The Cleveland Browns had to address the wide receiver position this offseason and were looking for a few veterans. Brian Hartline was waived by the Miami Dolphins and was looking for a new city to play for.
Hartline visited the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Cleveland Browns during his time as a free agent. He ultimately decided to return to his home state of Ohio and play for the Cleveland Browns.
Hartline signed a two-year $6 million dollar contract to be one of the team’s starting wide receivers. Hartline can still produce in this league as he has great hands and good route-running ability.
He’s also proven that he can rack up the receiving yards as well. Hartline had two back-to-back 1,000 yards receiving in the years 2012 and 2013.
Hartline’s presence will help take the pressure of quarterback Josh McCown as Hartline was once a safety net for his former quarterback Ryan Tannehill. While most defensive backs will look to contain fellow wide receiver Dwayne Bowe this will leave Hartline open for opportunities to make plays.
Hartline is not a touchdown machine by any means, but his ability to make the tough reliable catches are just as valuable. When given the opportunity to throw him the ball, Hartline will catch it more often than not.
When being the No. 2 wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins, Hartline was targeted a total of 325 times over the past three years. He outplayed then No.1 wide receiver Mike Wallace in 2013 which is saying a lot not even being the number one option.
Grant it, he didn’t have a great year last year but it’s hard to ignore what he has done the past few years. The question is how is he going to adjust to a new quarterback when playing with the same one for the past few seasons?
The last time he had a quarterback like that was in 2011 with Matt Moore. While McCown is slightly better than Moore, Hartline thrived under Tannehill and it makes me wonder if he can produce those numbers like he did years ago.
A return to his home state where he grew up and played college football will most likely have motivation for him to help make Cleveland a winner. After all, he did pass up an opportunity to play with the likes of Tom Brady and Jay Cutler and that says a lot.
It seems that offensive coordinator John DeFilippo will run a west-coast type of offense this year. If that’s the case, Hartline will excel in it and I think DeFilippo will find ways to get him the football.
While Dwayne Bowe is the probable No. 1 wide receiver this year, I expect Brian Hartline to lead the team in receiving this year in catches and yards. It’s hard to tell if Dwayne Bowe can be a difference maker like he used to be and fellow wide receiver Andrew Hawkins will not get nearly enough targets like last year.
In 2015, Brian Hartline will make his impact known as he looks to bounce back from an off year. At age 28, he still has some productive years in him left.
The post Cleveland Browns: Analyzing Brian Hartline’s Impact appeared first on isportsweb.
