 Gabriel and 12 pounds heavier than the 5-7.375 Hawkins.

Jan 1, 2017; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Corey Coleman (19) runs after a catch against Pittsburgh Steelers free safety Mike Mitchell (23) in overtime at Heinz Field. The Steelers won 27-24 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

40-Yard Dash: 4.40s
Broad Jump: 10’9″
Vertical Jump: 40.5″

Benjamin had fantastic agility at his Pro Day, showcasing a 4.17-second short shuttle and 6.96-second 3-cone. Coleman only tested straight-line speed and jumps as he was recovering from sports hernia surgery. If his film is any indication of Coleman’s agility, he’s on par with just about anyone. Coleman has more size and strength than any of those other receivers, but also has the same amount of speed and more explosion.

Kenny Britt is a fantastic athlete in his own right while bringing more size to the perimeter. At just under 6’3″ 218 pounds, he brings more size and strength than Hartline did and still has excellent speed.

40-Yard Dash: 4.56s (4.47s at Pro Day)
Broad Jump: 10’4″
Vertical Jump: 37″

The Browns have a few more burners on their roster at the moment including Josh Boyce and Jordan Leslie that will vie for roster spots, but another speedster that should make the roster and could make some noise this year is Ricardo Louis.

Louis was selected the same year as Coleman, in round four, and like Coleman, was extremely raw coming out of college. With both players healthy and being able to focus on the receiver position this offseason, the Browns are hopeful they will come into camp and be far more polished players.

But here again, Louis brings good size at 6-1.75, 215 pounds.

40-Yard Dash: 4.43s
Broad Jump: 11′
Vertical Jump: 38″

Tremendous explosion for a player his size. His overall athletic profile is similar to that of Dez Bryant. It remains to be seen if Louis can play anywhere close to the level that Bryant has in his career if he can play at all.

The Browns have more size on the inside of their offense in Seth DeValve and David Njoku. Neither of them is quite as tall as Barnidge but they have similar weight and better athletic ability. In essence, they have two players that can do much of what Barnidge did but are more explosive.

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Gary Barnidge

Height: 6-5.625
Weight: 243 pounds

40-Yard Dash: 4.65s
Broad Jump: 9’9″
Vertical Jump: 31″
3 Cone: 6.92s
Shuttle: 4.23s
Bench: 22 reps

Seth DeValve

Height: 6-2.375
Weight: 244 pounds

40-Yard Dash: 4.68s
Broad Jump: 10’5″
Vertical Jump: 40″
3 Cone: 6.88s
Shuttle: 4.18s
Bench: 22 reps

David Njoku

Height: 6-3.75
Weight: 246 pounds

40-Yard Dash: 4.64s
Broad Jump: 11’1″
Vertical Jump: 37.5″ (40″ at Pro Day)
3 Cone: 6.97s
Shuttle: 4.34s
Bench: 21 reps

Barnidge was able to make a Pro Bowl and was an effective pass catcher this past year. Both DeValve and Njoku are better athletes even if they aren’t quite as tall.

They are also likely to be employed at the same time. Barnidge’s running mate with size ended up being Terrelle Pryor this past season and Pryor was usually playing on the perimeter. DeValve and Njoku can both play on the inside, whether Njoku is lined up inline or if both are utilized as oversized receivers, causing significant matchup problems for defenses.

Sep 1, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Chicago Bears outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (94) chases down Cleveland Browns tight end Seth Devalve (87) during the second half at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Bears won 21-7. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

The same dynamic is present as in 2015. More of the size is on the inside of the formation while the outside is slightly smaller and faster. Like with Flip, everyone in the offense can move all over the formation to try to create favorable matchups.

It would hardly be a surprise to see Njoku lined up wide the way Barnidge was two years ago where he was matched up on a corner and could simply overpower them. Likewise, the Browns can move Coleman all over the formation to try to get the ball in his hands and let him create yards after the catch.

This is all before mentioning what has to be a substantially improved running game. The Browns made substantial investments to make the offensive line a strong unit and with Isaiah Crowell and Duke Johnson, the Browns have players that can gain yards on the ground and receiving threats. If the Browns commit to the running game (and there’s no excuse not to), this only opens up more opportunities for the passing game, especially when they have athletes of this caliber.

The offensive dynamic is similar to the one the Browns employed in 2015, but the differences are important and show substantial potential for 2017 and beyond. In just two seasons, the Browns have significantly upgraded the team’s weaponry and have far more talent overall. Like in 2015, not a single one of them is proven, but there is legitimate reason to believe the Browns have offensive star power in the making. The key to everything is finding consistency at the quarterback position that can pull it all together.

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