Where Do Cleveland Browns Turn for a TE Now?

The Cleveland Browns' bid to keep hold of free-agent tight end Jordan Cameron failed. Though general manager Ray Farmer said on Tuesday (via Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer) that the Browns had considered using the transition tag on Cameron, they ultimately opted not to. The end result was Cameron signing with the Miami Dolphins because, in Farmer's words, "he wanted to go to Miami."

Given that the Browns weren't likely to succeed in their bid to re-sign Cameron, his departure is not a shock. However, it left them in a difficult situation.

Without Cameron, the Browns currently have two tight ends on their roster—Jim Dray and Gary Barnidge, who combined for 30 catches, 398 yards and one score in 2014. They did try to grab Charles Clay away from the Dolphins once Cameron had signed with Miami, but lost out to the Buffalo Bills.

The Browns also had their sights on Jermaine Gresham, a five-year veteran of the Cincinnati Bengals who has 24 career touchdowns on 280 receptions. However, Gresham underwent back surgery last week for a herniated disc, with no clear timetable for recovery.

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Gresham will have to pass a physical to join the Browns or any other team—and the Bengals remain interested in re-signing him. Though Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said of Gresham (via Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer), "He's a man of many, many, many, many, many, many, many moods," he also added, "Jermaine could be an option," and noted Gresham's loyalty as a positive trait.

Given Gresham's status and that he could return to Cincinnati, for now, it appears the Browns will have to take one free-agent tight end off of their wish list. That means the pool has thinned considerably at the position. There are few free-agent tight ends still on the market and none, beyond Gresham, who can take on a heavy receiving role.

Barring the Browns trying to trade for a tight end already on another team's roster, their best option is to find one in next month's draft, and even that is a tricky proposition.

Player	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	YPR	TD
Williams	36	569	15.8	8
Walford	44	676	15.4	7
O'Leary	48	618	12.8	6

There are perhaps three tight ends that the Browns could consider in the first two rounds of the draft and only one—Minnesota's Maxx Williams—who would be worthy of one of the Browns' two first-round selections.

The other two, Miami's Clive Walford and Florida State's Nick O'Leary, could also find their services in high demand, potentially to the point that all three are spoken for by the time Round 2 ends. The Browns aren't the only team in need of an upgrade at receiving tight end, which could considerably inflate the values of the top three players at the position, especially considering the drop-off in talent behind them.

Therefore, if the Browns view tight end as a need—and they should—then they may have to get aggressive in their pursuit of Williams. That could put him in play at 12th-overall. Waiting until their second pick in the round at 19 might see him already selected.

Though that wouldn't rule out the possibilities of O'Leary or Walford, it would potentially force the Browns into drafting solely for need—something teams are mostly loathe to do in the draft's first round—and scrambling their draft board.

Even if the Browns envision expanded roles for Dray and Barnidge in 2015, they will still have to add at least one tight end in the coming months, and not just for camp duties. They don't just need more than two tight ends on the summer's 90-man roster, but also more than two on the final 53-man roster and the 46-man game-day list, especially if one is considered a dedicated pass-catcher in the Cameron style.

In a year thin at tight end, from free agency to the draft, the Browns have found themselves in an unpleasant—though navigable—situation. 

Gresham is indeed still in play, but it will be some time before the Browns and Bengals can engage in a bidding war for his services. Beyond that, the Browns can pursue a trade, but it's looking increasingly likely that they will have to turn to the draft to fill out their tight end ranks.

Rounds 1 and 2 can produce a starting-caliber player, granted they get one of the top three at the position, while later rounds will at least provide them with depth at the position.