Cleveland Browns Real Needs at WR

As is often the case, Pat McNanoman is wrong.  He lists wide receiver as the Browns top need.

He's not as wrong as he usually is, however, so he's got that goin' for him:

Gordon has already proven himself in spades, but is on the last year of his contract, and could fall off the wagon.  (I doubt it, but nobody can guarantee it).

It's absolutely rediculous to give up on Corey Coleman already.  You can throw out his rookie season, because his Auburn offense was ultra-simple, and he had never even learned 90% of the route tree.

Whether you comprehend the fact that the quarterback has a thing or two to do with a given receiver's production or not, I can tell you that Coleman showed predictable improvement in his second season.

He was usually open, but was overlooked or missed.  That inexcusable drop vs the Steelers aside, he usually showed pretty good hands on the rare occasions when the ball came down in his zip code.

Coleman will be better yet in his third season.  Even McNanoman will be able to see this with at least a journeyman veteran quarterback (with decent accuracy) throwing the ball around in 2018.

But yeah: Two broken hands in two seasons is concerning.

Rashard Higgins came back from the grave to show some promise, but he was never expected to be more than a possession guy, and remains "iffy" (I never want to shovel dirt on still-living young players).

If there are sleepers at wide receiver, I don't see them.

Unlike Hue Fisher, Todd Haley will consider using DeValve and Njoku at the same time in 22 and 12 sets which take wide receivers off the field (there is only one real WR in a 22 and two in a 12).

Pat doesn't understand that, or the fact that Duke Johnson will probably be in the slot more than in the backfield.  A real analyst has to include Duke Johnson in the wide receiver formula.  So far, I'm the only guy on the planet who bothers.

So yes, the Browns need a couple more wide receivers...just not five or six jeez...

They DO NOT need more slot receivers!!! They need only outside receivers.

Try to comprehend this (and tell Pat): Njoku, DeValve, Johnson, and Coleman can all do the slot stuff.  I love Jarvis Landry and a couple other guys, but they're slot receivers who will cost a fortune, and might even do more harm than good.

Why does Pat McNanoman want to keep Duke and Seth off the field?  I guarantee you, Todd Haley won't see the sense in that!

The bottom line is that the Browns could use two taller, fast outside wide receivers who are not washed up or overpriced.

Terelle Pryor could be one of them.  NFL consensus on him is that he's a failed experiment, as he slid nearly off the Redskins' depth chart.  But WE remember what he did here!  

TP will be dirt cheap, and a no-brainer veteran signing (who can be a wildcat/emergency quarterback).  Dorsey can get more promising big guys on days two and three in the draft.

One of these could be Allen Lazard, who came on strong (was unstoppable) in the later Senior Bowl practices, and who every quarterback talked up.

Lazard isn't a speed demon, so his Senior Bowl performance won't shoot him up the draft boards that much.  He probably won't impress people with his vertical jump or 40 or three-cone etc at the combine, and could still be there atop the third round or even lower.

He's not the only one.  There are skinny guys who need to get more physical, guys like Coleman who are projects, etc.

Lazard, however, would make an immediate 2018 impact in the red zone.  He has tight end length (moreso than DeValve) and WR moves.  He also runs well with the ball in his hands.

I need to point a few things out to Pat McNanoman here:

1: Modern NFL rosters tend to include ten or more defensive backs, and six or fewer wide recievers.

2: Two tight end formations are becoming more common, along with Duke Johnson (or for that matter Laveon Belle or Barkley) lining up in the slot.

3: Corey Coleman can play (well) outside, but his potential from the slot is astronomical.  (Ideally a Pryor and/or Lazard type can get him inside more).

4: Brien Boddy-Calhoun has the nickel covered, but McCourty is aging and should be phasing into more safety stuff.  The Browns might just need to upgrade BOTH outside cornerback positions, because Jamar Taylor is probably a gmf if he doesn't take a pay-cut after his poor performance in 2017.

5: THE QUARTERBACK M A T T E R S DO YOU U N D E R S T A N D?

The Browns need a couple outside wide receivers, and twice as many defensive backs.  Wide receiver is obviously not the Browns biggest need.

But Pat couldn't stop at just screwing that up--he just had to say "face it.  The Browns need help nearly everywhere".

I'm so sick of this!  It's PC ignorance!  They might not even need a free safety, and don't need anybody in the front seven except another edge-rusher or two.

I've just showed you how Mr Skyisfalling drasticly overstated the need at wide receiver...wait til I get to tight end and offensive line.

I want to hear these clowns define "everywhere".  Dammit I hereby confiscate "everywhere" from Pat McNanoman.  It will be returned to him when he can use it responsibly!

The Browns need a couple outside wide receivers for depth and insurance.  

I HAVE SPOKEN.