Now that the 2007 season gets smaller and smaller in the Cleveland Browns rearview mirror, we here at www.DawgBones.com want to start looking ahead. In a weekly feature we are calling Browns Spotlight, we are going to take a look at the Browns current positional situations and whether or not they need to be upgraded or left alone. We will also explore whether or not we feel that the team would be best suited to fill their needs via the NFL Draft or free agency. We hope you all enjoy and look forward to hearing all your comments and concerns in The Bone Yard forums.

Heading into the 2007 NFL season it appeared that the Cleveland Browns would be alright at the wide receiver position. After all they had incumbent starters Braylon Edwards and Joe Jurevicius returning and guys like Joshua Cribbs and 2nd year pro Travis Wilson battling for the 3rd WR position. The Browns even decided to go out and acquire veteran WR Tim Carter in a trade with the New York Giants. The Giants got RB Reuben Droughns and the Browns got Carter. Droughns was no longer the featured guy as the Browns signed Jamal Lewis as their featured back and Carter had fallen out of favor with the Giants after years of injuries and underachieving. Carter would give the Browns offense a deep threat, something it lacked with Edwards and Jurevicius.

The unit was no doubt helped by the new offensive system that offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski brought to Cleveland. A system that was more polished then any the team had employed since returning to the league in 1999. In fact the 192 first downs accumulated by the team through the air was 21 more then any other season since the teams return to the league in 1999.

2007 was a breakout year for 3rd year pro Braylon Edwards. It can't be stressed enough that many experts believe year 3 is the year in which WR's take the next step and Edwards did that in a big way. His 80 receptions were 2nd most on the team, but his 1,289 yards and 16 TD's led the team and are new team records. The 16 TD's were 2nd most in the NFL by any receiver. Edwards was also selected to his 1st Pro Bowl in 2007 and started in the annual classic. Finally many feel Edwards has lived up to his potential and is just now tapping into it.

As for Joe Jurevicius his 2007 campaign was a mixed bag. JJ caught 50 balls in 2007, 3rd most of his career, for 614 yards, 3rd most in his career. Once though of as a red zone threat though, JJ only caught 3 TD's and has only 6 in 2 seasons with the Browns. To his credit though he battled a knee injury for much of the season, but on Sunday he was there and ready each and every week. JJ has come out and made a statement that the 2008 season will probably be his last, if that is the case then now would be the time for the Browns to move him into the slot as the 3rd receiver and get another WR on the outside to complement Edwards.

As for the Carter pickup, well let's just say it was nice knowing you Tim Carter. In his first and more then likely last season with the Browns Carter caught just 8 balls, the fewest since his rookie year in 2002. With a long reception of 22 yards on the season, Carter's deep speed was never tapped into as he became a major disappointment. As for Cribbs he had 3 catches on the year and Travis Wilson never saw the field in 2007.

With Carter exiting, JJ's retirement looming and the failure of either Cribbs or Wilson to make an impact in the receiving game the Browns must address the situation this off-season and we think they will starting in free agency. The ideal candidate to be a Cleveland Browns WR, all money issues aside, would be veteran WR Bernard Berrian. Berrian is coming off a career year in 2007 that saw him grab 71 passes for 951 yards and 5 TD's. Berrian's deep speed will be what intrigues the Browns though. With his speed it would give the Browns what they hoped Carter would, the ability to stretch a defense and open up the running game even more. With Edwards more then likely garnering more double teams in 2008, having a reliable weapon opposite him will be of utmost importance. Berrian is rumored to be looking for a healthy contract though and with the Browns many needs defensively he may price himself out of their plans. The team would then need to look for a 2nd tier free agent WR like Bryant Johnson of the Cardinals. Johnson is a former 1st round pick, but has been relegated to the 3rd WR position in Arizona behind guys named Fitzgerald and Boldin. He has a ton of potential and will not break the bank. Some other names of interest would be Drew Carter, a former Ohio State WR, Andre Davis, a former Browns WR or Devard Darling, a player that Browns G.M. Phil Savage had a hand in drafting in 2004 while still with the Baltimore Ravens.

The crop of WR's in this years NFL Draft is far from deep at least where the Browns would be looking to add a WR. The Browns would use a late 1st day pick if a WR fell to them that they just could not believe was there, but more than likely the need would be addressed on day 2. Keeping with the need for a WR with some deep speed and good hands we think the following players would be of interest to the Browns. Houston WR Donnie Avery has excellent timed speed and has soft hands and good ball skills according to our friend Scott Wright at NFLDraftCountdown.com. Another possibility is WR Andre Caldwell from Florida. Caldwell has speed to burn and comes from a program in Florida that is very complex, preparing him for what life is like in an NFL offense. More then likely whoever the team would take in the draft in 2008, they won't be making plays for them on the field for a couple of years.

So moving forward it would be our guess that the Browns would prefer to address the WR position in free agency rather then the draft. One has to wonder how the failure of Travis Wilson, who was drafted in the 3rd round in 2006, will impact the teams decision to take another WR that isn't considered "elite" like Braylon Edwards. We would love to see Barrian, but the money has to be right, if not Johnson or Carter would be fine by us.

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