Brian Hartline Cut by the Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns ended up with 14 picks in the 2016 NFL Draft a few weeks ago. And of those 14 picks, five of them were receivers and there’s still a chance Josh Gordon comes back. Terrelle Pryor is about as intriguing as they get as an athlete coverting to receiver too.

So whatever dead weight there is on the roster, especially at receiver, needs to be trimmed off. And Monday, receiver Brian Hartline was declared dead weight and cut from the team. The 29-year-old struggled to gain separation in recent years, wearing cornerbacks like coats.

So he was on the bottom of the food-chain on one of the worst pass-catching groups in the NFL. Hartline had 523 yards on 46 receptions, with two touchdowns in 12 games last season. That’s not enough to not give one of the five receivers the Browns drafted a shot at developing.

This young group of receivers need all the minicamp, OTA, and training camp reps they can get. Particularly Corey Coleman, the 1st-rounder, who could come right in and ball out. He’s going to have to because as of right now, he’s in line to be the team’s No. 1 receiver.

Andrew Hawkins is now the only veteran receiver the Browns still have on the roster. And again, the NFL did give Gordon another shot to come back in August so hopefully, he makes good on it. We’ll see if Hartline could latch on with a team searching for a veteran No. 3 or 4 receiver.

Either way, the Browns are moving on with their moneyball.