The Cleveland Browns continue to seek a way in which to lessen the loss of Josh Gordon.
Gordon, the dominant wide receiver seemingly stuck in a perpetual motion machine of drugs, alcohol and NFL suspensions, is now gone for likely the entirety of the 2015 season, leaving the Browns with little in the way of impact players on the outside of their offense.
While major upgrades rarely come in the latter days of NFL free agency, there is a player, recently cut by his own team that the Browns are reportedly showing a fair amount of interest in: former Kansas City Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe.
"As others have said, #Browns have interest in WR Dwayne Bowe. My understanding is it's strong interest," ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan tweeted.
"Whether it results in a deal remains to be seen. Right now, they don't have two starting outside WRs," he added shortly thereafter.
The Browns added hometown kid, Brian Hartline, already this offseason and while Hartline is a steady, quality contributor who runs precise routes and plays with a ton of veteran savvy, he is in no way shape or form Cleveland's long-term answer at the position.
Bowe, despite his many faults - and yes, there are many - is an incredibly talented player. Of course, when the discussion of your NFL future still focuses on your immense and as-of-yet untapped potential, even after eight seasons in the league, it's a pretty major red flag.
Still, Bowe has gone over the 1,000-yard mark three times in his career and come close to eclipsing it once more. He topped out at 86 receptions in 2008 and fifteen touchdowns in 2010.
He's a big, physical player with good athleticism and run after the catch skills - he was a 2007 NFL Draft first-round pick for a reason, after all - but he's simply never been able to turn himself into the dominant player, like Gordon once-upon-a-time, many expected he'd become.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that, in addition to Bowe, the Browns are expected to explore the possibility of adding Stevie Johnson, recently released by the San Francisco 49ers, as an option.
Johnson, 28, just completed his seventh season in the league. After posting consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2010 to 2012, his receptions and yards totals have consistently declined. Still, he's a quality deep threat and a talented player when healthy.
For the Browns, facing a potential wide receiver depth chart topped by Hartline, Andrew Hawkins and Taylor Gabriel and the perennially underrated Travis Benjamin, the addition of Bowe and/or Johnson could be smart, if not exactly awe-inducing moves.
Assuming the contract numbers aren't out of whack - which they aren't likely to be for either player, considering Bowe finished last season with just 60 receptions for 754 yards and no touchdowns and Johnson grabbed only 35 balls for 435 yards and three touchdowns - these are the type of low-risk, high-reward signings that could start to swing things back in Browns GM Ray Farmer's favor.
