Speculation about wide receiver Dwayne Bowe’s future with the Browns revved up on Thursday when Solomon Wilcots, who calls the team’s preseason games on television, said that Bowe needed “to show up tonight to be a part of the 53-man roster.”
Bowe then played into the third quarter against the Bears, which is usually a time when the field is filled with players angling for spots on practice squads and not those who signed two-year contracts with $9 million in guaranteed money. Bowe had one catch for eight yards in the game, which coach Mike Pettine said wouldn’t be Bowe’s last with the Browns when asked by reporters after the game.
“Dwayne? No,” Pettine said, via Cleveland.com. “He just needed to work, so that’s why he was out there.”
Bowe missed time this summer with a hamstring injury and said he wasn’t surprised by his playing time because he wanted to shake off some rust. He also shrugged off speculation about his roster spot, saying that everyone needs to deliver to make the team.
The Browns showed with defensive tackle Phil Taylor that they are willing to cut players owed a chunk of money. When you add the overall makeup of the receiver position with the Browns to the money, however, it would be surprising to learn that Pettine was being anything but honest about Bowe’s standing in Cleveland.