INDIANAPOLIS — The Browns rescued receiver Breshad Perriman off the scrap heap in October and turned a first-round bust into a sought-after free agent.

The only problem is, it went so well that getting him under contract isn’t as easy as it was in October when he was a street free agent — having been recently cut by the Ravens and Redskins — and joined at the bargain basement price of $705,000.

Perriman, 25, is represented by super-agent Drew Rosenhaus, who will drive a hard bargain for his reinvigorated client. Rosenhaus also represents Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, and although Brown’s name might come up in the meeting, it’s highly unlikely the Steelers would trade him to AFC North foe Cleveland, even though GM Kevin Colbert said Wednesday “we haven’t eliminated anybody.”

Asked Thursday during his combine podium interview if he’s one of multiple teams that have reached out about Brown, Browns GM John Dorsey held up his phone and said, "Kevin, if you’re out there, here’s my cell phone right here.''

With neither Brown nor Giants’ receiver Odell Beckham considered a realistic possibility, Dorsey will work hard to extend Perriman and add to the receiver pile. He’ll meet with Rosenhaus here in an effort to try to sign Perriman to an extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 13, but previous efforts have failed.

“We’ve had numerous conversations with his agent," Dorsey said Thursday during his podium interview. “I’ve spoken to (Perriman) directly and he’s expressed a willingness to be here in Cleveland. So I think you wait for that process to unfold. I’d love to have that player here."

Likewise, coach Freddie Kitchens covets Perriman’s blazing speed (4.25 coming out in 2015), good size (6-2, 211) and suddenly sure hands to power his high-flying scheme.

“Breshad’s a good football player,’’ said Kitchens. “Breshad had more success with us than he has with anybody else, so of course we’ve got plans for Breshad moving forward and hopefully we get him back."

One thing Perriman has going for him is that it’s a relatively weak receiver free agent class, with Golden Tate, Tyrell Williams and Adam Humphries topping the list. But Perriman, the No. 26 overall pick of the Ravens in 2015 out of Central Florida, has already expressed his gratitude to the Browns for reviving his career.

“Back when I got cut, I didn’t see it as a blessing,’’ Perriman told cleveland.com in December. “But now I see it as total blessing for me getting out of (Baltimore) and being here with these guys. I love being part of this story and I’m enjoying every second."

The Browns have already to begun to make some contingency plans. They’ll tender pending restricted free agent Rashard Higgins, and on Feb 20, they signed former Colts and Jaguars receiver Jaelen Strong, who’s coming off a torn ACL from the end of 2017. Like Perriman, Strong has good size and speed, but has been plagued by injuries. He’s 6-2, 217 and clocked a 4.4 in the 40 coming out of Arizona State in 2015. He recently said he’s back to 100 percent after being injured in his first game with Jacksonville.

“Jaelen Strong’s big, he runs really good routes, he’s got great hands,’’ said Dorsey. “I think he’ll fit into this offense. Again, he’s a younger guy and he’s been out of football here for a couple months, and so I’m willing to take a shot because I think there’s some talent to unearth there.’’

Dorsey, who traditionally hasn’t drafted receivers in the first round, also likes the wideouts in this class. The top ones include Mississippi’s D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown, Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown and Arizona State’s N’Keal Harry.

“There’s a lot of big guys,’’ Dorsey said. “And there’s one or two smaller guys that are really exceptionally fast. Size and speed (bring) different dynamics to the game, the offensive game plan. So I think it comes down to that individual person, of kind of what makes him click. I’d like to have a 6-3 guy that can run 4.3. I’ll take that every day, but you’re not going to get those guys. So you really want competitive guys that love the game of football.’’

Dorsey emphasized on several occasions how much he loves team speed. “The more team speed you have, the better,’’ he said. “If you can get more team speed, I’m all for it."

Perriman caught only 16 passes for 340 yards and two TDs in his 10 games with the Browns, but he made some big plays, including:

* A career-long 66-yard catch on the first play against Carolina to set up a TD;

* A 31-yard TD catch on the Browns’ opening possession at Denver; and

* A 63-yard catch off a double-reverse from Jarvis Landry to set up a TD against the Bengals.

With Mayfield showing confidence in him and putting it on the money, Perriman began to shed the ‘bust’ label he acquired in Baltimore. But the Browns believe he’ll be even better in 2019 in his second season in the same system.

Now, it’s just a matter of getting the money right, and that might not be easy.