INDIANAPOLIS -- Couple items on the Browns' free agency process out of the NFL scouting combine:
QB pursuit: There are no firm updates on the Brian Hoyer picture, save this: Both sides are waiting for GM Ray Farmer and Brian Hoyer to meet face-to-face. That meeting has placed contract talks on pause.
Hoyer said publicly he's awaiting the results of the NFL's investigation into Ray Farmer's game-day texting, which could involve Hoyer. It's possible feelings will be hurt. If Hoyer is to stay in Cleveland, an air-clearing talk with Farmer could be the catalyst.
Farmer told reporters about Hoyer that it takes "two sides" to make a deal, which signals the Browns' willingness to bring Hoyer back -- at the right price. That might not be Hoyer's price.
WR pursuit: Wide receiver Cecil Shorts III is interested in returning home to Cleveland, which has the free agent on its radar as March 10 approaches.
The 6-foot Shorts, who went to Collinwood High School and Mount Union, finished last season with 53 catches for 557 yards and one touchdown in 13 games with Jacksonville, and also dealt with a hamstring injury during the season. Shorts' biggest production came in 2012, with nearly 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns.
At receiver, Shorts would be a complementary piece to a No. 1 receiver, which the Browns might get in the first round of the draft. Minor injuries have affected Shorts' ability to play a full season, but he can give an offense a jolt.