Browns NFL Draft Preview: Offense - Part 2

Yesterday we got the draft preview off to a fun start by examining what is on the roster at the QB position and the RB positions. Today we’ll break down WRs and TEs and see what is there before we make a judgment call on what the Browns may be looking for in the draft. A lot of question marks await us at both positions this off-season:

TE
Kellen Winslow Jr. – We’ve had to sit through extra abuse from rival fans because of this moron for two years now. I truly hope that Winslow backs his words and comes back with a vengeance this year to shut people up and play like the true that he is. Winslow had all the talent in the world coming out of Miami in 2004, and Butch Davis made a classic blunder just to move up one spot to get him (YES…I call trading away your second round draft pick to move up one spot in the draft a blunder.). Now he’s toiled on the roster for two years with various ailments…many due to his classic motorcycle accident that the whole country had a good time making fun of. It hasn’t been pretty so far, but the natural talent this guy has at TE is still there. The questions will come in his mobility. I happen to think he’ll be an upper-tier TE in this league even if his mobility and speed have suffered a bit from all his leg injuries. The question remains: how will Winslow play coming back this year, and can he stay on the field for a whole season. GM Phil Savage has to keep this in mind when evaluating the whole roster and the TEs.
Steve Heiden – After arriving from San Diego, Heiden has made quite a home for himself in Cleveland as a nice above average TE that can catch the ball and make some things happen out there. He’s managed to stick around and be a nice option out there thanks to Winslow being out, and he’ll continue to be a part of this team now as an insurance policy. He’s certainly a nice 2nd option at TE and really helps the depth at this position.
Darnell Dinkins – Dinkins arrives to the Browns from Baltimore to be the blocking TE that they have lacked. Dinkins is also a good Special Teams player, so the Browns upgraded two overlooked areas on the football team. Dinkins will be nice to use out there as another blocking option for Ruben Droughns, and can be used to give Frye extra protection on pass plays.
Paul Irons – Irons seems to have built a solid partnership with Charlie Frye out on the football field, and that may be the key to seeing him stick around on the team as a 3rd option at TE alongside Dinkins.
John Owens – Will probably battle with Irons for a spot on the team as he was signed late last season right before the season ended. The jury is out on him.

WR
Braylon Edwards – It requires great optimism to expect much of an impact season out of Edwards after he tore up his knee during in December of last year. There’s no doubt Edwards is going to bust his ass to get back, but he’s not going to play right away, and there’s no telling how long it will take him to get back in the groove by the time he is back in action during the season. It’s a shame too, because he was really coming on strong before he got hurt last year. He’s easily the #1 WR when healthy, but the Browns are going to have to live without him for a while this coming season and they need to adapt accordingly.
Joe Jurevicious – A great pickup by the Browns this offs-season, Jurevicious is a local boy who is also one of the great veteran team guys in the league that brings reliability to the position and can be a nice big target for Charlie Frye. Barring injury, this could be one of the best moves they’ve made in Free Agency since signing Orpheus Roye way back in 2000 (Yes I mean it.). Jurevicious solidified the Seahawks’ WR situation last year when Darrell Jackson and others went down and the outlook looked bleak. He ended up being their best WR and led the team in TD receptions. He’ll be counted on helping us out the same way this year with Braylon starting off the season on the sidelines.
Dennis Northcutt – Northcutt will most likely line up as a starter to begin the season, and that’s not necessarily a great role for him…especially if he lines up at the X or the Y position. Northcutt has had an extended stay here in Cleveland (that’s rare) thanks to his dangerous ability to return punts for TDs, and make things happen on the offensive end. The problem with this is: a) He has developed “Quincy Morgan” disease over the last couple years and b) his punt returns are constantly nullified by block in the back calls so what does it matter? Regardless, Northcutt is a solid receiver that will help round out the WR corps, but as it stands right now, he’ll be asked to do too much to start the year.
Frisman Jackson – In my opinion, this guy is an enigma and the depth drops off quite a bit here at WR for the Browns. Jackson had a great start to the 2005 year, but disappeared completely after that. He’s always had the athletic ability, but it’s never translated. Throwing a football 70 yards (or whatever they boast he does) doesn’t mean a thing at WR unless you’re Randel El.
Josh Cribbs – Cribbs hasn’t had much of an opportunity at the WR position so you can’t rank him very high going into this season. It’s fairly obvious where his true value lies and that’s returning kicks right now. He’s got a spot reserved for him because of that, but we’ll see if he can crack the rotation at WR as well.
Brandon Rideau – Thanks to a great effort in camp, Rideau earned the Browns’ respect and eventually was a part of the roster in 2005. He hardly saw any field time, but he’s worked hard to get where he’s at and it will be interesting to see if he can work even harder to get some PT.
Kendrick Mosley – Kendrick found his way to Cleveland’s Practice Squad not long after Braylon went down for the year. Who knows how long he’ll stick around.

After breaking down the skill positions, I’m going to take a look at the big boys on the OL tomorrow to round out the individual roster breakdowns. Stay tuned…