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Brian Hartline visiting the Cleveland Browns Tuesday

By Will Osgood

Dec 28, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline (82) celebrates his catch against the New York Jets in the second half at Sun Life Stadium. The Jets defeated Miami 37-24. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 28, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline (82) celebrates his catch against the New York Jets in the second half at Sun Life Stadium. The Jets defeated Miami 37-24. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Dolphins, and Ohio State, wide receiver Brian Hartline is visiting the Browns on Tuesday.

With NFL free agency eight days away from officially beginning, teams are hurrying to bring in players who are currently available to be signed (because they were cut by their former teams).

The Dolphins released wide receiver Brian Hartline in February. On Tuesday he will be in Cleveland visiting the Browns.

Hartline, is generally seen as a small wide receiver, but is actually 6’2″. He is wiry, though, at just 180 pounds. Because of that he is often considered a slot receiver similarly to other “white slot receivers” like Wes Welker, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.

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But that is a misconception about Hartline. Unlike those slot receivers, who generally never average above 10.0 yards per reception, Hartline has never had a season in which he averaged less than 12.2 yards per catch, and it was this past year, his worst as a professional.

The underrated Hartline has 298 catches in six professional seasons, all spent in Miami with the Dolphins. He was particularly helpful to the rookie and second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill in 2012 and ’13. In those two seasons he recorded 74 and 76 catches, respectively.

Those 150 catches make up almost exactly half of his career catch total. He also had 2,099 yards combined in those two seasons, which is close to half of his career total: 4,243.

For his career, Hartline has been targeted 522 times, giving him a catch rate of 57.1 percent. That is a take it or leave it number, but his 8.13 yards per target is quite a solid figure.

The point so far is to say that Hartline is a solid NFL receiver who may have just had a down year in 2014. If that is true, he should come cheap and can be a valuable playmaker for whichever quarterback begins next season under center in Mike Pettine’s second season.

It would also make for a nice homecoming story, as Hartline played his college ball at nearby Ohio State in Columbus, and was born in Canton, Ohio–the home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Hartline played just three seasons for the Buckeyes, recording 90 career catches for 1,429 yards and 12 touchdowns. His best season came in 2007, his sophomore year, when he caught 52 passes for 694 yards with six touchdowns.

Hartline will not turn 29 until beyond the midway point of the 2015 NFL regular season.

The Browns are without a standout wide receiver after the full-year suspension given to Josh Gordon earlier this offseason.

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