Browns push to sign Julian Edelman after losing Andrew Hawkins

The wide receiver market is quickly drying up after Eric Decker signed with the New York Jets and Golden Tate signed with the Detroit Lions.

That leaves Julian Edelman as the best available receiver, and the Cleveland Browns appear to be targeting him now that they'll likely lose out on Andrew Hawkins:

Browns making strong push to get Julian Edelman in the fold. The effort comes now that Cleveland expects Cincy to match offer for Hawkins

— Michael Giardi (@MikeGiardi) March 13, 2014

The Browns would be getting a nice consolation prize in Edelman if they do indeed miss out on Hawkins. The Bengals are expected to match the offer sheet Hawk signed with Cleveland, though they have yet to receiver the actual contract.

The Pats have made it clear they want Edelman back, but he's already rejected a three-year deal they offered him prior to the start of the free agency signing period. Edelman is coming off a year where he caught 105 passes for 1,056 yards and 6 touchdowns, but he has been plagued by injuries throughout his career.

He was able to play in all 16 games for the first time in his career in 2013. He played in just 22 of the previous 32 games as a Patriot. He had just 69 career receptions coming into last year.

The concern with Edelman clearly should be if he's a one-year wonder, and can he succeed in Cleveland with an unstable quarterback situation vs. playing in New England with Tom Brady.