What Will Browns Do In Free Agency?

In less than two weeks, the NFL league season starts anew and with it becomes the beginning for free agency. Cleveland Browns’ fans were all excited when J.J. Watt was released, and visions of him lining next to Myles Garrett danced in their heads.

Well, Watt signed with the Arizona Cardinals, so the Browns will have to look elsewhere to bolster a roster that advanced to the playoffs and won a game in the post-season tournament. Based on history, if GM Andrew Berry is going to ink a long term deal with a free agent, it will be one coming off their rookie contract.

Make no mistake, the Browns need help on the defensive side of the football. Cleveland could have an many as eight new starters on that side of the ball, and depending on if Sheldon Richardson is retained, it could be nine, with Garrett and Denzel Ward as the only holdovers.

Some of the new starters could come as players returning from injury and/or guys who opted out of last season due to COVID 19. For example, if Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit have recovered from injuries that sidelined them the entire 2020 season, they could be starters.

So, based on the model from the past, even though Tampa Bay LB Lavonte David was incredible in the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win, at 31 years old, he’s not the type of guy Berry has gone after in the past.

Could the Browns look at a wide receiver in free agency? There’s always a possibility, but with both Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. both on the roster, it is doubtful. Besides, the offense looks like a completed work right now, so any additions there, both in free agency and the draft, are likely going to be more like depth pieces.

However, there are some safeties on the market, notably Justin Simmons from Denver (age 27), Anthony Harris from Minnesota (29), and Marcus Williams of the Saints (24). Either of this trio would be an upgrade to the Cleveland back seven. Remember, coordinator Joe Woods likes to play a 4-2-5 alignment, so secondary players are very important.

If the Browns let Richardson go, they will likely be looking for three new starters, because it is doubtful DT Larry Ogunjobi. One of those spots will likely be filled by Andrew Billings, who was signed last off-season, but opted out of the 2020 campaign. He figures to be at tackle.

Maybe Leonard Williams of the Giants (26) fits in at the other tackle spot. Still, Woods’ defense needs another pass rusher to go with Garrett. The problem is other teams value players at this position too, so if you have one, you don’t want to let him go.

Cincinnati’s Carl Lawson and Tampa’s Shaq Barrett are both free agents, but figure to be signed or franchised by their current teams. Do the Browns go after Yannick Ngakoue (26), who has been with three teams in the past calendar year? Another name linked to the Browns is New Orleans’ edge rusher Trey Hendrickson (26), who had the best season of his career last year.

Of course, Berry could also swing a big trade using from draft capital, the Browns have two third round picks, giving them four in the first three rounds. Could they use, say two of those picks to bring in a veteran from a team looking to get younger through the draft? That would not be a surprise either.

We have no doubt the Browns will be aggressive this off-season, starting with free agency in two weeks. They may not make a bunch of signings, but we would bet on one big move, especially to improve the defense.

Making the playoffs is one thing, staying there is a another challenge for the Browns front office and coaching staff.

Browns Can Make Playoffs, But A Defensive Trade Would Give Them A Push

There is no question that fans of the Cleveland Browns, and maybe all professional football teams, are a different lot. Every time they lose, someone must be held responsible.

According to many, the 16-6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders was due to Kevin Stefanski being out-coached or it was because of a frequent scapegoat, QB Baker Mayfield.

In reality, the reason for the defeat was the 208 yards rushing by the Raiders. As Browns’ fans saw first hand in wins over Cincinnati in week two, and Dallas in week four, when you gain over 200 yards on the ground, you usually win.

The best defense for a good offense, and the Browns have scored over 30 points in all five of their victories this season, is to keep them off the field. The Raiders did that to Cleveland on Sunday, keeping the ball for 37 minutes, compared to 22 for the brown and orange.

Stefanski wasn’t out-coached by Jon Gruden, but the latter’s team out executed the Browns. Mayfield has just six drives for the game, and he had chances to score on three of them, and had the ball in Las Vegas territory when rookie TE Harrison Bryant fumbled in the first quarter.

The difference was Gruden’s defense was kept fresh and got a couple of stops, and in one case where Jamie Gillen was called upon to punt, it was after David Njoku dropped a pass for a first down and a drive could have continued.

As for Mayfield, he wasn’t spectacular like the prior week in Cincinnati, completing 12 of 25 passes for 122 yards in very tough conditions, and he added 29 yards on the ground. But again, he only had six opportunities.

No, the problem was the defense. Actually, they had been decent against the rush coming into the game, ranking in the top ten in the NFL, but you wonder if that had more to do with the fact it is so easy to pass on the unit, that opponents don’t attempt to run.

Opposing teams are going to start considering not suiting up their punters, as the Browns’ defense has forced just one punt over the last two games.

We understand that there is no trade available which is going to make Cleveland a top 10 defense, but perhaps upgrading in a couple of spots will make that unit a little less sieve-like.

This team isn’t a Super Bowl contender, because they aren’t on par with the Chiefs, Steelers, or Ravens, but after 18 seasons of pretty miserable football, a playoff appearance should be the goal. And being able to get off the field defensively now and again, would make that achievement more attainable.

The bigger goal should be a Super Bowl berth, so we wouldn’t make any move involving high draft picks. We’ve seen serviceable players going for 6th and 7th round picks in the past couple of weeks, and certainly that is a reasonable price to pay to get an upgrade right now.

Someone not named Myles Garrett who can put pressure on a quarterback would be nice, as well as some help in the secondary. We understand the defense has had some devastating injuries, particularly to rookie S Grant Delpit and starting CB Greedy Williams.

And DT Andrew Billings opting out of the 2020 season didn’t help the depth of the unit.

The bye week is a perfect time to add some talent and get the players up to speed for the second half of the season, and presumably a playoff push. So, while we wouldn’t say GM Andrew Berry should go all in, he should dip his toe in the trade waters.

Thoughts On Browns’ Fate This Year And Myles Garrett

With all of the fallout from the brawl at the end of the Browns win over the Steelers last Thursday night, people have forgotten Cleveland has won two straight over teams with a winning record, and their playoff hopes are still alive.

We have maintained that 9-7 will likely get the final post-season spot in the AFC so after the loss to Denver, it meant Freddie Kitchens’ squad could only have one more hiccup to have any chance to play an extra contest this season.

The Browns passed the first two tests, although both games were at home, as is this weekend’s game vs. the 2-8 Miami Dolphins.

Cleveland will be shorthanded defensively without the indefinitely suspended Myles Garrett, and Larry Ogunjobi, who will miss one game as a result of the melee at the end of the Pittsburgh game.

The need to continue winning is the most upsetting thing to us, and probably Garrett’s teammates as well. Losing the team’s best defensive player isn’t conducive to reeling off a streak of victories, particularly when the Steelers and Ravens remain on the slate.

Let us state for the record that Garrett obviously deserves the suspension and we believe it will extend into next season, the first two games of 2020, a total of eight games.

One has to wonder, though, how Steelers’ QB Mason Rudolph avoided missing any games. He was no doubt an instigator, and should have had to sit down for one game, at the very least.

We do wonder about the national narrative that says Garrett hit Rudolph late on the Steelers’ penultimate offensive play and that the former first overall pick has a reputation for playing outside the rules of the game.

Pictures have clearly showed the Browns’ DE hitting Rudolph just after the ball was released, it is clearly not a late hit, and the tackle was more of a dragging the guy down, nothing violent about it.

As for being a “dirty” player, Garrett has been in the NFL for two and a half seasons, and has received four roughing the passer penalties and one unnecessary roughness calls according the The Pro Football Database.

The Browns will miss one of their best players, every team in the NFL would too, but they can’t let the suspension get in the way of the business at hand, which is to continue winning.

They can’t overlook Miami, a team that plays hard for Brian Flores despite their record and their obvious strategy of copying what Cleveland did several years ago.

Then comes the rematch with the Steelers, which will be a huge step because of what happened and that the game is in Pittsburgh.

And of course, the Ravens will arrive in Cleveland with revenge on their mind. Baltimore has the second best record in the AFC and hasn’t lost since the Browns laid a beatdown on them.

Kitchens and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks will need to generate a pass rush someway the rest of the season without Garrett, who has 1/3rd of the team’s sacks this season. A stat the Browns rank 6th in the league in.

Against Miami, Cleveland will have their top two pass rushers out. Will Wilks blitz more to get pressure and depend on corners Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams to defend.

Is it impossible? No. After the Dolphins’ game, Ogunjobi will be back and perhaps so too will Olivier Vernon.

As Kitchens said, everyone will just have to do their job better for the Browns to keep winning. That’s all anyone can do right now.

Dorsey And Kitchens Reeling In Expectations

Yesterday, Browns’ GM John Dorsey said he didn’t like the hype surrounding the 2019 edition of the team.

After second round draft pick Greedy Williams proclaimed the Browns were going to the Super Bowl after they drafted him, head coach Freddie Kitchens told people he was going to talk to the rookie and explain that his team wasn’t going to behave like that.

Really, both Dorsey and Kitchens were telling everyone, fans included, not to get carried away.

And they are right.

We get it. The Browns have been a doormat for so long, people are excited that finally there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Since Bernie Kosar was released in 1993, Cleveland football fans have waited for a franchise quarterback, and it appears they picked one last year in Baker Mayfield.

Mayfield’s a natural born leader, and he can play the position as well, throwing for an NFL tying record of 27 touchdown passes, as well as displaying uncanny accuracy.

On the other hand, he’s started all of 13 games, and the only playoff team he guided the team to a win against was the Baltimore Ravens. And the score of that game was 12-9 in overtime.

This isn’t to doubt Mayfield. We believe he will develop into one of the top passers in the NFL and it could be as early as next season. But those are the facts.

Without question, the Browns have added a lot of talent from last year’s roster, which did make a quantum leap to 7-9 from 0-16 in 2017.

Dorsey acquired an elite wide receiver in Odell Beckham Jr., a very good pass rusher in Olivier Vernon, and a solid defensive tackle in Sheldon Richardson. Those were the biggest additions in the free agent/trade market.

And the expectation is the rookie Williams will team with Denzel Ward to give the Browns a pair of shutdown cornerbacks, which is a great thing to have in today’s pass happy NFL.

We like Kitchens too, and he did a great job with the offense in the second half of last season, but he’s never been a head coach at the NFL level, so he is another unproven commodity.

We do like that he did things the players were comfortable with and putting the players in positions where they can succeed is one of the basic rules of coaching.

But how does he handle losing two games in a row, or three out of four. Does he keep the team together and maintain the players’ faith in him.

We feel Kitchens will handle it fine, but until it happens, it is up for question.

The biggest thing the GM and the coach are guarding against is a sense of accomplishment. Despite all of the excitement around the area and the country, the Browns are still a team that has made one playoff appearance since 1994.

The fans should be excited. This promises to be the beginning of a renaissance for a once proud franchise, one of the NFL’s flagships up until the franchise was moved.

On the other hand, for the players, this is a squad with something to prove. They’ve done nothing. No playoff wins for 25 years.

Dorsey and Kitchens want to remind them it takes a lot of work to become a playoff team. And that’s what they should do.

Browns’ “Dawg Defense” Had Two Star Corners. Is This Part II?

Most people figured the Cleveland Browns would go heavy on defense in this year’s draft, and GM John Dorsey did not disappoint.

He selected five defenders, one offensive lineman, and a kicker on Friday and Saturday, upgrading a defense that ranked third last in the NFL in yards allowed last season. They also ranked 21st in points allowed.

They survived and even thrived early in 2018 because they were causing an inordinate amount of turnovers, but once those declined, the Browns had problem stopping opponents.

And that 29th ranking in yards allowed was helped by two good performances against the offensively challenged Broncos and Bengals in two of the last three games on the slate.

Dorsey took a page out of the Browns’ past with his first pick, the 46th overall, taking CB Greedy Williams from LSU.

The last time the Browns had a very good defense, and indeed, the last time they had a Super Bowl contending team, was in the late 1980’s and their defense was led by a pair of shutdown cornerbacks, Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield.

With Williams and last season’s rookie sensation, Denzel Ward, the Browns hope to have the same effect.

Williams’ supposed weakness is considered to be the willingness to tackle, but seriously, would you rather have a cornerback who could tackle, but not be able to cover?

Those 80’s teams did not have a pass rusher like Myles Garrett, let alone someone like Olivier Vernon on the other side. Those guys should see sack totals rise because the corners will be able to provide tight coverage.

Adding those two to T.J. Carrie and Terrence Mitchell give new defensive coordinator Steve Wilks a lot of guys who can cover wide receivers, and that’s is of the utmost importance in today’s NFL.

Dorsey also added two linebackers who should help provide depth in third round pick Sione Takitaki from BYU, and Mack Wilson from Alabama.

Wilson was projected by some draft experts as a second round value, so getting him with the 155th choice (5th round) could be a coup for the front office.

And really, that’s what this draft was about, right? Good teams have depth. You can’t have one injury bring your entire team down. Hopefully, guys like Takitaki and Wilson can challenge players like Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey, and therefore build a stronger roster.

One thing we know about the NFL, there will be injuries, and how you handle them goes a long way in determining your final record.

6th round choice Drew Forbes, brings another athletic offensive lineman to the roster, again, an area where you can’t have too much depth.

They still have Desmond Harrison, who started early last season, and Austin Corbett is a first year starter. Dorsey brought in Eric Kush, Bryan Witzmann, and Kendall Lamm in free agency, but you can’t have too much depth there.

The surprise pick was kicker Austin Siebert. A former teammate of Baker Mayfield, he is reputed to have a strong leg.

Greg Joseph did a decent job last year after arriving during the season, but was still too inconsistent. We are sure Dorsey and the coaching staff would like someone more “automatic” on field goals and extra points.

We have said this before, but the “trust in Dorsey” folks have it right. After what he has done to this roster, he earned and deserves the benefit of the doubt.

With this draft, he emphasized the biggest area of weakness on the team, the defense. On the other hand, there was talent here, Pro Bowl talent like Garrett, Ward, Schobert, and newcomers Vernon and Sheldon Richardson.

The Browns want a defense that puts pressure on their opponents. Let’s see if this draft helped that. Having two press cornerbacks helps for sure.