Cleveland Browns Rumors: Could WR Mohamed Massaquoi be the Odd Man Out in 2012?

Friday, January 20, 2012

ClevelandBrowns.com

By Bob Evans
Senior Writer

The Cleveland Browns wide receiving corps has been among the league’s worst over the past few seasons, and quite possibly the most disappointing member of that group has been Mohamed Massaquoi.

After another underachieving season, in which he was supposed to be the No. 1 receiver on the team, many are beginning to question whether or not Massaquoi should even be on the Browns roster next season.

With the emergence of rookie Greg Little (61 receptions, 709 yards and two touchdowns), and the impressive play of both Joshua Cribbs (41 receptions, 518 yards and four touchdowns) and Jordan Norwood (23 receptions, 268 yards and one touchdown) as No. 3/No. 4 options, there might not be enough room in Cleveland for Massaquoi. Let’s also not forget the team decided to finally let project wideout Carlton Mitchell see the field later in the season thanks to a slew of injuries—including yet another concussion (his second in two seasons) to Massaquoi.

After being selected in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, many people thought he could develop into a No. 1 option after watching him shred SEC defenses during his senior year. However, what many people have come to realize is that Massaquoi’s production in college may have been less about his talent and abilities and more about his quarterback (Matthew Stafford) at the time.

In three seasons, he has compiled just 101 receptions, 1,491 yards and seven touchdowns with the Browns. One could argue he slow progression has been mainly because of the revolving Cleveland quarterback carousel, and he has not been given the proper of time to develop any sort of rhythm with his quarterback. But after seeing the likes of Little, Cribbs and Norwood develop a familiarity with Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace this season, it is more likely Massaquoi just isn’t a fit for the system.

It's always tough to give up on a 25-year-old wide receiver with his size (6’2”, 207 pounds). He has shown flashes, with the Browns, using his athletic ability to make some acrobatic catches which give fans hope of why the team drafted him. Despite these catches, he has not shown enough consistency for the Browns to warrant giving him another year in the system.

Massaquoi does have one year left on his contract before becoming a free agent in 2013, but with a slew of young receivers who fit the West Coast offense available in the draft, the team may decide to cut ties with their former No. 1 receiver. His contract for the 2012 season is just $565,000, so this move would purely be about opening up playing time for the other players than money.

Outside of potential first-round draft picks like Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon, South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery, Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd and Baylor’s Kendall Wright, there are a number of big-name free agents available as well. Marques Colston (New Orleans), Dwayne Bowe (Kansas City) and Vincent Jackson (San Diego) are all big, physical receivers who could come in and take Massaquoi’s No. 1 slot if the money is right.

With all of these options available for the Browns, it may have time for the team to cut their ties with another failed 2009 draft experiment after cutting fellow second-round pick Brian Robiskie earlier in the season. General manager Tom Heckert may have to come to the realization that Massaquoi will never be the receiver Eric Mangini's regime thought he could be when they drafted him.

Once Massaquoi is out of the way, the Browns will be able to find a true No.1 receiver who can be a dependable target for whoever is under center for Cleveland in 2012.

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