Cleveland Browns WR Debate: It's Just a Waiting Game Right Now

The hottest debate in Cleveland Browns nation right now is the issue of adding a veteran wide receiver to their current group of young and inexperienced receivers.

I have covered two other sides of this debate over the past week, one article covering the need for a veteran , and the other side of not needing a veteran at all .

This is what I see as the final side of the debate and that is to be patient and see what this young group can do with a veteran quarterback in Jake Delhomme throwing them passes during both organized training activities (OTAs), minicamps, and possibly into the first couple of weeks of training camp and the preseason.

Early reports coming out of OTAs say that both Brian Robiskie and Chansi Stuckey are looking very comfortable in the offense and running good routes as well.

The biggest difference for receivers running their routes in OTAs compared to training camp is that there are no pads, so the lack of that weight makes the receivers faster and the defensive backs have trouble in coverages since there is no contact at the line of scrimmage or while running the routes with a receiver.

So it is understandable that both Robiskie and Stuckey are getting raving reviews because OTAs are designed to benefit the offense and players with speed.

Once full pads and contact are present during training camp, we will really see which receivers are playing well and which are struggling.

It is very interesting to note here that last year's No. 1 receiver Mohamed Massaquoi's name has not been mentioned at all, but I will take that as the saying "no news is good news."

Also, rookie Carlton Mitchell's name has not be mentioned much. He was supposedly a steal for the Browns in the sixth round since he was projected as a third or fourth rounders, but if he was indeed making an impact in practice it would have been mentioned by someone in the media.

Mitchell was said to be very raw in his talent and abilities and perhaps that is another reason his name has not been said much due to learning the pro game.

A veteran receiver will take up another roster spot and the Browns need to be wary since they technically have five receiver who look to make the final roster cut, if you consider Josh Cribbs as being a true receiver but that's just a position classification more than anything.

Veteran Muhsin Mohammad's name has been popping up more since he is more than familiar with Delhomme when the two played for the Panthers, but it appears the Browns are riding out their current group until the pads are on.

An additional veteran will also put one of the younger receivers on the bench and that only delays the developmental process.

No matter what the Browns do, as of the beginning of June, it looks as though they will wait until mid-August to see if they will really address the position by adding a veteran.

(Also posted on Dawg Scooper: THE Cleveland Browns Blog.)