When coach Mike Pettine and general manager Ray Farmer met with reporters at the NFL Combine, they fielded more than handful of questions about the Browns' situation at wide receiver.
In an interview back at the team hotel with ClevelandBrowns.com's Nathan Zegura, Pettine laid out what the team is looking for at the position in matter-of-fact terms.
"We need to gain yards and score points," Pettine said at the NFL Combine. "You need guys you think can be special when you put the ball in their hands. We feel good about the guys you just mentioned but we're always looking to add. Hopefully this year's draft class will offer some of those guys."
But what about this year's crop of free agents?
The Browns made two shrewd signings at wide receiver last year when they plucked Andrew Hawkins away from the Bengals and saw him lead the team in receptions and yards. Veteran Miles Austin, who signed a one-year deal long after free agency opened, provided leadership in the locker room and was one of Cleveland's top options on third down before he was sidelined indefinitely with a kidney injury.
Even with Green Bay's Randall Cobb taking himself off the market late Saturday, there's no shortage of bodies and potential starting options in this year's group. Whether or not they're on the Browns' radar remains to be seen.
Here's a look at the landscape with 24 hours to go before free agency gets underway.
Who's coming back? (2014 stats)
Andrew Hawkins - 63 receptions, 824 yards, 2 TDs; 3 rushes, 15 yards
Taylor Gabriel - 36 receptions, 621 yards, TD; 4 rushes, 10 yards
Travis Benjamin - 18 receptions, 314 yards, 3 TDs; 3 rushes, 11 yards
Phil Bates
Kevin Cone
Rodney Smith
Suspended
Josh Gordon - 24 receptions, 303 yards
Who's on the market?
Miles Austin - 47 receptions, 568 yards, 2 TDs
Marlon Moore - Used almost exclusively on special teams
Rankings of note
Yards by wide receivers - 2,630 - 11th
Touchdowns by wide receivers - 8 - T-30th
Top WRs available (Rankings from NFL.com’s Top 101 NFL Free Agents for 2015)
- Torrey Smith (Baltimore)
- Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia)
- Michael Crabtree (San Francisco)
- Cecil Shorts (Jacksonville)
- Kenny Britt (St. Louis)
- Hakeem Nicks (Indianapolis)
- Denarius Moore (Oakland)
- Brian Hartline (Miami)
- Harry Douglas (Atlanta)
Wes Welker
Reggie Wayne
Eddie Royal
Nate Washington
Brandon Gibson
This article is part of the Road to the Draft series, driven by Liberty Ford.
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Torrey Smith
Jeremy Maclin
Michael Crabtree
Cecil Shorts III
Kenny Britt
Hakeem Nicks
Denarius Moore
Brian Hartline
Harry Douglas
Wes Welker
Reggie Wayne
Eddie Royal
Nate Washington
Brandon Gibson
Miles Austin
Marlon Moore
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