By SCOTT PETRAK

Staff Writer

BEREA — Donte Stallworth’s lost season epitomizes the Browns’ fortunes in 2008.

He was billed as an upgrade to the offense when he signed a seven-year, $35 million contract in March, but has failed to produce anything close to expectations. As with the team as a whole, injury played a part, but fans remain frustrated.

“This has definitely been the worst,” Stallworth, a receiver, said Friday. “I’m pretty strong mentally, so there’s not a lot of things that get to me. I just try to stay even-keel and work through things.

“But this has definitely been one of the most forgettable years for me — definitely.”

The Browns are Stallworth’s fourth team in four seasons, and many people have assumed he will be one and done here.

But the nearly $5 million bonus he’s due in the offseason is part of the $10 million he was guaranteed, so he’ll be back next year. In fact, the contract calls for him to be paid $17.2 million over the first four years, so it wouldn’t take much for him to be here through 2011.

For the $10 million, the Browns (4-11) have received 16 catches for 158 yards and a touchdown. That’s tough for some fans to swallow.

“I understand that,” he said. “I was paid a lot of money to come here and help out the team, but I’ve been hurt, so I really haven’t been able to do certain things I’ve been wanting to do.

“It’s just a situation to where I’ve got to try to block things out and work through it. It’s never fun when you’re losing. My attitude since midseason is to just go out and control what I can control.”

Stallworth, 28, was supposed to add an element of quickness that was missing from the eighth-ranked offense of a year ago and provide another deep threat. But he strained a quadriceps muscle during warm-ups for the opener and missed the first four games. He aggravated it in Week 8 and missed another game.

“The first few games I was back I really wasn’t feeling too good, then had the reaggravation again in the Jacksonville game,” he said. “Probably the last four or five weeks I’ve been feeling pretty good, been feeling like myself.”

Stallworth’s absence and ineffectiveness were felt more because Joe Jurevicius was lost for the season after a staph infection decimated his knee. General manager Phil Savage decided against adding a veteran receiver, leaving Syndric Steptoe and Steve Sanders behind Braylon Edwards.

So even though Edwards leads the league with 18 drops, the trio of quarterbacks had little choice but to force the ball to him.

“I could’ve helped out a lot more,” Stallworth said. “I don’t think that I’m Jerry Rice or anything like that, but I know what I’m capable of, I know my abilities and I have a lot of confidence in my abilities.

“Would it have completely turned around the season? Who knows? But I know that if I was in there and a major part of the offense, or a decent part, that I would be able to hold my own and we would have a few more wins. I can at least say that.”

Stallworth’s record suggests he’s right. He averaged 46.5 catches, 702 yards and five touchdowns over his first six seasons.

“I was telling somebody I was glad I at least scored a touchdown,” he said. “This would be the first year that I hadn’t scored a touchdown or had a 100-yard game.”

Stallworth also played in at least 13 games in five of the six seasons and 11 in the other, so he wasn’t exactly stamped “fragile” when he arrived.

But when he finally reached the field, the offense was already sputtering, Derek Anderson was in a funk and coordinator Rob Chudzinski was searching for answers. Yet Stallworth never became a focal point, with four catches for 48 yards against Denver his busiest day.

“He really just hasn’t been healthy for most of the season,” Chudzinski said. “He’s played through it but I think his effectiveness has been hurt by it.

“He has done a good job in terms of a leadership standpoint and kind of fighting through it for us so we are not short at receiver. I think he is feeling better, so I’ve seen him open up and show a second gear that I hadn’t seen from him in a long time.”

Just in time for the offseason.

Wait till next year. It works for Stallworth and the Browns.


JASON WRIGHT ON IR: Running back Jason Wright was placed on injured reserve Tuesday with an ankle injury suffered Sunday. Tight end Brad Cieslak was signed to take the roster spot. Wright played in 15 games this season, mainly as a third-down back and key special teamer. He carried 23 times for 85 yards and had 22 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. Wright has played the last four seasons in Cleveland and is in the final year of his contract. Cieslak (6-foot-3, 260 pounds) was in training camp with the Browns before being waived on Aug. 30. His signing likely indicates that Kellen Winslow Jr. (ankle) and/or Darnell Dinkins (ribs) won’t be able to play Sunday in the finale versus Pittsburgh.

Petrak may be reached at spetrak@chroniclet.com or 440-329-7136.