According to several reports, the Browns have come to terms with wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. The team's second pick in the second round signed a four-year contract, according to Pro Football Talk. The deal is worth a maximum of $3.636 million.

Former Ohio State wide receiver Brian Robiskie is the only rookie the team has yet to sign.

For his career at Georgia, Massaquoi caught 158 passes for 2,282 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The Browns have added another veteran, but this one has never played for the Jets. On Tuesday, the team signed wide receiver Mike Furrey. That follows the team's signing of receiver David Patten in March and drafting Brian Robiskie and Moahamed Massaquoi.

Furrey has played football professionally since 2000, catching 198 passes for 2,128 yards. His best season came in 2006 with Detroit when he had 98 catches for 1,086 yards.

In nine games last season, Furrey had only had 18 catches for 181 yards.

The Browns are faced with a dilemma at wide receiver where the availability of Donte' Stallworth is unknown and Braylon Edwards has voiced his displeasure with the team.

Something is likely to happen in the team's receiving corps before the season starts. The Browns currently have Edwards, Stallworth, Furrey, Patten, Massaquoi, Robiskie, Josh Cribbs, Syndric Steptoe, Lance Leggett and Paul Hubbard.

It seems that the buzz is again growing about the Browns possibly moving Braylon Edwards to the New York Giants for draft picks.

Initially everyone heard the trade the Browns wanted was New York's second- and fifth-round picks and young wide receiver Steve Smith. The Giants countered with the first, third and either Domenik Hixon or Mario Manningham. As the story goes, the Browns rebuffed that deal.

Now there is some word out that the Browns wanted New York's first- and third-round selections. And why not? Dallas trade a first, third and sixth for Detroit's Roy Williams and a seventh-round pick.

The Giants are seemingly real players in a trade for a wide receiver after releasing self-shooter Plaxico Burress. The team has 10 draft picks and made several key offseason acquisitions so it's unlikely 10 rookies will make the team.

Still, a first and third is probably still too steep for the Giants. So, we ask you, what is a fair price for Braylon Edwards? Not necessarily what you would take for Edwards, but what you think the Browns will take.

Update: The Newark Star-Ledger's Mike Garafolo is shooting down the latest rumor. Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see something happen.

Who they've got: Steve Heiden (23 catches, 249 yards, three touchdowns), Jamal Lewis (23 catches, 178 yards), Syndric Steptoe (19 catches, 182 yards), Jerome Harrison (12 catches, 116 yards, one touchdown), Lawrence Vickers (10 catches, 78 yards), Charles Ali (four catches, 13 yards), Josh Cribbs (two catches, 18 yards), Martin Rucker (two catches, 17 yards), Steve Sanders (one catch, 18 yards).

Who they've lost: Kellen Winslow (43 catches, 428 yards, three touchdowns) was traded to Tampa Bay. Jason Wright (22 catches, 156 yards, one touchdown) was not re-signed. Darnell Dinkins (five catches, 41 yards, one touchdown) was not re-signed. Joe Jurevicius was released.

Who they've added: Robert Royal (33 catches, 351 yards, one touchdown), David Patten (11 catches, 162 yards, one touchdown)

Who they could lose: Braylon Edwards (55 catches, 873 yards, three touchdowns) has been rumored to be traded to the Giants. Donte' Stallworth (17 catches, 170 yards, one touchdown) might get suspended due to legal troubles.

Thoughts: Edwards is still with the team (for now). Rumors have him being traded to the Giants. Patten hasn't played 16 games four out of the last six seasons. Cribbs continues to be an enigma as a receiver. Harrison was underutilized last season. Sanders' best asset continues to having a shared name with a Beverly Hills 90210 character.

What they should do: Stick with Edwards and hope he has a great contract-grab season. Still draft a wide receiver with the team's fourth-round pick, regardless of whether he is here or not.

If Edwards is traded, like many fans want to see, possibly select Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech with the fifth overall pick in the draft. If a receiver isn't drafted early and Edwards is gone, it's hard to believe whomever Cleveland's quarterback is will succeed.

Really, are you confident Steptoe and Cribbs will provide more catching the ball? Or that Harrison will actually be used sufficiently? Or that Stallworth won't spend the season behind bars?

The Browns put out this statement from wide receiver Donte Stallworth:

“My family and I are grief stricken over the tragic accident which occurred Saturday on Miami Beach where Mario Reyes sadly lost his life.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the Reyes family during this incredibly difficult time. Unfortunately, since this accident is still under police investigation, I cannot comment further on the matter at this time.”

Authorities are awaiting results of toxicology reports taken at the scene of the accident. Results aren't expected before Friday.

News is trickling in about Browns wide receiver Donte Stallworth. He was involved in an accident in the early hours of the day that took the life of a pedestrian in Miami this morning. Per the Miami Herald, Stallworth's Bentley struck the 59 year old Mario Reyes around 7:17 AM on the McArthur Causeway. There has been no word from the authorities whether Stallworth was impaired at the time of the accident.

The Browns were believed to have paid out a $4.75 million roster bonus yesterday to Stallworth.

Per PFT's Mike Florio, the Browns have a released a statement regarding the matter:

“We are aware of the incident involving Donte Stallworth and have been in contact with his representatives,” the Browns said in a statement released this afternoon. “We understand the seriousness of this situation, but will not have any further comment at this time as this is an ongoing investigation.”

Yesterday the Pro Bowl rosters were announced, and two Browns made the roster.  Offensive tackle Joe Thomas and nose tackle Shaun Rogers are heading to Hawaii.

Rogers is not a surprise given his amazing play this year, but also the amount of talent at defensive tackle in the AFC.  The two starting tackles in front of, Albert Haynesworth and Kris Jenkins have both received press as possible Defensive Player of the Year honorees.  Haloti Ngata got the snub in Baltimore, along with Patriot Vince Wilfork.

To see Thomas make the roster as a starter is encouraging, but he's been less than stellar this season.  It's hard to match a season like Thomas had in 2007.  The Pro Bowl can be a glorified popularity contest though.  With Thomas getting the nod, it's a testament to the Browns overall national exposure, given their five nationally televised contests this year.

Four Browns made the Pro Bowl as alternates also:

Joshua Cribbs, KR/ST (First alternate) – His overall special teams play this year has been great.  Beating out a special teams ace like Brendon Ayanbadejo is tough though.  Ayanbadejo has a huge reputation for his special teams play.

Phil Dawson, K, (Second Alternate) – One of the Browns who's felt the harsh snub of the Pro Bowl during the team's horrendous years is Dawson.  In 2005 he was one of the best kickers in the NFL, but the team was so bad that he hardly was recognized.

D'Qwell Jackson, ILB, (Third Alternate) – Leading the NFL in tackles has boosted Jackson's name.  He is the Browns best defensive player outside of Rogers in the front seven.

Eric Steinbach, OG, (Third Alternate) – Being named a third alternate hardly guarantees a trip to Hawaii, and Steinbach likely made the list based on name recognition.  He's a high profile guard who's played decent football this season, when healthy.

Roster News

Tight end Steve Heiden and inside linebacker Beau Bell were placed on IR today.  Heiden tore his ACL in the loss on Monday, and Bell will have his problematic knee scoped.  To replace them, the Browns signed former Raiders tight end John Madsen, and then elevated rookie sixth round wide receiver Paul Hubbarb to the active roster.

Madsen has a nice pedigree as a receiving tight end, which makes me wonder if this is another way of keeping rookie Martin Rucker off the field?  Given how things have gone this year, I wouldn't be surprised to Madsen not only on the active roster this week, but also getting extensive playing time.

While Hubbard was the talk of camp, don't expect much production.  He will likely be inactive for the last two games, despite the team's lack of depth at receiver.

Michigan Man

This quote from Braylon Edwards speaks for itself.

"It is what it is … I've learned since being here that I'm very unappreciated. Not by the organization, just in the eyes of the fans and the city. Since Day One, I've been a marked man coming from Michigan. It's just gone that way."

Bud Shaw handles this subject appropriately.  Even the most rabid of Browns/Buckeyes fans don't seem to care about where Edwards comes from.  Most fans DO care about the fact that Edwards continues to drop passes, play unenthusiastic football, and be upset when the team is losing.

No word on if Shantee Orr feels the same way as Edwards.

There it is, masterfully shot by the Beacon Journal's Ed Suba Jr. There is Browns Pro Bowl receiver Braylon Edwards dropping that deep fourth-quarter pass Sunday.

With that drop, did the Browns season effectively (or ineffectively) come to an end? Did the end come earlier this year? Has the end not come yet?

We've had some spirited comments of late, keep them coming. Who knows, if they're good enough, maybe you'll get a guest post where you can rant & rave (trademark: me) about whatever Browns-related topic you'd like.

Things are not looking good for Joe Jurevicius.  The local prodcut will likely be on put on IR today, ending his 2008 season due to staph infection in his surgically repaired knee.  On a team that leads the league in dropped passes, it will hurt to not have the steady Jurevicius.  Who knows what will happen with him at the end of this season, as he had originally planned to retire.  He's under contract through the 2009 season.

What's eating Jamal?  His lack of carries against Baltimore earlier this year.  This quote from head coach Romeo Crennel is particularly troubling:

"If it were as simple as, 'Give it to Jamal 20 times,' the first 20 plays of the game would be handed off to Jamal. But they would load up the box and never have to worry about a pass play. Then you see if that 20 would get you a win or not. Generally, your ability to run the ball keeps the defenses off balance because it opens up your play-action pass."

Stats speak loudly and this is one case where Lewis is probably closer to right than Crennel.  The coach is oversimplifying that particular statistic, while clearly ignoring the importance of Lewis' contribution.  Then again, is anything else to be expected from Crennel?

The Orange and Brown Report did a good preview of Sunday's game with the Ravens.

Ryan Tucker fans (like Dan and I) may have to wait yet again for the veteran offensive linemen to return from his knee injury.   With Kevin Shaffer playing average, it would be helpful if Tucker could get back on the field, but he hasn't practiced this week. 

Sunday will be a homecoming for Ravens rookie Haruki Nakamura, who is from Elyria, OH.  Nakamura is a huge hitter, and his highlight reel on YouTube is some of the most enjoyable hitting I've ever seen.  With Cribbs less than 100% and struggling this season, it could be a dangerous game for him with Nakamura lurking. 

Finally, while this is a bit old, it's still interesting.  The Browns supposedly turned down an offer of 2009 and 2010 first round draft picks from the Minnesota Vikings for Brady Quinn.  There is no clear cut source here, but it seems to be either wildly untrue, or a sign of how important Quinn is to the Browns.  John Clayton reports that Quinn is the Browns quarterback of the future and doubts the discussions went very far.

It's the bye-week, which is classically boring.  There is hardly any team news, so why not take some time to look at the Browns thus far?  Today's look is at the free agent class of 2008.

New Additions

Terry Cousin, CB, (Jaguars):  Signed on May 23rd, 2008 as a reaction to Daven Holly's season ending knee injury, Cousin has been solid performer thus far.  He has played mostly in the dime package, and had an interception against the Bengals this past week.  Cousin is not a great player, but with almost no corner depth, his contribution is huge.

Rex Hadnot, OG, (Dolphins): Originally tabbed as top backup for the line, he's been thrust into action as a starter at right guard with mixed results.  Hadnot was a pretty solid run blocker while in Miami, but he's yet to fit in with the Browns zone blocking scheme.  He's possibly looking at a demotion once Tucker returns. 

Shantee Orr, LB, (Jaguars):  Orr has been a perfect replacement for Chaun Thompson, playing inside/outside linebacker, and providing ace coverage on kick returns.  He's not a headline grabber, but a guy that quietly does his job well. 

Shaun Rogers, DT, (trade w/Lions):  The massive nose tackle has filled out the number 92 jersey well this (formerly of Ted Washington).  He has been the Browns best defensive player thus far (like mentioned below).  He can split the double team, and has played both the run and pass very well.  Watch out for Rogers as the season wears on, because Lions fans have seen this start before. 

Donte' Stallworth, WR, (Patriots): Funny story on Stallworth.  I ran into him the morning of the season opener, shook his hand and wished him luck against the Cowboys.  He's subsequently missed the past four games.  While I'd love to say my handshake is so manly that it caused him to strain his quad, I cannot 100% take that credit.  He's a work in progress, but from what we saw in preseason when he took over as the lead receiver with Edwards hurt, it wasn't pleasing.  Granted Stallworth was playing out of his normal role, so it's hard to judge.  On a sputtering offense, any type of production is a plus.

Corey Williams, DE, (trade w/Packers): The move that on paper looked like the highest impact trade was for Williams.  He's been very quiet thus far, only totaling 14 tackles and 0.5 sacks.  Williams has a big reputation for rushing the passer, with 14 sacks total his previous two seasons in Green Bay.  That player hasn't quite showed up yet, as he adjusts to the Browns new 3-4 defense. 

It's hard to fully judge the new additions, but at this moment the only carrying his weight is Rogers.  He had the most question marks around (maturity, weight, dedication) and thus far he's quieted those concerns.  If Corey Williams can adapt to his new role as a defensive end, it will help shore up what is looking like an improved defense. 

Offensively, the Browns hurt from the lack of production from Hadnot and Stallworth.  Hadnot has struggled at times, especially against the pass.  He may just be a top backup who can play both guard spots and center, but the team did have plans for him to be groomed into a starter eventually.  Stallworth is a total unknown, with so little game action.  With a huge roster bonus coming in March, Stallworth has to perform if he'd like to see that money from the Browns. 

Coming up tomorrow in Part II, a review of the Browns 2008 Draft class.

Thoughts on the veterans?  Comment!