Browns Would Be Smart to Bring Back Veteran WR Miles Austin

With the NFL Scouting Combine underway in Indianapolis, the focus is squarely on the soon-to-be rookies who teams will begin drafting to their rosters in April. But before that happens, free agency begins on March 10, with veterans looking to latch on with new teams or be re-signed by their old ones.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said last week that the team would be less active in free agency than it was last year. "I think you’ll see us playing less in free agency," said Haslam (via ESPN's Pat McManamon), adding, "We plan to build through the draft, so getting the draft right is so important."

General manager Ray Farmer echoed this sentiment on Thursday. Speaking with ClevelandBrowns.com's Kevin Jones, he said, "We're really focused on building through the draft. You can't keep going and buying and putting guys in front of guys. Because if you go out and spend a lot of money on a guy, you expect to see him playing. To go out and draft a guy that's not going to play doesn't make a lot of sense." 

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Still, Farmer did not rule out spending—just how much they'd spend and on whom: "It's really about being judicious and making smart decisions [in free agency]. That's the one thing we've tried to articulate to [Haslam] and the rest of our staff. It doesn't mean we're not going to go. It doesn't mean we're not going to play. It doesn't mean we're not going to allocate cap dollars in that regard."

So it appears the Browns will be spending some cash in free agency, but they won't be breaking the bank, even with around $50 million in available salary cap space. They will be judicious with their signings. And one they should seriously consider is wide receiver Miles Austin.

The Browns signed Austin to a one-year, $2 million deal in 2014, which included $1.7 million in salary and $300,000 in bonuses after eight years with the Dallas Cowboys. Though he's had an injury-marred career—including his season with the Browns, in which he landed on injured reserve with a lacerated kidney in early December—he was the team's third-leading receiver on the season.

Year	Games	Starts	Tgts.	Rec.	Rec.%	Yds.	YPR	TD	Fum.
2014	12	11	73	47	64.4%	568	12.1	2	0
Total	118	69	590	348	59.0%	5,049	14.5	36	8

Austin caught 47 passes on 73 targets in 2014, for 568 yards and two scores, averaged 12.1 yards per reception and had 213 yards after the catch along with 34 first downs. Quarterbacks throwing his way had a 99.6 passer rating, ranking him 31st in the league (out of 90), according to Pro Football Focus.

The reason for bringing Austin back is the same one as it was when the Browns signed him in 2014—veteran experience.

The Browns receiving corps lacks NFL experience. Its most senior member now is Andrew Hawkins, also signed in 2014 and who saw the first true starting work in his four-year career. Josh Gordon is suspended for at least a year, while the status of free-agent tight end Jordan Cameron in Cleveland is still to be determined.

Though there are a number of higher-profile and higher-priced impending free-agent wide receivers who could hit the open market—such as Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas or even Reggie Wayne—there are no guarantees that Cleveland would be a desirable destination for them.

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After all, the Browns have yet again made changes at offensive coordinator, wide receivers coach and quarterbacks coach that results in the offense being a major question mark in 2015. The fact that they are still on the search for a starting quarterback also doesn't help Cleveland be a top landing spot for these free agents, either.

But Austin wants to be with the Browns moving forward. Austin, who attended meetings and practices even after being placed on injured reserve "for support" and "to help the guys however I can," said in December that he's "had such a great experience with the guys," and wants to come back for at least one more season.

In November, Austin also had praise not just for his teammates but also head coach Mike Pettine. On his teammates, he said, "I feel like I relate to a bunch of the guys on the team. I'm learning things from them too, and we are working together as a team."

On Pettine, he gushed: "He's been great, in my opinion [smiles]. I've had three other head coaches. He just takes care of us. He keeps us focused on the business we need to take care of. Each week he prepares us the right way. He has us ready for each individual game. He's a guy you enjoy playing for. You want to win for him."

It's hard to find Browns players so effusive in their praise of the team, especially one who had spent just one season in Cleveland. Austin clearly enjoyed his 2014 season, sticking around to help out when he could have sat home recovering from his injury. That's the kind of veteran teammate the Browns need, especially in a young offense.

Austin may be a little older. He may have an inauspicious injury history. But he was a strong on-field competitor for the Browns in 2014 and a solid source of leadership in the locker room and in meetings. That type of personality is necessary, especially with the Browns' offense yet again dealing with a period of change. 

Though free agency may not be an active time for the Browns this year, Austin should be a priority re-signing. What he brings to the roster, both on and off the field, and his desire to be there makes it a no-brainer for the Browns.