With all of the rosters around the NFL now to 53 there will be plenty of NFL rumors floating around in the next few days. Some pretty significant names hit the waiver wire or free agency, and of those was wide receiver Anthony Armstrong of the Washington Redskins.
There had been rumors floating about that the Redskins were trying to trade Armstrong to the Miami Dolphins for running back Steve Slaton. Nothing came of those rumors, however, and Armstrong now finds himself looking for work.
It shouldn’t take long for the 29-year-old receiver to find work. Armstrong’s season was derailed by injuries in 2011 and he managed only 7 catches for 103 yards but two of those catches went for touchdowns.
In 2010, Armstrong put together a very nice season, catching 44 passes for 871 yards and 3 TDs. Several teams could use a receiver with Armstrong’s speed and ability and one of those teams is the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns are extremely thin at wide receiver. So thin they were forced to spend a 2013 third round draft pick in the 2012 Supplemental NFL Draft on talented, but troubled, receiver Josh Gordon. Aside from Gordon, the Browns return Greg Little, who led the team in receiving last year with 61 catches for 709 and 2 TDs, and Josh Cribbs who had 41 for 518 and 4 scores. Mohamed Massaquoi is coming off of two concussions over the last two seasons and is a question mark.
Enter Armstrong who might be the best receiver to hit the market on Friday. Adding Armstrong would force opponents to respect the deep pass, something nobody had to worry about last season with the Browns. It would also give Josh Gordon a little breathing room in terms of development as well as on the field.
However, despite leading the NFL in drops last season the Browns stood pat with their receiver corps with the lone exception of Gordon and fourth-round pick Travis Benjamin.
The Browns need to add depth here and Armstrong is the perfect player to step in and help stretch the field. Sure, there are questions about his health but none about his work ethic. The Browns should put in the call to Armstrong and get him in uniform.
There should be competition, however. The Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, and New York Jets all might be trying to bring Armstrong into the fold.
