The Cleveland Browns added an old face as the newest entrant into a muddled quarterback race that will clear in two weeks after the NFL Draft concludes.
One year after allowing Joe Flacco to leave via free agency to assuage the feelings of one DeShaun Watson. The Browns signed Flacco to a one-year agreement for four million dollars plus potential incentives.
Flacco spent last season in Indianapolis, playing eight games, starting six of them, and throwing twelve touchdown passes against seven interceptions for the Colts.
Flacco spent the latter half of the 2023 season leading the Browns to the playoffs before losing to the Houston Texans in the wild card round, throwing for over 1,600 yards and thirteen touchdowns in five starts, winning four of the five.
Flacco turned forty in January, so he isn't more than a patchwork fix for a year, and will join recently acquired Kenny Pickett as the only quarterbacks on the current roster.
The Browns are expected to select one, if not two, passers in the upcoming draft, so the QB room will most likely consist of Flacco, Pickett, and a rookie to be determined for the 2025 season.
The signing of Flacco is going to help a franchise in need of goodwill, as the return will be popular with the fan base, and it's proven that Flacco can succeed in the Kevin Stefanski offense, but even Flacco at his best throws a lot of interceptions and has been known to give the ball up when hit by the opposing pass rush, so this isn't a perfect signing.
However, Flacco isn't afraid to throw the ball downfield, which under a similar quarterback in Jameis Winston, Jerry Jeudy found the most success of his career, and David Njoku was very productive in Flacco's previous stint in Cleveland, so there are some positives to the signing and combined with the rumored selection of Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter with the Browns second overall pick, the Browns could suddenly find themselves with receivers that can make big plays for a change!
It's a contract that won't choke the franchise like some (Watson) and isn't costly, so while this contract will not turn the Browns into instant contenders, it does give the team a chance to improve over an awful 2024.
That's pretty good for a team with the track record of the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns have been relatively inactive in free agency but they have added a player from the Chicago Bears in each of the last two days to show a bit of activity.
Today was the more interesting addition as the Browns signed guard Teven Jenkins to a one-year contract.
Chicago picked Jenkins in the second round of the 2021 draft from Oklahoma State and Jenkins play for the Bears hasn't been the problem, the problem has been keeping him healthy and available for the lineup.
Jenkins has missed multiple games in each of his four seasons with his fourteen games (all starts) in 2024, his career-high in games played.
Jenkins is a strong run blocker, committed only one penalty in 2024, and allowed only four sacks as part of an offensive line that allowed a league-high sixty-eight last season.
Jenkins has played some at tackle but is better suited at guard and with Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller returning for this season, it's fair to wonder about where Jenkins will play.
Bitonio and Teller are signed through next season and the Browns still have disappointing 2024 third rounder Zak Zinter on the roster.
However, the Browns aren't sure how soon DaWand Jones will be available in his return from injury and it's possible that someone could have to move outside for a while depending on the status of Jones, so whether that would be Jenkins or Bitonio, both of whom have occasionally played tackle, is up in the air.
Plus Jack Conklin's injury history, despite his best season as a Brown in 2024, gives the Browns good reason to stock up on offensive linemen.
I like this signing because Jenkins is a quality addition who will likely have to play a lot somewhere during the season and should he play at the level that he did in Chicago, the Browns could have a leg up on a potential re-signing next off-season when Cleveland could lose Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, or possibly both.
The day before, the Browns signed another Bear, this one that the team hopes will, ahem, solve their long-time issues in the return game.
DeAndre Carter averaged nine yards a return on seventeen punt returns and thirty yards per his fifteen kickoff returns along with nine receptions for seventy-two yards.
Carter is also reported to be a player that can run gadget plays etc and it seems like I write this about a player signed in free agency every year, only to disappoint for various reasons.
Carter did catch forty-three passes for the Chargers in 2022 but at soon-to-be thirty-two and playing for what will be his sixth team, it's fair to wonder if the Browns have solved the problem.
Problems don't solve themselves, so you have to try players but with the Browns track record on this, I will wait and see before considering it solved.
After the Cleveland Browns announced their intent to release Dalvin Tomlinson as a post-June designated cut, the Browns needed to add some help in replacing Tomlinson along the interior defensive line.
Cleveland has attempted to do that in signing Maliek Collins, who was recently released by San Francisco, to a two-year agreement worth twenty million, thirteen million guaranteed.
Collina played his college football at Nebraska before the Dallas Cowboys picked him in round three of the 2016 draft and has played for four NFL teams, Cowboys, Raiders, Texans, and 49ers.
Collins turns thirty next month and spent only one season with San Francisco, who traded a 2024 seventh-round pick to Houston for Collins before last year's draft, where he started all seventeen games and finished with five sacks, tying his career best.
Tomlinson had three sacks for the Browns last year and Collins is a year younger, so the two are comparable players plus Collins will be a few million dollars cheaper against the cap.
Collins will bring a better pass rush than Tomlinson but will not stop the run as well as the departing Tomlinson.
Collins would be best used as the pass-rushing specialist among the defensive tackle rotation and properly used, could be more productive than Tomlinson, a player that played well for Cleveland and was released for financial reasons, not for performance.
All things considered, this is a lateral move but one worth making when you consider the cap-strapped Browns can save a few dollars that could help them sign someone else.
The Cleveland Browns search for depth and players needing a second chance in free agency found two players to add to the roster, one for each side of the line of scrimmage.
Cleveland signed edge rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and offensive lineman Cornelius Lucas from the Washington Commanders.
The Browns lost offensive lineman James Hudson to the New York Giants, Hudson signed a two-year contract for twelve million with the Giants.
Tyron-Shoyinka was the final selection in the first round of the 2021 draft by Tampa Bay from the University of Washington, collecting fifteen sacks over his four seasons with the Buccaneers but only two of those last season in fifteen games.
The twenty-six-year-old Tyron-Shoyinka had his fifth-year option refused before last season, which allowed him free agency this season.
Tyron-Shoyinka will play on passing downs and could replace Ogbo Okoronkwo, who may be released.
Okoronkwo has one season remaining on his contract and letting him go would give the Browns some extra cap space.
Cornelius Lucas signed a two-year contract at ten million (cheaper than James Hudson's contract with the Giants) to replace James Hudson as the reserve swingman, capable of playing guard or tackle.
Lucas started seven games for Washington last season and played five seasons for Washington after playing for the Lions, Saints, Rams, and Bears before moving to Washington.
Lucas played his college career at Kansas State and signed with the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2014.
Neither signing would qualify as anything to be too excited over but both should help with depth and see action in 2025.
A move that I would have supported in the off-season came to pass for the Cleveland Browns after injuries smacked the Browns defensive line hard early in training camp as Cleveland signed defensive lineman Shelby Harris.
Harris signed a one-year contract worth 5.25 million after playing for Seattle in fifteen games last season, finishing with 44 tackles (24 solo) and two sacks after being acquired by the Seahawks as part of the trade that sent Russell Wilson to Denver in the 2022 off-season.
Harris played on forty-nine percent of the Seahawk's defensive snaps last season before his release in the off-season.
Harris played five seasons in Denver following his first two seasons with the then-Oakland Raiders, who drafted him in the seventh round from Illinois State in the 2014 draft.
Harris is lauded for his skills against the run but collected twenty-one and a half sacks in his five years as a Bronco and twice finished seasons with six sacks (2019 and 2021).
Harris can play end or tackle but the Browns are likely going to use him more often as a defensive tackle.
Cleveland lost two second-year linemen already in camp as 2022 third-rounder Alex Wright and 2022 seventh-rounder Isaiah Thomas have both suffered injuries that will keep them off the field into the start of the regular season, so while Harris could plug in and see a lot of playing time at the very least, Harris bulks up the depth of a line with that had improved in the off-season but still had questions entering the year.
Other than Dalvin Tomlinson, the Browns have only disappointing returnees Jordan Elliott and Tommy Togiai, third-round choice Siaki Ika, and veteran free agent signings Trysten Hill and Maurice Hurst at defensive tackle, so signing Shelby Harris will have to help relieve the pressure on those players as the Browns won't have to rely on any of those linemen with Harris on the roster.
At thirty-two, Shelby Harris certainly doesn't solve issues for the long-term but considering Harris as an August signing, Harris should be a solution that helps the Browns for 2023 and could help Harris if he hits the free agent market next season.
The Cleveland Browns returned to a player that they had hosted before a short despite in order to complete their trade with the New York Jets that landed Elijah Moore and placed what may be the final piece into their wide receiver room in signing fleet veteran Marquis Goodwin to a one year contract for undisclosed terms.
The well-traveled Goodwin caught twenty-four passes in his only season with Seattle last season for 387 yards and four touchdowns after his previous stops in Buffalo, San Francisco, and Chicago, in a role similar to how the Browns should use him- as a vertical threat to stretch defenses.
Goodwin will turn thirty-three in mid-season but has barely lost a step from the form that saw him taken from Texas in the third round of 2013 by the Bills after making the 2012 Olympic team as a long jumper and while Goodwin didn't qualify for the Olympics as a sprinter, he did rank third all-time for the fastest forty-yard dash in his combine year.
Goodwin should give the Browns the speed that they have not received from Anthony Schwartz in the two seasons since Schwartz was selected in the third round and it's almost certain that Schwartz's days on the roster are numbered unless he can out-perform Goodwin in training camp.
I suppose the Browns could take another wide receiver in the draft with one of their eight selections but the trade for Elijah Moore and the signing of Goodwin may possibly take the position into day three of the draft.
The Browns will likely keep six and perhaps seven receivers with Amari Cooper, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Elijah Moore, and David Bell as locks, the winner of the Goodwin-Schwartz battle (likely Goodwin) as another, and one other receiver (two, if they keep seven) which I would think second-year man Michael Woods would have the edge against Jaheem Grant ( who would have an advantage of winning the return job) or Anthony Schwartz but a drafted rookie would be in the mix as well.
That's certainly an upgraded room in my opinion as I like Elijah Moore's talent very much and Marquis Goodwin adds a dimension that the team has lacked but it's also fair to say that while the group looks to be upgraded, it's not a guarantee by any means.
I like the additions of Moore and Goodwin but I can also see a scenario where either could disappoint.
We'll see if the off-season moves work out but the Browns have tried to address each of their deficiencies with solid acquisitions.
While I wish the team would have added another proven linebacker rather than gamble on the health of Anthony Walker and Sione Takitaki, I cannot complain about what Andrew Berry has done thus far.
Berry has done his best work in dealing with trades in his tenure, while his free agency additions have been a mixed bag, which to be fair is how it works for most teams, and his drafting has left something to desired.
The Browns seem to be improved entering the draft and they needed to be - Andrew Berry, Kevin Stefanski, and a large cast in the front office, and coaching staff have their jobs depending on that improvement.
Before the Cleveland Browns announced their addition of Elijah Moore from a trade with the New York Jets, the story of the day from Berea was the return of veteran linebacker Anthony Walker on a one-year agreement.
No terms disclosed as of now for the third one-year deal for the former Northwestern Wildcat's return to Cleveland as the likely starting middle/MIKE linebacker unless the Browns unexpectedly sign/draft someone that forces Walker to the bench.
Walker missed most of the season in 2022 when he suffered a season-ending torn quad in a week three win over Pittsburgh but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp.
Walker is beloved in the locker room and by fans for his high motor and character, so this is a popular return to Cleveland for Walker and it's tough to deny that the Browns run defense turned rancid after losing Walker for the year.
The run defense was affected by the loss of Walker as soon as the following week as the Browns were favored to defeat the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta and allowed two hundred and two yards to non-entities Tyler Allgeier and Caleb Huntley, which would set the game plan for the remainder of the season for every Cleveland opponent.
In 2021, Walker's first season as a Brown, Walker finished with 69 solo tackles with 44 assisted in thirteen games, so he's steady but honestly, there are so many linebackers that come and go with the Browns that are tackle accumulators that fantasy owners love but they make those tackles downfield and generally lack impact, although it can be said that their impact is felt a bit more when they are missing from the field.
I wish the Browns had a playmaker at linebacker that could change a game at any time and maybe Jeremiah Owosu-Koramoah might be the guy eventually but guys like Walker are generally easy to find on any given free agent period.
I'm not against bringing back Walker, he's a solid player, a good mentor, well-liked, and isn't going to hurt you for the most part but while he will help against the run, he's a linebacker that will need the defensive tackles in front of him to occupy blockers for Walker to maximize his effectiveness as he's not a defender that runs around or sheds blocks.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Browns drafted a linebacker with one of their third or fourth-round picks with Walker's injury history and Jacob Phillips being a disappointment thus far in his Cleveland term, the Browns could be in the market for a young linebacker to get into the pipeline to learn from a veteran such as Anthony Walker and hopefully step in for him as early as 2024.
The Cleveland Browns added two defensive linemen to a constantly changing group that should have quite a battle in the summer to earn spots on the Cleveland roster.
Maurice Hurst missed last season with a torn bicep with San Francisco after playing two games for the 49ers in 2021.
Hurst was on the field more often for the Raiders after being selected by the then-Oakland franchise in the fifth round from Michigan in 2018, notching four sacks as a rookie and three and a half in 2019.
Hurst has struggled with injuries since leaving the Raiders, playing in only those two mentioned games, and must be regarded with skepticism regarding his durability. However, assuming that Hurst is able to stay healthy, he could be a valuable part of the rotation.
Trysten Hill split last season with the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys, finishing with a sack in thirteen games ( seven with Dallas, six with Arizona).
The sack is his only solo sack in his four-year career, which started as the Cowboys' second-round selection in 2019 from Central Florida.
Hill never played more than seven games in any of the first three seasons of his career and was released by Dallas mid-season as a disappointment for a high draftee.
Still, Hill has size (6'3 308), is only twenty-five, and wouldn't be the first talented lineman to take a few years to find his way in the league.
Neither Maurice Hurst nor Trysten Hill are the type of players to save a defense but they could prove to be valuable as depth pieces along the line, should either or both make the team.
The Cleveland Browns signed an expected starter for their defense for the third day in a row with this signing aimed at their secondary with Kansas City safety Juan Thornhill as the latest addition.
Thornhill has started for the Super Bowl champion since his second-round selection in 2019 from Virginia and finished last season with three interceptions, a sack, and forty-three solo tackles.
Thornhill will start as the free (or deep) safety and will be in the position to run to the ball with his partner Grant Delpit playing as the strong safety, which is more of a run-supporting position.
Thornhill started sixteen games for the Chiefs last season and other than a knee injury that cost him the postseason in 2019, has remained relatively healthy in his four-year career.
Thornhill will replace John Johnson as the Browns starting free safety and if you recall the reaction to the signing of Johnson, they were almost universally positive, and Johnson was a disappointment in his two seasons as a Brown.
Thornhill was signed to a three-year deal worth twenty-one million dollars ( fourteen million guaranteed) which should be around the amount that the Browns hoped to pay for John Johnson's replacement.
Jessie Bates proved to be out of their price range and once Bates was unavailable (signed with the Atlanta Falcons), Thornhill and Taylor Rapp were the two safeties that I hoped the Browns would pursue as I suspected Chauncey Taylor-Johnson would also end as too rich for Cleveland's blood considering that other needs still remained for the team.
Thornhill is thought to be the big-play safety that the Browns have been looking for years to obtain but while I think Thornhill is a fine player and good addition, I'm not sure that he is an elite safety either.
Juan Thornhill should prove to be a solid starter for the Browns, especially if you are able to temper your expectations before getting too excited about his arrival.
The Cleveland Browns continued their revamp of their defensive line with the signing of defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to be the bulwark of the interior line for this season.
Tomlinson was signed to a reported 57.5 million over four years with twenty-seven of that total to be guaranteed.
The twenty-nine-year-old Tomlinson played for the Minnesota Vikings in the last two years after spending his first four years in the NFL with the New York Giants, who selected him from Alabama in the second round of the 2017 draft.
Tomlinson finished last season with two and a half sacks with twenty solo tackles in thirteen games for Minnesota, which was the first time in Tomlinson's career that he didn't play every game in a season.
At 6'3 and 325 pounds, Tomlinson provides the ability to stop the run and his thirteen sacks over his career indicate an ability to at least pressure the opposing quarterback, if not take him down.
Tomlinson will be the top man in the Browns defensive tackle rotation and will definitely help what was the weakest position on the entire squad in 2022.
Still, Andrew Berry may not be finished adding to the defensive tackle room as the Browns still could use another tackle and the remainder of the corp could use another player that can step into the rotation immediately.
The Browns currently have returning starter Jordan Elliott, unproven second-year man Perrion Winfrey, disappointing third-year player Tommy Togiai, and mediocre veteran Taven Bryan to choose from as the starter beside Tomlinson and none of those options have to be appealing to Andrew Berry, although Winfrey finished the season strong to give Cleveland hope that he could be a contributor.
Berry will likely add another free agent, although not as expensive and proven as Tomlinson, and perhaps a draft pick to add some depth to the rotation.
Dalvin Tomlinson isn't the total cure to the Browns issues with the interior line but he's a strong start to working towards fixing what was clearly broken last season.
Cleveland also re-signed linebacker Sione Takitaki to a one-year contract worth two and a half million.
Takitaki was in the midst of his best season for the Browns after being moved to middle linebacker after the season-ending injury to Anthony Walker before suffering his own season-ending knee injury in December.
Takitaki will miss some of the early portion of the season but the Browns are hoping to have him back sometime in the middle of the season.
Cleveland may be shopping for a veteran middle linebacker with only former third-round pick Jacob Phillips on the roster with Anthony Walker and Deion Jones eligible for free agency with Walker, who the Browns are reported to be fond of, will miss some of the season as well.
The Cleveland Browns read the free agent market and decided to spend their biggest dollars on the defensive line with the signing of defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo from the Houston Texans to provide the pass rush from the opposite end from Myles Garrett.
The three-year contract will be worth twenty-two million dollars, twelve and half of that total guaranteed.
Okoronkwo was drafted by the Rams in 2018 in round five from Oklahoma and played for Los Angeles for four seasons before moving to Houston last season.
Houston started Okoronkwo in the final eight games of the season and Okoronkwo responded with five sacks and finished in the top three in the league in quarterback pressures (Myles Garrett finished fourth) which made him an appealing target to several teams as free agency approached.
Okoronkwo could be a player on the rise with his excellent end to the 2022 season and if the Browns are correct, they may have solved their problems with a pass rush that doesn't include Myles Garrett.
There is some risk involved as Okoronkwo never started a game for the Rams and it's fair to wonder if Okoronkwo is proven enough to feel secure about his production.
Okoronkwo isn't a traditional defensive end, as at 6'2 and 255 pounds his frame doesn't scream run defender and he is more of an edge rusher that the Browns could occasionally mix things up with some snaps as a stand-up outside linebacker.
Still, all things considered, the Browns seem to have done well in signing a possible player that could be improving at 28 at a reasonable cost to help a defensive line that was the largest issue with the defense last season.
The Browns also used some funds that were freed up from restructuring DeShaun Watson's contract to keep center Ethan Pocic in Cleveland with a three-year contract. Pocic was signed by the Browns before last season to backup Nick Harris but Harris missed the season after suffering a training camp knee injury and Pocic delivered a Pro Bowl-level season.
Pocic was regarded as the best center in the free agent field and the Browns weren't sure they could afford what Pocic could receive elsewhere.
I do wonder what this means for some members of an offensive line that has been heavily invested in their future.
The Browns now have hefty and extensive contracts for four of their five starters with an option decision that will need to be made soon on Jedrick Wills.
Something tells me that one or even two of these five starters will be playing elsewhere in 2024.
The San Francisco Giants attempted to fill an infield hole with the signing of veteran second baseman Tommy LaStella to a three-year contract worth 18.75 million.
The severely backloaded contract (two million this year, 5.2 million in 2022, and 11.5 for 2023) gives the Giants more payroll space currently with big contracts on the ledger and will pay LaStella more in the future when theoretically San Francisco will have fewer big contracts to dole money to.
The thirty-two-year-old LaStella hit .281 with five homers and twenty-five RBI in the shortened 2020 campaign that he split between the Angels and Athletics.
LaStella has never made more than the 360 plate appearances than in his rookie season of 2014 with the Braves and was a utilityman with the Cubs from 2015-18 before his breakout season with the Angels in 2019.
LaStella hit .295 with sixteen homers in eighty games and made the All-Star team in 2019 and his solid season last year could tab him as a late-bloomer, but there is a risk as the Giants could be playing eleven million-plus for a 35-year-old utilityman.
LaStella can play first or third and the Giants were noted in the Athletic as thinking that they could shift him to one of those two positions in the final season of his contract, should he be unable to handle second defensively.
The Giants also love the walk rate for LaStella, who walked twenty-seven times and only struck out twelve last season.
LaStella was the only player to have twice as many walks as strikeouts in the entire league in 2020, which the Giants and many other teams value almost as highly as extra-base hits and was specifically mentioned by Farhan Zaidi when announcing the signing of LaStella.
I'm not entirely sold on this one.
Three years seems a bit long for LaStella's track record and I'm not thrilled with the reasoning of the weight of the contract on the back end of the deal.
Using the Giants' reasoning because their commitments for 2022 and 2023 are lower than they are for the 2021 season, it makes sense for the team to pay the contract in this way.
And yes, there are several hefty contracts that will expire between now and then.
However, doesn't it make sense that the Giants will have other large contracts that are needed to fill holes and improve the team for those seasons and that paying a thirty-five-year-old player that may not be able to play a full-time position defensively is an albatross to carry?
And I would counter one thing with the walk/ low strikeout percentage- Yes, LaStella may be one of the best in the league at putting the ball in play, but couldn't his numbers fluctuate from year to year as players catch the ball?
That may be simplistic, but the numbers can vary severely in how often a player's contact to out ratio from year to year and a contact hitter, as LaStella has been other than in 2019, is at the mercy of the defenders surrounding him.
I don't think this is an awful signing, but I do think that this could be a bad signing.
I would have preferred a two-year deal or in the best choice, a one year deal and a team option,
even if that would have been a bit more than they are paying per year now.
Say along the lines of ten million for 2021 and a ten million team option instead of that awful 2013 number would be a better signing in my opinion.
It'll be interesting to follow and see how this plays out.
The official start of free agency isn't until Wednesday, but teams are allowed to talk to players a few days before that and many players have already committed to new franchises.
The commitment means nothing as players can change their minds and occasionally, a player will change their mind and sign with another team as happened to the Browns in 2015 when they thought they had a commitment from tight end Jordan Cameron to return to the Browns and Cameron would renege to sign with the Miami Dolphins.
The Browns have commitments to add three players, two of which will become immediate starters with the third being a key backup and will hopefully help to push the most important position on the team.
Cleveland signed tight end Austin Hooper from the Falcons, tackle Jack Conklin from the Titans, and quarterback Case Keenum from the Redskins via free agency to bolster those positions, but the Browns made another move tonight as they acquired fullback Andy Janovich from Denver for a 2021 seventh-round pick.
Hooper and Conklin have Pro Bowl histories, Janovich is noted as one of the better blockers in the football and in an offense that uses the fullback often, and Keenum is the type of veteran backup that won't end your season if the starter goes down.
So these are all solid moves for a team that needed them but still needs more.
The Browns now have skill position standouts with Nick Chubb, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, and Austin Hooper with an offensive line that looks greatly improved with Jack Conklin at right tackle joining Joel Bitonio, J.C. Tretter with a likely first or second-round draft pick at left tackle.
Baker Mayfield will have very few excuses for himself this year if his play does not improve and should Mayfield regress even further, Case Keenum would make a suitable bridge to the next Browns quarterback.
Cleveland still needs lots of help on defense and I'm looking for help on the defense to be added in free agency.
Linebacker will likely bring a player or two to a depleted corp and the Browns need a veteran safety after the recent release of Morgan Burnett and the decision to not bring back Demetrius Randall.
A decision on Olivier Vernon will need to be rendered and should they release Vernon, a replacement will need to be brought in.
I admit to being dubious of the hiring of Andrew Berry and I still have concerns about the Browns drafts under Berry, but credit is deserved here these are three excellent signings at positions of need.
I'm going to do more detailed posts on the new arrivals since Covid 19 has given me fewer things to write about over the next few days and there could be more players added to review as well.
The Cleveland Browns continued to rebuild the backside of their defense and added the veteran safety that the team had been looking for as the team signed Morgan Burnett, most recently released by the Pittsburgh Steelers, but importantly a former Green Bay Packer, to a two-year contract worth nine million dollars.
Front office residents Eliot Wolf and Alonzo Highsmith are very familiar with Burnett's play from their days in Green Bay and should Burnett return to that level of performance in Cleveland, the team should be very pleased, but there are questions.
The first is- can Burnett return to his days as a Packer?
Burnett was thought to be a top signing last year when the Steelers inked him to a contract, but Burnett was beaten out at safety by Pittsburgh's top draftee Terrell Edmunds and spent most of his season miscast at inside linebacker.
Burnett's desire to return to safety led to a demand to be released and after the Steelers were unable to trade Burnett after attempts to do so failed, the Steelers knuckled under and did so.
Burnett is an excellent tackler against the run and is among the best in the league among safeties, so if Burnett can do that at 30 years of age, the Browns have likely upgraded over the traded Jabrill Peppers in tackling, if not in athletic ability.
The other issue with Burnett is durability.
Burnett has not played a complete 16 game season in six years and even though Burnett only missed a few games each year, he still misses time, which makes the recent trade for Eric Murray with the Chiefs make a little more sense as if you assume that part of the package of having Burnett means that you need to prepare to be without him for a few games, so a solid backup is more than a luxury.
The signing of Morgan Burnett comes with a mild risk that his year in Pittsburgh was a sign that he may not be the player that he once was, but I think it could be a motivator for Burnett and a motivated Burnett is an All-Pro level safety.
I would have normally added a Burnett highlight video here, but the few that I found comes with music that just drives me nuts.
So many of these talented people do such great work putting together these highlight videos with perfect cuts and jumps, only to ruin it with music that distracts rather than adds to the presentation,
The Browns also signed an AAF alumnus in quarterback Garrett Gilbert.
The 27 year old son of former NFL journeyman Gale Gilbert, who played his college football at both Texas and SMU before being a sixth-round draftee by the Rams in 2014, spent time in camps and on rosters for various teams before throwing his first three NFL passes last year for Carolina in their last game of the season after the Panthers starter in that game- third-stringer Kyle Allen was injured.
Gilbert was likely to win the AAF's MVP or offensive player of the year as the signal caller for the Orlando Apollos, who won seven of their eight games with their only loss to "your" Arizona Hotshots 22-17 before the league was folded earlier this week.
Under the tutelage of Steve Spurrier, Gilbert threw for over two thousand yards in those eight games with 13 touchdowns against only three interceptions in the developmental league and along with Arizona's John Wolford (Wolford threw more touchdown passes 14, but more interceptions with 7) were head and shoulders above any other passer in the league.
Spurrier's offenses were always dominant as a college coach and in the rival leagues (Spurrier also was the head coach for all three seasons of the USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits and the well-remembered Bandit Ball), but his quarterbacks never fared well at the NFL level ( his best NFL product was likely Rex Grossman
) from his college coaching career and his USFL quarterbacks would only receive NFL chances in the 1987 strike games so Gilbert may have learned plenty from Spurrier, but that doesn't always convert to success in the NFL.
However, I think that Gilbert has a chance to make this team and here's why- Gilbert attended the same high school (Austin Lake Travis) as Baker Mayfield, preceding Mayfield by a few years and they have a friendship dating from Mayfield's childhood when Gilbert was the top-rated quarterback recruit in the nation at Lake Travis.
There is an opening with Tyrod Taylor electing to pursue free agency and it would make a lot of sense to put Gilbert, who Mayfield respects on a personal level, with Drew Stanton as the veteran mentor that has played in the league in the quarterback room to help Mayfield along in his development.
It is very possible that the Browns are likely to draft a quarterback in the later rounds as a developmental project so that potential player will likely be the player that Gilbert will battle to make the Browns.
On the day that trades and signings could be officially announced, the Cleveland Browns did so with the New York Giants and combined the two agreed upon deals into one along with another wrinkle that was added as well.
The official word saw the Browns acquiring Odell Beckham and Olivier Vernon from the Giants and sending Kevin Zeitler, Jabrill Peppers, the Browns first-round draft pick and the third rounder obtained from the Patriots for Danny Shelton.
There was one minor change from the two announced trades between the teams as the previously announced flip flop of the Browns fifth rounder for the Giants fourth-rounder was annulled and each team will keep their original selections.
The Browns now possess eight picks in the 2019 draft- their own picks in rounds two through six, two extra picks in the fifth round (Jaguars and Patriots) and the Jaguars pick in the seventh and final round.
The Browns did sign two additional players that had not been announced, neither are expected to start but should provide depth at their respective positions,
On the offensive side of the football, Cleveland signed tight end Demetrius Harris to a two-year contract for undisclosed terms.
Harris had spent his entire career for the Chiefs and grabbed 12 passes for 164 yards with three of those for touchdowns.
The 6'7 former basketball player at Wisconsin-Milwaukee will replace the recently waived Darren Fells as the backup blocking tight end and should be a valuable end zone target.
Cleveland also signed a linebacker as the Browns added Adarius Taylor, who spent last season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Taylor started ten games last season for Tampa, finishing with sixty solo tackles and a sack in his first time as a starter in five years in the league with Carolina and Tampa Bay.
New Browns defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and linebackers coach Al Holcomb coached Taylor with the Panthers, so I'm sure the two coaches had some positive input on Taylor.
I would think that Taylor is not the full-time linebacker that the team needs, but Taylor has been a valuable special teams player in the league and should be a help there along with being able to step in at linebacker, if needed.
The Cleveland Browns might have been "in" on a few players on free agency day one and players that they were rumored to be interested in decided to go elsewhere, but on the morning of day two, John Dorsey struck hard with a major upgrade to the defense that could tip his hand on what position that the Browns may need to address in the draft.
Cleveland has entered an agreement on a three-year contract with Vikings defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson that is reportedly valued at 39 million dollars with 21.5 of those dollars guaranteed.
The Browns will be Richardson's fourth team in three years after the Jets traded him in mid-season 2017 to Seattle and signing a one year deal with Minnesota last season.
Richardson was the first round selection by the New York Jets out of Missouri in 2013 and finished last season for Minnesota with 26 solo tackles, six of those for losses and four and a half sacks from his interior line position.
Richardson is one of the better pass rushing defensive tackles in the game, is far more suited to a 4-3 defense, which the Browns and Vikings both run and will force teams to pay attention to Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi inside and not give double team help against both Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon on the outside.
The addition of Sheldon Richardson gives the Browns a front four pass rush that the fans haven't seen in years without a weak spot all across the Garrett, Richardson, Ogunjobi and Vernon line and opposing quarterbacks should be extremely concerned.
However, it does raise questions about Emmanuel Ogbah. Will Ogbah return for the final year of his rookie contract or does John Dorsey attempt to get something for him now or does he keep him as a pretty strong backup defensive end?
I'm doubtful that the Browns will pick up their fifth-year option on Ogbah, so if the Browns want to receive anything for him, they will have to move him soon, although it wouldn't have to come at draft time, but it's also possible that Ogbah still sees plenty of time or even retains his job as a starter, if the Browns aren't able to upgrade at the linebacker position, Cleveland could play Olivier Vernon there if that is the best way to improve the linebackers.
I like Vernon better off the edge as an end, but he's proven solid at linebacker as well.
Ogbah sprained his ankle in the opener against Pittsburgh last season and even though he missed two games, he never seemed to catch up and finished the season with only three sacks after Ogbah and Myles Garrett had made the case before the 2018 draft that Ogbah was worth passing over eventual defensive rookie of the year Bradley Chubb.
The Browns would pass over Chubb and did very well with their selection of cornerback Denzel Ward, but Ogbah's proclamations far from worked out.
The Browns also retained wide receiver Breshad Perriman, when the wide receiver signed a one year contract for four million dollars.
The 25-year-old Perriman, a former 2016 first rounder by the Ravens was released in camp by Baltimore and later in the year by Washington without playing in a game for them, caught 16 passes in ten games, but late in the season was able to establish himself as a deep threat for Baker Mayfield in averaging twenty-one yards per grab.
Cleveland wanted to re-sign Perriman before the beginning of free agency, but Perriman decided to test the market before quickly returning to the Browns.
This is a deal that works for both the player and the team as Perriman can try free agency again with a strong season with the Browns not paying a lot and if Perriman's finish proves to be a mirage, Cleveland can walk away after the conclusion of the year.
Editor's Note: Right after I wrote this, the Browns acquired Odell Beckham and Perriman asked to be relieved of his commitment.
The Browns agreed to do so and Perriman signed a one year deal for the same money with Tampa Bay.
Classy move by the Browns and it will help spread the word as a place where the players are treated fairly and will want to spend their career there.
With the free agency signing period nearing, the Cleveland Browns already owned plenty of salary cap space and they created more with the release of veteran linebacker Jamie Collins.
The 29-year-old Collins was traded for in the middle of the 2016 season and given a four-year contract worth over ten million dollars a season after the 2016 campaign by then head of football operations Sashi Brown.
Collins played every game last season posting over 70 solo tackles, thirteen of those for loss, four sacks, and an interception- solid numbers, but nothing spectacular from a player receiving over ten million dollars for those statistics.
Collins had also shown questionable effort at times and on a team on the upswing, John Dorsey simply will not tolerate those types of problems.
The Browns will save nine million dollars on the cap by releasing Collins as the major part of his contract was frontloaded against the cap.
Collins would have counted as eleven and a half million against the cap for the Browns, had he started the season.
The Browns can't be criticized for not wanting to pay Collins such a large amount of money all things considered, but the team certainly has to add help at linebacker now with only Joe Schobert returning as a starter and one not coming off an injury as Christian Kirksey will continue to recover from his season-ending hamstring injury.
Cleveland and their abundant cap space have been connected to both of the standout free agent linebackers available in rumors as both Baltimore's C.J. Mosley and Minnesota's Anthony Barr could be objects of the Browns interest.
Both Mosley and Barr would bring an aspect of their game that the Browns could use as Barr is the superior pass rusher and slightly better in pass coverage, while Mosley is far better against the run, has been the most consistent performer and has the advantage of weakening a division rival as well as experience in the division.
Barr could bring the pass rushing ability off the rush that the Browns paid for yet never received from Jamie Collins opposite Myles Garrett, but Mosley brings the capability of covering the entire field in the run game and is the type of player that brings respect both in the locker room and from the opposition.
I'd be fine with either, but if forced to choose between the two and assuming the price is similar, I'd slightly lean towards Mosley.
The Browns have also been rumored to have shown interest in the draft's top linebacker in LSU's Devin White, although White may have taken himself out of availability for Cleveland at pick number 17 after a tremendous combine workout series.
The Browns have been flying all over Twitter last night with unnamed rumors from established NFL writers so there could be something in the works- If that's the case, I'll be here with some thoughts, of course.
This note is from a few days ago, but I still wanted to write a few words about the Browns latest signing as this is intriguing to me and might have slipped through the news a bit.
The Browns signing of Jeff Janis made me think about him in Cleveland as a supporting cast member of the wide receiving corps.
After all, the name Jeff Janis is a name that I often read over the last few years as a potential fantasy sleeper and I wondered if he just wasn't a guy that fell into a decent WR bunch, so didn't break out against strong competition.
Janis is 6'3, runs extremely well and looking at his stats, his career yards per catch is close to 12 yards per catch and looks the part of a pass catcher that just needed a chance.
I checked out some of the Packer sites and many of those people were more upset about losing Jeff Janis than Jordy Nelson ( keep in mind, they think they are losing the injured Jordy Nelson that is beaten up and almost broken) to the point of leaving me pondering just why Green Bay isn't trying harder to keep this guy.
So what else do I do- well, when it comes to asking about the Green Bay Packers-I have one go-to source who I respect impeccably, after all, I trained him!
I asked Ryan about Jeff Janis ( he called me back from a dinner in beautiful Clearwater, Florida) and here are a few of his comments.
" Great special teams gunner" "Terrific on special teams, arguably the best in the league", "Cannot catch a cold" "Has horrible hands" "Has had chances to beat out players that he should have like Trevor Davis, who's terrible and didn't", "Will show enough flashes to make you think he'll break out and doesn't" "Occasionally makes a big play because no one covers him" and finally "Will be a huge factor on special teams, fans will love him there, but asking him to be more than a 5th wide receiver is more than he'll deliver"
Jeff Janis brings some interesting skills and size to Cleveland at a cheap rate and should prove to be a helpful and popular player on the specialty teams with the occasional big play on offense.
Asking more than that seems to be a reach.
Thanks to Ryan for taking the time to discuss Jeff Janis...
The Cleveland Browns added the veteran to the film room that the team lacked so badly last year as the Browns signed veteran Drew Stanton to a two-year contract Sunday night.
Stanton turns 34 before the 2018 season and spent the last four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, starting four games in 2017 and won three of his four starts with six touchdowns and five interceptions.
Stanton's major issue has always been a low completion percentage and his 49.7 in Phoenix last season was worse than DeShone Kizer's with the Browns and we all know how unhappy fans, coaches, front office, Brownie the Elf etc were with Kizer's numbers.
The signing of the veteran makes it even more likely that the Browns draft a quarterback in the first round, in my opinion. as Stanton will be that "veteran in the film room" to tutor a rookie that we hear so much about being needed.
Well after last year's experiment with a rookie and two second-year players at quarterback, I think this is a good idea, even if it was learned by the Browns at the cost of losing every game and the person that needed to learn it (Sashi Brown) is no longer available to ride this train.
This also is likely to see the end of careers in Cleveland for at least one and likely both of Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan.
It's highly unlikely that the Browns are going to keep four quarterbacks, so I would likely say that the team will get rid of one of Kessler/Hogan before the draft and bring the other to camp to attempt to keep their job ahead of Drew Stanton, which is unlikely because of the previously noted intangibles possessed by the veteran.
If the Browns were bringing Drew Stanton to Cleveland to be their "bridge quarterback", I'd be very disappointed and wouldn't see much of an upgrade at quarterback, but to be either the backup or third-stringer and be the wise old sage in the quarterback room, I'm fine with adding Stanton.
I would say he would make the team unless Stanton is so bad in camp that the Kessler/Hogan survivor moves Stanton out, which I would have my doubts happening.
John Dorsey had hinted that the Cleveland Browns may not be finished in free agency and the Browns latest signing could have an effect on just who (and what) the team does with their second first-round pick in next month's draft.
The signing of E.J. Gaines to a contract worth four million for 2018 should give the Browns a new starting corner, might see a few players on their way out of town and will possibly make the Browns first pick in the secondary in the second or third round rather than the first.
The 26-year-old Gaines, who played for Browns defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for the then-St.Louis Rams in 2014-15 and then in 2016 after the team moved to Los Angeles, had a strong 2017 in his only season with the Buffalo Bills with 59 tackles, a few forced fumbles and an interception in his eleven starts at Buffalo.
Gaines will challenge to start at cornerback against Terrence Mitchell,(signed from the Chiefs) and Briean Boddy-Calhoun alongside the other Browns free agency signing in T.J. Carrie (T.J and E.J is going to trip quite a few commentators on Browns games next season) as part of a revamped Cleveland secondary that will see three new starters (Damarious Randall from the Packers will be the other) along with the return of Jabrill Peppers, who hopefully will be used differently and one way or the other will show whether or not he is more sizzle or steak after his highly hyped and low production rookie season where the defense did not take advantage of what he does best.
Peppers shouldn't have that excuse in 2018.
This move might be the end of Jamar Taylor in Cleveland, who regressed a bit in 2017 after a strong 2016 after which Sashi Brown signed Taylor to a three year 16.5 million dollar extension, that the Browns would have to eat the final two seasons if the team decided to release Taylor.
I'm not saying that it would be Taylor that would be released, but in a suddenly crowded Browns secondary with free agent arrivals, the return of 2017 fourth rounder Howard Wilson and a likely high draft pick, when you consider Taylor's cost, he looks to be the most likely odd man out...
