Spotlighting the Cleveland Browns' WR Position Heading into the 2012 Season

The Cleveland Browns have taken quite the critical beating for their receiving corps.

Last season, no Browns receiver broke the 1,000-yard mark, No. 1 receiver Greg Little was plagued by drops, Mohamed Massaquoi has yet to really break out and the fact the team cycled between two quarterbacks didn't do the receiving corps any favors.

This year, things seem to be a bit different. Upgrades at the position combined with a new, seemingly more reliable quarterback in Brandon Weeden should bring an uptick in the Browns' aerial production.

In the following slides, I break down each receiver on the Browns roster and attempt to predict what impact they'll each make in the 2012 season.

Greg Little

Greg Little was drafted by the Browns in 2011 to be the team's top receiver, but he had a few obstacles to overcome before that could happen. He spent his final, 2010 season at North Carolina suspended, unable to take the field and then came to Cleveland without the opportunity to participate in a true offseason, thanks to the lockout.

As a result, Little's rookie season was shaky. Though, as a first-year receiver, his numbers weren't bad, considering his 121 targets, 61 receptions, 709 yards and two scores, it was the drops that kept nagging him throughout the year.

With greater familiarity with the Browns offense as well as more stability at quarterback, Little should have a more successful sophomore year. The hope is that he'll be good for 1,000 yards and more than just two touchdowns—with the former, I think he'll get close, but much depends on how quarterback Brandon Weeden can handle the load in his first year in the NFL.

Josh Gordon

The Browns picked up former Baylor receiver Josh Gordon in the second round of the supplemental draft, and the hope is he can start immediately as the outside receiving complement to Little.

Gordon and Little have much in common in that Gordon also didn't play college ball last year after being released from Baylor's squad and transferring to Utah, where he had to sit out per NCAA guidelines. He also heads to Cleveland without the benefit of an offseason program and will jump straight into camp, hoping to learn head coach Pat Shurmur's West Coast offense well enough to make a significant impact this season.

With a dearth of real playmakers on the Browns receiving corps, it's quite possible that Gordon will get quite a heavy workload as a rookie, and the hope is that he'll become the team's most productive receiver in time.

Cleveland used a second-round pick on Gordon, and some scouts had a 2013 first-round grade on him had he stayed in Utah and played well this year. The Browns needed a receiver—and if they didn't take Gordon now, they'd have to wait until next spring's draft and the weak receiving class. It was a risky move, sure, but one they had to make. Gordon's ceiling is very high, but expect a bit of a learning curve for him this year.

Mohamed Massaquoi

If Josh Gordon can pick up his new offense quickly enough, that may spell trouble for Mohamed Massaquoi. The underachieving 2009 second-round pick is likely near the end of his time in Cleveland without improvement, and though he won't be forced off the roster just yet by Gordon's arrival, he could certainly lose his spot before the start of next season.

Last year, Massaquoi caught 31 of 74 passes that were thrown to him, for 384 yards and two scores. A true No. 2 receiver should certainly have better production than that, and if he can't double those numbers this year with Brandon Weeden throwing to him, he's in trouble.

Head coach Pat Shurmur has basically said this is a make-or-break year for Massaquoi, and that's absolutely the truth.

Josh Cribbs

Most people are expecting Josh Cribbs to factor in even more heavily into the Browns' offensive plans this year after looking at the spike in his targets and receiving yards last season. Cribbs went from 23 catches for 292 yards and a touchdown in 2010 to 41 receptions for 518 yards and four scores last season, but he may not match those numbers again this year.

While Cribbs has proven himself a surprisingly capable receiver, his biggest strength lies in special teams, returning both kicks and punts. Now that the Browns have rounded out their receiving corps, with the aforementioned Josh Gordon and rookies Travis Benjamin and Josh Cooper, Cribbs may not be needed in the passing game as much as he was last season.

As such, he'll still get playing time, targets and catches. But it looks as though the Browns are going to use him most heavily in the return game yet again.

Jordan Norwood

Jordan Norwood will be heading into Browns training camp as the top guy to win the starting slot receiver job, though there are two rookies nipping at his heels.

Norwood was quite reliable last season, pulling down 23 of the 34 passes thrown his way and amassing 268 yards and a touchdown. He'll be in a very real camp battle with Travis Benjamin and Josh Cooper, but certainly has a leg up on the competition to keep his roster spot.

Travis Benjamin

Travis Benjamin, the Browns' fourth-round pick in this year's draft, has two camp competitions this year—one for the slot receiver job and one for the No. 2 job, which he'll be fighting for with Mohamed Massaquoi and Josh Gordon.

Benjamin needs to show more versatility in his route-running—bubble screens seemed to be his collegiate specialty—and he's a bit small at 5'10", but his speed is a major asset. One thing the Browns receiving corps needs is to get faster, and Benjamin certainly can do that.

Josh Cooper

On many other teams, undrafted rookie Josh Cooper wouldn't make a 53-man roster. On the Browns, however, he has an important member of the team lobbying for him—quarterback Brandon Weeden, his Oklahoma State teammate.

Cooper was a favorite target of Weeden's and is an adept slot receiver, though like Benjamin, he's a bit on the smaller side. He's been impressive in OTAs and minicamp, and if that continues into training camp, he'll likely boot someone off the depth chart.

Carlton Mitchell

The fact that both rookies Josh Cooper and Travis Benjamin have been offseason standouts and that the Browns just added Josh Gordon in the supplemental draft means that Carlton Mitchell's time in Cleveland is just about up.

Whether the Browns keep five or six receivers on their 53-man roster doesn't matter. At this point, it looks as though Mitchell won't be able to secure one of them. The 2010 draft pick has caught just three regular-season passes for only 31 yards in his time with Cleveland and never broke out as was hoped. He's all but gone.

Bert Reed

Bert Reed is an undrafted rookie wide receiver out of Florida State. He's a long shot to make the Browns' active roster this year but, unlike Carlton Mitchell, has less of a chance of being cut outright.

Reed is a sufficiently talented deep receiving threat, but he's a raw prospect that needs more development. Expect Reed to land on the practice squad this year.

Rod Windsor

It's hard to tell what Rod Windsor's fate may be. He spent last season on the Browns practice squad and was promoted to the active roster at the end of the season when Jordan Norwood was out with a concussion.

Windsor played in the Arena Football League in 2010, earning Rookie of the Year honors. He does have talent, but the Browns may choose to cut him simply because their dance card is relatively full when it comes to receivers.

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