TE Rob Housler Could Be Browns' Offense's Secret Weapon

Cleveland Browns tight end Rob Housler never had much of an opportunity to make a major impact on the Arizona Cardinals offense, where he spent his previous four seasons. He never had more than 45 receptions in a year, and in 2014, when passing to tight ends was practically phased out of the Cardinals playbook, he totaled just nine catches for 129 yards.

But 2015 could mean big things for Housler now that he's with the Browns. Head coach Mike Pettine said last month that Housler "is the ideal 'F'" tight end, with Pettine describing the F position as "more of a move type, off the ball, more of a wing. You can flex him out some."

Plainly put, he will be taking on the pure receiving role that belonged to Jordan Cameron, while Gary Barnidge and Jim Dray will be less involved as receivers and used more often as blockers.

Housler is looking forward to having more opportunities to catch passes in Cleveland. When he signed with the team in April, he said:

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What I can do is ... threaten guys deep and I'm pretty shifty across the middle. So I feel like I've developed a good awareness of zones and how to beat man coverage, so I think I bring that to the table. ... In (coordinator John DeFilippo's' offense), he's got people moving around and lining up in different spots, so I think that's going to keep teams off balance.

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Year	Games	Starts	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec.%	Yds.	TD	YAC
2011	12	2	26	12	50.0%	133	0	58
2012	15	9	68	45	66.2%	417	0	186
2013	13	10	57	39	68.4%	454	1	206
2014	15	7	17	9	52.9%	129	0	80
Total	55	28	168	105	62.5%	1,133	1	530

He wasn't kidding about DeFilippo's use of motion, either. During OTAs, Kevin Jones of the Browns' official website noted, "An educated estimate showed about 70 percent of plays called by [DeFilippo] had either a tight end or wide receiver moving around, and some plays had up to four players shifting around." Jones also saw "a heavy dose" of Housler being used as a receiver in the middle of the field.

Though the Browns will try to make running the ball the calling card of their offense this year, passing will obviously be a major means of moving the football down the field. Though wide receivers like Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline will be integral to the Browns' deep passing, it will be more likely that Housler and wide receiver Andrew Hawkins will be the big game-changers. 

Housler's after-the-catch ability will be an important source of yards for the Browns this season—so much so that he could end the year as the Browns' leading receiver. Remember, Cameron had the second-most receiving yards on the team in 2013, behind Josh Gordon. And DeFilippo's offense will be even more tight end-friendly than Norv Turner's was two years ago.

One key to the Browns' success on offense, regardless of the quarterback, is to minimize mistakes in the passing game. Typically, throwing to a tight end is part of this protect-the-football philosophy. And at 6'5", Housler is a formidable target for either Josh McCown or Johnny Manziel. Plus, his size, speed and athleticism make him a matchup nightmare for cornerbacks, safeties and slower coverage linebackers.

Further, just as deep passes will help Housler get open in the middle, his ability to take defenders with him in the middle of the field will make things easier on Bowe and Hartline. Housler said so himself in April:

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I like to be able to stretch the defense. It will help the guys on the outside. If you can have a tight end that can threaten the safeties down the middle, then it opens up guys on the outside. And if you've got guys on the outside, like Cleveland does, that can really stretch the field, then it opens up the middle. I'll bring balance to the passing game and an element to the run game. That's what I can bring to this team.

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So, even when Housler is not the target of his quarterback's passes, he can still assist the passing game by drawing coverage wherever he goes. It's the little things like this that will help Housler become invaluable to his team this year.

Given the way the Browns offense is now structured, everything points to Housler having a successful year in Cleveland. It's practically tailored toward him being one of the team's top receivers, if not their best.

The big secret hiding in the Browns offense is not McCown, Manziel, Bowe or even Duke Johnson—it's Housler. His four seasons under wraps in Arizona will be a thing of the past now that he's in an offense that both wants and needs him.