Wideout Wipeout?

The Cleveland Browns already were hearing from some quarters about not drafting Clemson's Sammy Watkins to plug in at wide receiver even before the rumors of an impending suspension for Josh Gordon,so it made sense for the Browns to add a pass catcher on day 2.
They passed in favor of guard Joel Bitonio and running back Terrence West.
Ok,fair enough,but certainly they would use their round four pick on someone to bolster the corps,right?
Nope and even though I had four WR's on my board entering the 4th round that I thought would have helped,only Wisconsin's Jared Abberderis was available by the Cleveland selection,so really on my charts,he was the only one passed up.
After that,even if the Browns had their 5th and 6th (and later trading their 7th) picks,the chances of finding an immediate contributor had diminished,so I would not even complain about that.

Much of the Browns fan base is howling about the situation and I cannot blame them in SOME cases.
I wanted Sammy Watkins in the worst way,but Justin Gilbert and a future 1 and 4 was acceptable to me and yes,I really wanted Marquis Lee or Jordan Matthews in the 2nd along with thinking Abberderis could have helped in the fourth.
However,all of that could have been overlooked had the Gordon affair not hit the public-that is where the problems began.

Is there an issue?
Yes,as of now there is-assuming that Josh Gordon is finished for 2014,the Browns look to have injury prone Nate Burleson,drop-happy Greg Little and Andrew Hawkins as their top three receivers with Travis Benjamin and Josh Cooper coming off injuries behind them as depth.
Doesn't exactly bring the greatest show on turf to mind does it?
The Browns signed a few undrafted free agent players at the position,which are roughly the same as a seventh rounder.
I mean,really,the difference is slight,so perhaps one of those will make the team,although the odds are long of one being an immediate contributor.

So we move to the list of available veterans,that all come with caveats,but could help the Browns if all bounces right.
I'm not a fan of former Buckeye Santonio Holmes,I'm not convinced he has a ton of tread left on the tires,he has had off the field issues that this team does not need and has been noted as a clubhouse lawyer as well.
Austin Collie is a slot receiver,so with the cash spent on Andrew Hawkins doesn't appear to be a fit. Robert Meachem has been effective as a one note fly pattern runner with the Saints,but his attempt to do more than just that ended in disaster in San Diego and Earl Bennett never did much for me in his term as a Bear.
Josh Morgan was a player that Tom Heckert wanted in his last free agency run,but signed with Washington and the results were mediocre.
Josh Cribbs is available for a return,but he never was any great shakes as a pass catcher and I doubt he could discover nuance at his age and I don't know anyone that would want to bring back Davone Bess for another term.

However,there are two names that intrigue me and despite the questions that exist,I would consider bringing to Cleveland that could help upgrade this spot.
Miles Austin has had chronic hamstring issues in two of the last three years and chronic is a definition for a reason,but the middle year was decent enough grabbing 66 passes for 943 yards in 2012.
Austin has deep speed,turns 30 before the season and could work well with Johnny Manziel.
The downside is that he had those hamstring problems and rarely do those go away and the colder climate in Cleveland would likely make those worse,not better,but still if the price was right-Austin fits the mold of number one wide receiver more than anyone on the current roster.

The other player might not be even healthy enough to sign in Danario Alexander.
Alexander's knees (plural) are awful,he missed all of last year and might not be ready for the season.
However,anyone that has seen Alexander play ,even on two bad knees, can clearly see the comet like ability that the former Charger possesses.
The Chargers brought him in during the 2012 season,expecting him to be depth-in less than a month he was posting 100+ yard games as he finished the year with 37 catches for well over 600 yards and seven TD's in just 10 games in which he started just six of those.
Alexander has elite level talent,but the injury history and plain bad luck has kept him from fulfilling his potential,but with the right contract (incentive based) and some good luck-Danario Alexander could take away some of the sting from the possible loss of Josh Gordon and if the miracle happens and Gordon plays in 2014,this would be one dynamite bunch.
That is how good Danario Alexander can be.

Let's not hit the panic button,give the Browns a little time and see who the team brings in before we holler to the heavens....