Browns New Receivers Must Catch on Quickly

Ten receivers. Five roster spots. No sure things.

When it comes to pass catchers, the Cleveland Browns need quantity to translate into quality.

Since March, the Browns have added six new wide receivers to their roster, more than any other NFL team.

While they hope a ragtag receiving corps—comprised of both journeyman veterans and unproven youngsters—can exceed low expectations, not everyone is buying what they're selling.

"It's clearly an issue," said one AFC North executive. "You know the saying, 'When you have two quarterbacks, you really have none?' It's kind of like that. Except Cleveland has 10 receivers, and very few reliable options."

The offseason decimated the Browns receiving corps.

In February, the team traded Kellen Winslow Jr.—their polarizing, Pro Bowl-caliber tight end—to Tampa Bay. 

Two days later, Donté Stallworth, the team's No. 2 receiver, was charged with manslaughter after killing a pedestrian while drunk driving.

Adding to the uncertainty, Braylon Edwards, the team's No. 1 receiver, continues to be the focal point of trade rumors.

Because of those offseason incidents, the Browns brought all pass-catching hands on deck, scooping up every unsigned receiver they could find.

They used two second-round draft selections on Brian Robiskie of Ohio State and Mohamed Massaquoi of the University of Georgia. They also added veterans David Patten and Michael Furrey to the mix, both as unrestricted free agents.

Youngsters Devale Ellis (Hofstra), Jordan Norwood (Penn State), Lance Leggett (Miami), Paul Hubbard (Wisconsin) and Syndric Steptoe (Arizona) are also competing to fill out the depth chart. None has more than two years experience.

Patten, a 13-year veteran, may end up being the leader of the group. The Western Carolina product won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots between 2001 and 2004.

He thinks he can help develop the Browns' young talent.

"I'm an on-the-field coach now," he said. "That's what drives me now."

"I'm (glad) to still have the opportunity to play," he added, "but more so just to nurture the young guys around me. I've been around, I've won championships...I've experienced the highs, I've experienced the lows. I've learned so much (that I think I can share with them)."

Patten admits most pundits will doubt this group, even if Edwards stays with Cleveland. But the veteran also knows about proving pundits wrong.

After graduating from Western Carolina in 1996, skeptical NFL scouts relegated Patten to the Arena Football League.

Before getting an NFL opportunity, he worked as an electrician, mowed lawns, and worked in a coffee factory just to make ends meet.

He believes he can prove them wrong again.

"No one will work harder than me," he said. "I can promise you that."

But even Robiskie, the two-time Academic All-American, admits transitioning to the NFL will be difficult for the Browns young receivers.

Robiskie got a taste of the NFL's complex schemes and coverages during last month's rookie minicamp.

“The coaches are throwing a lot at us,” he said. “You’ve got to spend a lot of time in the playbook.”