The Cleveland Browns Could Use A Player Like Dwayne Bowe


Denny Medley-US Presswire

With Hurricane Sandy pelting the east coast, the NFL has decided to push the trade deadline back two days to Thursday at 4pm ET. Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs is expected to depart the “City of Fountains” for a new destination. Could the Cleveland Browns have any interest in a veteran like Bowe? Why would they not?

The brown and orange have not had an impact veteran wide receiver since Joe Jurevicius. The 2-6 Browns have dropped 21 catch-able passes in eight games. The only real receiver Cleveland has with any decent experience is Mohamed Massaquoi. The often injured Massaquoi has four years of NFL experience. With the exception of Massaquoi, the Browns have decided to go super young with their receiving corps this season. Those players include Josh Gordon, Travis Benjamin, Greg Little, and Josh Cooper. Combined, these players have 36 games played and Little accounts for 22 of them.

So what does a guy like Bowe bring to the table? The six year veteran has 37 catches for 492 yards and 3 touchdowns on the year. Three out of his six seasons, Bowe has put up 1,000 yards or more. His rookie season, he came five yards shy of the mark. In his career, the former first round pick has over 5,400 yards and 39 touchdowns.

Even with poor quarterback play this year, the 2010 pro bowl receiver is still on pace for another 1,000 yards. The 6’2″ and 220 pound receiver is a huge target that would fit well in to Cleveland’s version of the west coast offense. A Brandon Weeden to Bowe combination would be instrumental to the struggling Browns’ offense.

While the Browns may not be a contender right now, it’s coming very soon. For a couple of years now, Cleveland’s books have been wide open. The Browns have plenty of cap space and could easily afford to take on the hefty 9.5 million dollar salary. The only downside would be any team that traded for Bowe, would have to wait till the end of the season to extend a contract to him. This would be in addition to the franchise money.

Though it probably will not happen, a move to get a veteran receiver to groom the young players Cleveland has would be one of the smartest moves new owner Jimmy Haslam could make. Thanks to a horrible storm, the Browns will have two weeks to think about it.

Ryan Ruiz – Cleveland Browns Writer

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