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Over at ESPN, Bill Barnwell ranked all 32 teams based on who has the best offensive triplets, excluding offensive linemen. For each team, a quarterback was automatically slotted for one of the three triplets. The other two players could consist of any of the team’s wide receivers, running backs, and tight ends.
The Cleveland Browns ranked dead last at No. 32 for offensive triplets:
QB Robert Griffin, WR Corey Coleman, TE Gary Barnidge
This won't be the only time the Browns finish last in a list this year, and finishing at the bottom of this one won't qualify them for future draft picks. The nicest thing you can say about Cleveland's woeful collection of skill-position talent is that it's relatively young and with upside. RG III is just 26, having been born the same year (1990) as the still-blurry picture of Brock Osweiler, so it's fair to say his long-term fate as a professional quarterback remains unresolved.
Coleman, the first of five receivers the Browns drafted this year, seems to be the one decision Cleveland made during draft week that everyone agrees upon. And while Barnidge is already 30, he quietly produced a stretch of Rob Gronkowski-esque play last season despite some of the league's worst quarterback play. What's most amazing, perhaps, is that the Browns have significantly upgraded their skill-position talent from a year ago and are still last.
That last line has to sting. “The Browns have significantly upgraded their skill-position talent from a year ago and are still last.”
The Baltimore Ravens are the closest AFC North foe to Cleveland at No. 27 with their trio of Joe Flacco, Justin Forsett, and Steve Smith. When it comes to Cleveland vs. Baltimore with respect to those trios, one could say the Browns are in better shape long-term due to their youth.
One question I would have is if Josh Gordon had been re-instated, whose spot does he take on the list (Coleman or Barnidge), and would his presence have been enough to elevate Cleveland somewhere higher than No. 32? For reference, the No. 31 team was the 49ers with QB Blaine Gabbert, RB Carlos Hyde, and WR Torrey Smith.