BEREA, Ohio – Travis Benjamin knew what some were saying about the Browns' receivers minus Josh Gordon outside the walls of the team's training facility in August.

"We're 32nd in the league," he said in reference to the last-place distinction.

Well, here's what some inside the walls of the Browns' training facility were thinking as Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins, Taylor Gabriel and Benjamin prepared to compensate for the loss of an All Pro receiver.

"There weren't many teams that were going to be scared of our wide receiving corps at the beginning of the season, safety Jim Leonhard said.

"I don't worry about things I can't control," left tackle Joe Thomas said. "But looking at the guys we had on paper I wasn't optimistic we were going to have a great year throwing the ball because I didn't really know any of the guys. I didn't know Hawk, I didn't know Gabriel . . . Miles, I wasn't sure if he was still in the NFL. So why would I think we were going to have a good receiving corps?"

Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin leads the team with three touchdown receptions.

Three months later, Leonhard and Thomas are among the many supporters of a quartet thought to lack the size, pedigree and play-making ability to keep the Browns' offense buoyant for 10 games – the length of Gordon's drug suspension.

Sunday marks the final game the group will play together before its star returns. The Browns are 6-3, lead the AFC North and have the fewest dropped passes in the NFL with six, according to STATS LLC.

There will be no ceremony, no standing ovation, no special recognition for the unremarkable four. But among teammates and former Browns there's a genuine appreciation for what the quartet has delivered without one of the league's most dynamic players in its presence.

"They have done an unbelievable job of blowing expectations out of the water," Thomas said. "A lot of times receivers are divas and they think things should be given to them. These guys just work hard, put their heads down, study film and do exactly what they're asked and catch the ball."

How have the Browns been able to maximize a passing game with one receiver (Benjamin) returning from an ACL tear, another (Gabriel) arriving in Berea as a minicamp tryout, a 30-year-old veteran (Austin) cut by his previous team and a 5-foot-7 slot receiver asked to play on the outside?

It's a credit to the players, the quarterback, the system and the management team and coaching staff that believed in them.

Standing his ground

General manager Ray Farmer sat before a media firing squad on Sept. 5 and never blinked. He fielded multiple questions on the state of the passing game, which showed little promise in training camp or four exhibition games.

Least dropped passes in the NFL this season Team Drops Cleveland Browns 6 Dallas Cowboys 9 Chicago Bears 9 Houston Texans 9 San Diego Chargers 10 Buffalo Bills 10 Seattle Seahawks 11 St. Louis Rams 11 Tennessee Titans 12 Green Bay Packers 12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 Carolina Panthers 14 Washington Redskins 14 Philadelphia Eagles 14 New York Jets 14 New Orleans Saints 14 Detroit Lions 14 New England Patriots 15 Minnesota Vikings 16 Baltimore Ravens 17 New York Giants 17 Oakland Raiders 17 Denver Broncos 17 Atlanta Falcons 17 Jacksonville Jaguars 18 San Francisco 49ers 18 Pittsburgh Steelers 18 Kansas City Chiefs 18 Cincinnati Bengals 19 Arizona Cardinals 20 Miami Dolphins 20 Indianapolis Colts 24

Why hadn't Farmer done more to upgrade the position knowing Gordon could be lost for the season? Why was veteran Nate Burleson released? Why were there so many dropped passes in preseason?

"I'm good with our receiving corps," he told reporters. "I think the guys that we kept give us an opportunity to be dynamic in a lot of different ways. We have guys that I think can stretch the field. We have guys that I think can be good with the football in their hands."

Farmer never backpedaled, even offering unsolicited praise for Gabriel, a 5-foot-8, 167-pound rookie from Abilene (Texas) Christian.

"If you are looking for a guy that I think answered the call, did what he was supposed to do and showed people that he deserves a chance to play in this league, it was Taylor Gabriel," the rookie GM said. "I will give him his shoutout and credibility."

Browns' scheming ways

Browns coach Mike Pettine ignored the noise and trends.

Despite a shaky preseason, he chose veteran Brian Hoyer over much-hyped rookie Johnny Manziel. The new coach wasn't asking his quarterback to win games the way the previous staff had as the Browns led the NFL in passing attempts in 2013.

In a league beholden to the aerial attack, Pettine wanted to run the ball, shorten games and instill toughness into his team. Through nine games, the Browns lead the NFL in percentage of run plays (50.9).

The defensive-minded coach placed his faith in Kyle Shanahan, an offensive coordinator who planned to run to set up the play-action pass. His former Redskins' receivers said one of Shanahan's strengths is getting wideouts open and producing big plays.

The Browns average 13.7 yards per catch – tops in the NFL and nearly a full yard ahead of the second-place Redskins.

"Some coordinators say they're committed to the run, and then when the game goes a certain way it disappears," Pettine said. "I think he is the exact opposite. I always thought that his system, even before I made the hire, was very quarterback friendly – passes on the move, the commitment to the run to stay out of longer yardages, and then the play action, which obviously is a lot easier to throw when you have a tendency to get guys more wide open . . ."

Pettine also believed in his veteran receivers. Austin, 30, was signed as a free agent after the Cowboys cut him due to injury and salary-cap concerns. Hawkins, 28, joined the Browns after the Bengals chose not to match a four-year, $13.6 million deal.

"I think that one of the reasons that room has had the production that it's had and, to the outside world, has significantly overachieved," the coach said. "They both lead in their own way, but I think the examples that they set can't help but rub off . . ."

'Most unsung group'

Former Browns receiver Reggie Rucker entered the league in 1970 as an unrestricted free agent – a distinction he shares with Gabriel, Hawkins and Austin.

Miles Austin has been a valuable possession receiver for the Browns since coming over from the Cowboys.

Rucker is like many Browns fans -- he doubted the unit could excel in Gordon's absence. He's delighted to see it prove him wrong.

"They are the most unsung group on the team and they may have the most to do with the 6-3 record," Rucker said.

"Everyone is staying in their lanes, which means they know their roles. You can tell there is good chemistry and they're willing to sacrifice personal goals . . . Except for (6-foot-2) Miles Austin, they remind me the old Redskins' 'Smurfs' (from the 1980s)."

Rucker describes Hawkins, the team's leading receiver (39 catches, 504 yards) as a "craftsman" because of his precise routes.

He's also impressed with how Benjamin, who's struggled to field a fair catch, makes so many clutch grabs in high-traffic areas. A whippet in shoulder pads, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Benjamin is enjoying his best season as a receiver and leads the club with three touchdown receptions.

"He shows so much guts going over the middle and leaping to make catches," said the former wideout who ranks fifth in franchise history with 4,953 yards.

Rucker admits he thought Austin had "lost a step" and would struggle to make plays with a history of hamstring problems. All Austin seems to do is convert crucial third downs with 16 of his last 17 receptions producing first downs.

"It makes me feel good to watch these receivers and know what they are made of," Rucker said.

Baby Hawk

Bengals cornerback Terence Newman thought his eyes were deceiving him. In watching film on the Browns, he kept confusing his former teammate, Hawkins, with Gabriel.

Diminutive wide receiver Taylor Gabriel is one of general manager Ray Farmer's biggest finds. He ranks third in the NFL in yards per catch (18.1).

"They look like the same player," Newman said. "I was like, 'Is Hawk wearing 16 or 18? They look very similar and the play very similar."

Hawkins sees it, too. Both are small, quick and deceptively strong. But Hawkins has a scouting report for Newman and other defensive backs around the league.

"I think Taylor will far surpass what my career (is)," he said. "(Gabriel) has that kind of talent . . . He will be a household name . . . He is so explosive, he has so much juice to him."

Gabriel represents the scouting department's biggest find this season. He ranks third in yards per catch (18.1) among all NFL players and is one of just three rookies with three 40-plus yard receptions.

While every team covets Gordon's combination of size and speed, Leonhard said diminutive wideouts such as a Gabriel and Hawkins are problematic for defenders.

"They are guys who are hard to get your hands on," the safety said. "As a defensive back, you get those guys into space and they're hard to cover and teams are realizing that."

'An incredible upgrade'

Finding an historical equivalent to the Browns' receiving scenario isn't easy. The Niners lost Jerry Rice for 14 games in the 1997 season and won 13 times. But Rice was 35 years old and the Niners benefited from Terrell Owens' breakout season.

The Browns don't have a receiver ranked in the top 30 in catches or yards. Not that they seem to care.

"We haven't thrown the ball a bunch but we have won football games," Hawkins said. "That's the only measure of success."

The receivers said they're anxious for Gordon's return – his first practice is Wednesday – even as it likely means fewer opportunities for them.

"He will mean a lot, man," Hawkins said. "Josh is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL. Add to him to any receiving corps and it's going to be an incredible upgrade."

Gordon's comeback will dominate next week's headlines. If the club reaches the playoffs for the first time in seven years what the four receivers achieved before his return will serve as a historical footnote.

But this wasn't Don Strock being lured from a golf course and coaxed out of retirement to lead the 1988 Browns to a pair of victories. It was an unheralded group making a significant contribution for more than half a season. They should continue to flourish -- only now with last year's leading receiver in the NFL at the top of the depth chart.

"They're amazing," Thomas said. "One of the best groups of receivers I've ever been around."