Dwayne Bowe signs with Browns

If Dwayne Bowe found playing with Alex Smith frustrating, he’s going to have many unpleasant surprises in store next season — but he’ll cross that bridge when he gets to it.

The former Chiefs wideout signed a two-year deal with Cleveland on Thursday after getting released by Kansas City. The Chiefs cut Bowe this offseason to escape a $14 million cap hit for a player who didn’t catch a touchdown pass all of last season and hasn’t caught more than 60 passes in a season since 2011.

Bowe is prepared to improve upon the no touchdown thing this season, tweeting “Look forward to spending time with the DAWG POUND in the endzone!!”

There’s no clear answer to who will be throwing the ball to Bowe next fall – it’s likely to be a variety of quarterbacks given the competence of those currently on the roster –but he does at least represent an upgrade to Cleveland’s receiving corps. Which tells you everything you need to know about Cleveland’s receiving corps.

The Browns have also added Brian Hartline via free agency, which gives them a pair of No. 2 targets while Josh Gordon sits out yet another season to suspension.

Bowe was a star once, leading the NFL with 15 touchdown catches in 2010, and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark three times in his first five seasons.

Both Bowe and the Browns come to one another with essentially the same message – hey, you could have done worse.

Jaguars claim RB Pierce off waivers

It’s one of those sayings from those public service announcements – you drink, you drive, you lose.

Bernard Pierce learned that the hard way, getting released by the Ravens on Wednesday following an arrest for DUI. His penalty? Wearing a Jacksonville Jaguars uniform in the near future.

The Jags claimed Pierce off waivers on Thursday – hardly a win for them considering they were in the DeMarco Murray sweepstakes, but a solid addition at bargain-basement prices.

Pierce was already expendable to Baltimore. He was expected to share time in the Ravens backfield after Ray Rice’s suspension, but eventually Justin Forsett took the job and never let go.

For the Jaguars, who have had one of the worst rushing attacks in football over the last three seasons, Pierce is a proven veteran who has had success when healthy (4.9 yards per carry as a rookie in 2012).

Dolphins don’t take bait, Clay signs with Bills

Miami decided not to raise on Buffalo’s bluff, declining to match the Bills’ offer on tight end Charles Clay on Thursday.

Buffalo will make Clay – not one of the top five tight ends in the NFL – one of the five highest-paid tight ends in the league with a five-year deal that includes more than $20 million in guaranteed money.

The Dolphins placed a transition tag on Clay earlier this week, giving them the right to match or better any other team’s offer on the tight end. With Jordan Cameron already in the fold, the Fins decided to let Clay walk and saved themselves a touch over $7 million against next year’s cap in the process.

2013 was easily the best of Clay’s four seasons with 759 yards and six touchdowns in 69 receptions. He had three touchdown grabs last year.