Cleveland Browns: Full Position Breakdown and Depth Chart Analysis at Tight End

Heading into the 2015 offseason, the Cleveland Browns' tight end position appeared to be in crisis. After losing out on retaining free agent Jordan Cameron and not being able to make headway with any of the other veteran free agents at the position, they were left with just two tight ends on the roster—Gary Barnidge and Jim Dray.

But now, a month away from training camp, the Browns are in much better shape at the tight end position. They signed pass-catcher Rob Housler to replace Cameron and drafted Randall Telfer to make an impact in the future. Barnidge and Dray remain and will have distinct roles this year, and the position is rounded out by young players Emmanuel Bibbs and Kevin Haplea, two undrafted rookies.

Housler was excited to come to Cleveland, because the Browns will be more active in throwing to their tight ends than were the Arizona Cardinals, where Housler spent four years. In speaking with Kevin Jones of the Browns' official website in April, Housler detailed what he expects his role to be this year:

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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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Housler had only nine catches on 17 targets for 129 yards and no scores in 2014, but again, it was the Cardinals' offensive system that was to blame for his low numbers. Housler expects to be more productive in Cleveland, saying, "If you have the targets, then you can have the stats. Without trying to spitball any numbers or anything, there is that opportunity here. I think with [coordinator John DeFilippo's] offense, he's going to spread it around. I saw that chance to be here and make an impact."

ClevelandBrowns.com's Andrew Gribble has already seen Housler's impact this offseason, writing, "Housler has been a fixture with the first-team offense and has done a little bit of everything. ... He lined up at a variety of spots, including the outside." Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository wrote that DeFilippo sees Housler as one of the team's "wild cards" who "can move to assorted spots to create mismatches." 

With the Browns using a lot of motion in their offensive formations—up to four players, wrote Jones in May—Housler will be able to be that mismatch that DeFilippo has envisioned. But he won't be the only tight end heavily involved in the Browns' offensive plans this year.

Head coach Mike Pettine detailed the usage of their three main tight ends, Housler, Dray and Barnidge, when minicamp wrapped last week, via ClevelandBrowns.com:

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We really have two different types of tight ends. The Y is more the on the ball, blocker type where that's Jim [Dray] and Gary [Barnidge]. The F is more of a move type, off the ball, more of a wing. You can flex him out some. Gary is kind of a 'tweener.' He can do both. We just like the depth in the room. We have three guys that they're not identical skillsets there. There's some overlap. Gary, like I said, is kind of both. Jim is more towards the ideal Y, and Rob is more the ideal F.

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Looking at Dray's and Barnidge's snap breakdowns from last year confirms what Pettine sees out of the pair. According to Pro Football Focus, Dray played 612 snaps in 2014, with 182 as a receiver and 360 as a run-blocker. Meanwhile, Barnidge played 366 snaps, with 181 as a receiver and 160 as a run-blocker. Though Dray did outperform Barnidge as a receiver, with more targets, receptions and yards, that was more due to him being on the field more often than Barnidge as well as injuries suffered by both Barnidge and Cameron over the course of the season.

Player	Tgts.	Rec,	Rec.%	Yds.	YPR	TD	YAC
Barnidge	25	13	52.0%	156	12.0	0	47
Dray	28	17	60.7%	242	14.2	1	111
Housler	17	9	52.9%	129	14.3	0	80
Telfer*	n/a	21	n/a	197	9.4	2	n/a

Last year, Dray caught 17 passes for 242 yards and a touchdown, while Barnidge had 13 receptions for 156 yards and no scores. With Housler in the fold—and healthier than Cameron was last year—they won't be needed on the field as much, especially in a receiving capacity. But with Housler not being tasked with many blocking duties, Dray and Barnidge will still have roles to play, especially when it comes to run blocking.

Telfer is the big unknown for 2015. In four years for USC, Telfer totaled 65 catches for 648 yards and 12 touchdowns. But he also missed significant time with knee injuries suffered in 2013. Though he came back in 2014, earning himself USC's Most Inspirational Player honors, his history of knee injuries, plus the foot injury he is nursing now, could hold him out of part, if not all, of his rookie year.

Telfer suffered a Lisfranc injury in his foot in late December and decided to undergo surgery in February. Lisfranc injuries are tricky ones to recover from, even after surgical intervention. He has no timetable to return to action and has not participated in OTAs or minicamp—instead, he is working with the Browns training staff, which "has entailed a lot of stability exercises to get strength and balance back in his foot muscles," reports Jones.

While sidelined, Telfer says he has "been drawing in the playbook, getting with [tight ends] coach [Brian Angelichio] and talking over all the notes." He said, "what's been on my mind is working every day and trying to get better. I look at myself as a well-rounded tight end that's learning the offense." He's optimistic that he'll be able to play this year, but it's also a possibility 2015 is essentially a medical redshirt year for the rookie.

Telfer's injury status could open a door this year for one of the Browns' two undrafted rookie tight ends, the aforementioned Bibbs and Haplea. Bibbs had 45 receptions for 382 yards and eight scores for Iowa State last year and is more of a receiving tight end in the Housler mold, while Haplea is more of a blocker, totaling just six catches for 60 yards in two years at Penn State and five catches for 34 yards in his final two collegiate seasons at Florida State.

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Haplea has special teams experience, which could land him a spot on the Browns' 53-man roster. And if Bibbs proves to be a valuable receiving option, he could stick around, as well. But the Browns highly value Telfer and don't want to expose him to being poached by another team later in the offseason by putting him on the practice squad while his foot heals. 

That doesn't leave a lot of roster space, given that Housler, Dray and Barnidge all seem to have roster spots already locked up. Bibbs and Haplea will have to each show they possess something invaluable to the Browns to remain with the team come September.

Cleveland's tight end situation may not be the most inspiring in the NFL. But given where they stood earlier in the offseason at the position, they've addressed their needs well. Housler should easily take on the role Cameron used to occupy, while Dray and Barnidge provide support in both the passing offense and the run game. Telfer, even if he does prove healthy enough to play at some point this year, will be more valuable in the future, setting the Browns up nicely at the position in 2016 and beyond.