The Cleveland Browns were not much of an aerial threat on offense last season. The team ranked 22nd in receiving yards per game (229.9) and dead last in receiving touchdowns (12) and receptions (274). Although they averaged 4.5 yards per carry before center Alex Mack, who is now healthy, went down with a season ending injury in Week 5, they'll have to get better in the passing game if they want to win. So out with the old and in with the new as general manager Ray Farmer signed wide receivers Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe in free agency this offseason.
But which one will be the go-to target in this passing offense? It's a question that was posed to ESPN Browns reporter Pat McManamon in his weekly mailbag.
@PatMcManamon Who will have a better season at Wide Receiver Brian Hartline or Dwayne Bowe #BrownsMail
— Payton Dearth (@PaytonDearth) July 23, 2015
"I'm going with Brian Hartline," McManamon answered. "Dwayne Bowe, to me, has never consistently lived up to the moniker of the No. 1 receiver. He's had good seasons, but not great ones year after year. He did not have a single touchdown last season and he was targeted 93 times, just less than six per game, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
"After catching 72 and 81 passes in 2010 and '11, Bowe has caught 59, 57 and 60 the last three seasons. Whether it's a function of the Kansas City offense or whether it's a function of Bowe being in a decline will play out. Andy Reid is a pretty good offensive coach and he preferred Jeremy Maclin.
"Hartline's receptions in Miami dropped in 2014 as well, from 74 and 76 in 2012 and '13 to 47 in '14. But unlike Bowe, Hartline's targets dropped precipitously.
"In 2013 and 2012, he was targeted 130 and 125 times. Last season he was thrown to 62 times.
"While Bowe's numbers raise valid questions about where he is in his career. Hartline is one season removed from a career-high in catches. He is a hard-nosed, consistent player; the Browns know what they will get from him. For all those reasons, I believe Hartline will have a better season."
We still don't know who for sure will be starting under center for the Browns. Veteran free agent addition Josh McCown will enter training camp atop the depth chart, but head coach Mike Pettine did say that Johnny Manziel could win the job with a good performance over the next few weeks. Either way, Hartline may be the one catching the majority of the passes.
