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February 5, 2016The Cleveland Browns finished another disappointing and dysfunctional season in 2015, ending the season tied for the worst record in the NFL at 3-13. This past season brought on a lot of change, including a whole new front office led by Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta and a new coaching staff led by head coach Hue Jackson. With the changes, the franchise has brought new hope to its fan base. (…Again.)
Over the course of the next couple weeks, I am taking a look at what the Browns have going into the really important offseason, examining through each position of the team. The next position in the series that we will take a look at is the tight end and fullback groups.
Where the Browns stand series: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Tight Ends/Fullbacks
Tight Ends/Fullbacks on the Roster
- Gary Barnidge
- E.J. Bibbs
- Jim Dray
- Randall Telfer
- Connor Hamlett
- Malcolm Johnson (FB)
Recap of 2015 Season
The Browns tight end and fullback groups in 2015 were a story of good and not so good. The groups saw an outstanding performance from an individual player, but overall they did not perform well enough.
The outstanding player of the tight ends and fullbacks was tight end Gary Barnidge. Barnidge had a breakout year for the Browns, earning his first Pro Bowl appearance in his eighth season in the NFL. The tight end caught 79 receptions for 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns, which are all career highs. He led the team in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He was the safety net for Browns quarterbacks all year. He earned the nickname “Big Play” Gary because of his production on the field this year. The one area where he did not perform well was blocking. Coming into the year, Barnidge was a solid blocker, but this season was a different case. He struggled blocking in the run game, which hindered the Browns’ ability to move the ball on the ground. Still, his production in the pass game was huge for an offense with few playmakers.
Jim Dray was average this season, playing mediocre at best as both a blocker and receiver. Dray was a non-factor in the receiving game — He caught 16 receptions for 61 yards — playing most of his snaps as a blocker. He is just not a player who can be a difference maker in the passing game. He was used primarily as a blocker, but his blocking was marred by inconsistency and ineffectiveness. For a player who is often deployed like an extra lineman, Dray was just not good enough to do the job.
E.J. Bibbs was an enigma this season. Bibbs showed promise during the preseason, catching seven passes for 54 yards in four games. During the season, the young tight end had a tough time earning time on the field, catching only one pass for seven yards. Bibbs has the athleticism and size that teams look for in a tight end. But beyond his athleticism he is still very raw, which caused his rookie season to become a learning experience. I believe Bibbs can be a real tight end in this league and the Browns should try to develop him further.
Sixth-round pick Randall Telfer missed his entire rookie season with an injury. He could become a factor next season because of his blocking ability. Connor Hamlett was signed late in the season to the Browns practice squad and is unlikely to remain with the team next season.
The Browns’ sole fullback on the roster this season was rookie Malcolm Johnson. Johnson played in 12 games, amassing four catches for 15 yards. Johnson was primarily used as a lead blocker in the run game. But, like Jim Dray, he was just not good enough in this area. He struggled quite a bit in run blocking, which limited the Browns’ ground attack. He must develop this offseason in order to stick around.
The only real bright spot among the Browns tight ends and fullbacks this past season was the breakout of Gary Barnidge. His receiving production enhanced raise the passing game, which otherwise had very few playmakers. But beyond Barnidge, this group was just not good. The team lacked a true blocking tight end or fullback who could be trusted to block consistently in the run game. The lack of effective blocking caused the run game to suffer for most of the season. With Hue Jackson coming in, the Browns must improve these positions because of the importance of the run in Jackson’s offense.
2015 Season Grade: C+
Offseason To Do List
- Find a better blocking tight end
The Browns sorely need a blocking tight end. This season’s poor run game was severely hurt by the lack of extra blockers the Browns could utilize from their tight end group. When they did put in a tight end to block, it did not go so well in many of the situations. With Hue Jackson calling the plays, the Browns need to get blocking tight ends to help in Jackson’s power run scheme. This position is used quite a bit by Jackson. Right now the Browns are lacking anyone the coaches can rely on to block and help out in the run game from the tight end position.
- Find a better fullback
Hue Jackson utilizes the fullback in both blocking and receiving situations. Right now the Browns only have one fullback on the roster, Malcolm Johnson, and he was just not good this season. He struggled blocking, his main task, and was pretty much a non-factor in rushing and receiving. Jackson needs to have a fullback who can at least block well because he uses a fullback to block frequently in the power run game. He would love to have a versatile one who can also be a able to catch out of the backfield. The fullback spot should be a position of need for the Browns going into the offseason.
- Give E.J. Bibbs more playing time
E.J. Bibbs has a lot of potential but was pretty much missing for most of his rookie season. In the preseason, he showed a lot of promise in the passing game, showing that he could possibly be a threat for defenses. Bibbs has the athleticism to be a mismatch against almost all coverage. He was just really raw and had a lot of learning to do in his rookie season. As I have said, Jackson loves the use of tight ends, so having another tight end alongside Gary Barnidge would give Jackson yet another tight end to use in different situations and cause mismatches.
6 Comments
Is Lawrence Vickers still around?
I’d love to see Bibbs get more playing time and Rob Housler to get no playing time at all. I’d also love to see the Browns spend a very small amount of that cap space to get a proven veteran fullback. They’re relatively inexpensive and our attempts to find rookies to fill that role have failed.
Only saving grace for Malcolm Johnson is rookie FB historically struggle a ton. Not all of them get better, but he potentially could is all.
and wasn’t he a TE at miss. state ?? so , he was basically learning a new position as a rookie.
I think he was more of an h-back? They moved him around a lot.
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