Browns reel in Odell Beckham

John Dorsey sure knows how to fire up his base and the seemingly endless field of Democratic Presidential candidates could learn a few things from the engineer of the rebuild of the Cleveland Browns.

Dorsey allowed the first day of free agency (commitments, not official signings, those cannot start until today) to quietly go slide by and Browns fans wondered about Dorsey's plans when linebacker C.J, Mosley, a player desired by most Browns fans, signed with the New York Jets, not the Browns.

Dorsey apparently planned on a more spectacular day two as it would be the Cleveland Browns that would be the talk of the football world at the end of this night.
Earlier in the day, the Browns had made their first transaction in signing defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson in a move that had Browns fans and football scribes giving the team plenty of credit for improving a defensive line's pass rush and sending a front four of the caliber that the Browns have not seen in years.
Dorsey then followed up with a one-year contract with Breshad Perriman, the former Baltimore first-round wideout that revived his career in Cleveland.
Perriman was expected to perhaps exceed that number in salary and the Browns seemed to have retained their base receiving corps at a fair price for the 2019 season.

The Browns looked now to be adding to the back seven with needs to be addressed in the secondary and at linebacker in free agency and the draft with many of the available upgrades taken out of the free agency pool, but John Dorsey not only wasn't finished, he was able to rock more than the football universe, but the sports universe as well.

Trades involving Odell Beckham had been rumored for months and not only with the Browns.
It was tough to see why the Giants signed Beckham to a five-year/ninety million dollar contract, paid him a sizable upfront bonus and they would shop him as available, but available he seemed to be, but the Browns had to wonder about the price that they would pay.
After all, one of the other top wideouts in the game was going to be traded in Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown, and using Brown to gauge the market for Beckham, who is younger, made sense.
However, after the Steelers seemed to trade Brown for nowhere near his value (3rd and 5th round pick in April's draft), the Giants appeared to have made the decision to swap Beckham now for the best that they could reel in.
That return was better than Pittsburgh's, but far from what was expected as the Browns traded their first-round pick (17th overall), the third-round pick that the Browns obtained from New England for Danny Shelton (the last pick in the third round before compensation picks) and safety Jabrill Peppers to add Odell Beckham to their roster to solidify the Browns as a contender in 2019.
Beckham caught 77 passes for 1,052 yards and six touchdowns last season over 12 games, for a Giants team that was often criticized for Eli Manning's lack of arm strength to throw the ball downfield and a propensity to check down and dump the ball off to rookie running back Saquon Barkley, who finished the season with 91 catches to show often Manning did just that.

Considering the skills of Beckham, the Browns got away with theft should Beckham perform as expected.
The Browns haven't picked as low as 17 with their own pick in the first round in years and the third is one acquired from New England, so they still have a 3rd rounder.
As for Jabrill Peppers, his play did improve last year at safety, but he never seemed to show the playmaking skills that he was supposed to have (other than a terrific game against Denver last season) and he was very disappointing in the return game.
Some were calling Peppers a bust last night in the euphoria after the trade and even though I've never been a fan of his, calling him a bust is unfair.
Peppers may develop further as a Giant, but including him in the trade didn't exactly make me wince as safety was a position of need with him, showing that losing him wouldn't be a huge hit to the roster.

Odell Beckham's not perfect.
Beckham missed four games last season and twelve in 2017, had issues with the Giants, although he was very popular in the locker room, so he wasn't a clubhouse cancer there, but wasn't afraid to criticize the offense, play-calling, and the eroding skills of quarterback Eli Manning.
That's the downside, other than Beckham's agent already making a little noise about contract modifications similar to those of Antonio Brown, but the Browns have enough space to accommodate those fairly easily.

Now for what the Browns are bringing to Lake Erie.
Odell Beckham is easily in the upper tier of receivers in the game with all the names you would think of as such, has deep speed, excellent hands, and generally hasn't been criticized for a lack of effort.
Beckham's in his prime (turns 27 during the season) and should have his Cleveland transition eased with his good friend and college teammate Jarvis Landry and Adam Henry was his position coach with both LSU and the Giants on the roster/coaching staff.
Spare the trading of a number one, when you consider where that first-rounder resides, this isn't trading that pick for Antonio Brown (31, Beckham's contract will almost be over before he reaches that age), you are getting an elite player in his prime for a middle of the first-round draft pick.
I value draft picks even more than most, but you can't value them that high considering that this trade involves a young superstar and just one first-rounder is involved.
My opinion might have changed if the cost was as rumored earlier in the day (2019 and 2020 first-rounder and backup defensive Emmanuel Ogbah for Beckham and the Giants 2020 second-rounder), but I'm more than fine with this cost.

The Browns still need some help.
They released tight end Darren Fells (a 2018 FA signee) over the weekend and some help for the enigmatic David Njoku couldn't hurt.
The linebackers need help with at least one and maybe even two, depending on where they want to play Olivier Vernon (Likely prefer DE, but can play linebacker) and the status of Emmanuel Ogbah (could they get a 2020 pick at the draft?) and safety was a position that could have used help before trading Jabrill Peppers and now is a spot that John Dorsey must address (Pro Bowler Earl Thomas is rumored to be currently considering the Browns after trading for Beckham).

On paper, this is a team that seems to be at least the division co-favorite and all things considered maybe the favorite in the AFC North.
I'm not sure that they are better than New England or Kansas City yet, but they are going to put lots of points on the scoreboard and they are going to pound some opposing passers.
With a rookie head coach and a second-year quarterback that occasionally shows (on-field) maturity problems, there may be a grace period needed before everyone is on the same page, but finally, the Browns are contenders again.

Browns build road winning streak-Bump Broncos 17-16

Jabrill Peppers was drafted as a "playmaker" out of Michigan in 2017 and was thought by some to be the type of player that would change games from the safety position.
That had not happened in the first 29 games and in this season, Peppers had not notched an interception or a sack, yet twice it was Jabrill Peppers making a big play at the end of a half or the game to save the Cleveland Browns and allow the tiny playoff hopes of the Browns to live another week in a 17-16 win over the Denver Broncos in Denver.
Peppers made a leaping interception in the end zone late in the first half to foil a Bronco drive, but the play that ended the game was after Peppers blitzed from his safety position almost untouched to drive Case Keenum to the turf on a fourth down attempt.

Nick Chubb rushed for 100 yards and Baker Mayfield threw for both of the Browns touchdowns to lead the Cleveland offense in the victory that was the Browns first win over the Broncos since 1990.
The Browns improve to 6-7-1 and will host Cincinnati next week.

Brownie Bits

1) In the first half when Jabrill Peppers made his interception, a Mr. Ramon Malpica made sure to tag me in a tweet that simply said "Peppers!".
I was critical of drafting Peppers and I've critical of him at times since, although that's been far more frequent towards his punt returning than his play on the defense, where he's been decent, if not spectacular since being moved closer to the line of scrimmage this season
On this night, Peppers resembled the player that he was in college, finishing the game with six tackles, two for loss and the two impact plays.
Perhaps it's motivation, playoff contention as limited as it is or even a player beginning to mature, but if the Browns are going to receive this version of Jabrill Peppers, they might just be a very fortunate team.

2) Baker Mayfield had an inconsistent evening.
The Browns marched down the field for a touchdown on their first possession that ended in a 31-yard strike to Breshad Perriman, but Mayfield struggled for a bit thereafter with an interception, a fumble and some less than on the money passing before his 4th quarter drive where he regained his touch including his dart to Antonio Callaway for what proved to be a game-winning score.
Still, getting a win in a tough place such as Denver in your rookie season shows moxie, which is something young Mr.Mayfield has plenty of.

3) Gregg Williams made a fourth-quarter decision that could have cost him on fourth and one from the Denver 10, by deciding to go for it.
Nick Chubb was swarmed over and gave the Broncos one final chance.
It's one of those calls that define coaches because it is so difficult- kick the field goal with the occasionally inaccurate rookie Greg Joseph and a touchdown still beats you.
Go for it and fall short, a field goal beats you and yet gain that yard, the game is over with Denver out of timeouts.
I think I would have gone for it as well, although I won't criticize the actual play call.
Sometimes coaches cannot win for losing.

4) Take Denver's Vance Joseph for example, down four with a four and one at the Cleveland six.
Go for it and take your chances or kick the field goal, trim the lead to one and hope for the best.
In either situation (Unless you get the first down), the Denver defense is going to have make a stand to get you the ball back.
Joseph kicks the field goal.

5) The Browns entered the game with major problems stopping the run, but the defense closed the Denver ground game to just 32 yards.
Pretty strong evening against Phillip Lindsay, who entered the game with 965 yards on the season and still finished it short of the one thousand mark.

6) The defense bent but didn't break, but Case Keenum showed that the Browns do have some distance to go and some talent upgrades are still needed.
The Broncos attacked with the short pass constantly and Keenum was effective (31 of 48) in completing passes, but wasn't as successful downfield with a long of 24 yards for the night.

7) That strategy worked because Keenum doesn't have a big arm, but it also works because the Browns lack speed at linebacker.
Joe Schobert will (and is ) a fine middle linebacker when he has speedy linebackers from the outside that are able to chase down ballcarriers or funnel them inside where Schobert can make the tackle.
If you put Schobert or the injured Christian Kirksey for that matter in the position of running down ball carriers or receivers in space, their lack of speed is exposed quickly.
With the likely departure of Jamie Collins, look for the Browns to take a linebacker in the first two days of the draft and another on the draft's final day.

8) The return of Terrence Mitchell to the lineup after being activated from the injured reserve list was a help to the beaten up secondary which was without Denzel Ward for the second straight game.
Add to that the fourth quarter interception by E.J. Carrie that led to the game-winning drive and despite giving up yardage, they didn't allow a score through the air and that's a pretty strong night all things considered.

9) Nick Chubb's night looks impressive (20 carries for 100 yards) and when you consider that was bulked up by the late run for 40 yards, I can see where some might say that's an artificially high number.
I disagree, that run shows me that committing to the run with Chubb allows those late-game runs to occur because a big and physical runner is wearing down defenses and more of those breakaway scampers are going to happen.

10 ) The defensive play of the game that may have fallen into the shadows with the two plays by Jabrill Peppers and the E.J. Carrie interception is the stop by Trevon Coley on Denver running back Phillip Lindsey on 3rd and one from the Cleveland six, which led to Denver kicking a field goal when a touchdown would have given the Broncos the lead.
That play happens at 5:29 to go in the game and the Brandon McManus field goal was kicked at 4;35.
Not only does Denver have four plays to attempt to take the lead, if Lindsey gets to the marker for the first down, but they would also have possibly taken the clock to between two to three minutes unless the Browns used timeouts.
I know there are a lot of "If's" involved, but Coley's play took that off the board to worry about.

11) I know it is easy to allow fans to get excited about playoff chances, as distant as they are.
I'm not getting to that point yet.
Let's see what happens today, take care of business next week against the Bengals in a game that the Browns will be favored to win, see what has to happen after that and then I'll start worrying about scoreboard watching.

Back later with the Canelo Alvarez mismatch from Madison Square Garden.

2017 Draft-Cleveland Browns Day One

The Cleveland Browns excited some people on day one of the NFL Draft,disappointed others and yet some more looked at the first day as a mixed bag.

I liked the Browns sticking to their plan and taking the best player on the board with their first pick with Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett.
The big,rangy Garrett is the type of pass rusher that enters the league once every few years and in my opinion,was the unchallenged choice for the top pick.
At 6'5 270 and with the speed that teams drool over off the edge,Garrett is the disruptive presence that a Von Miller brings to the pass rush that not only will see Garrett be productive,but will see an increase in the pressure brought by Emanuel Ogbah and others.
I love the Garrett pick and even though many wanted Mitch Trubisky here,I wasn't convinced that Trubisky is an elite value quarterback and it appears that despite the Browns interest in the North Carolina passer,they weren't sold on him at number one.


With the manner that the draft fell into place,I was excited at 12.
I was hoping for Pat Mahomes there,but the Chiefs traded up to 10 and drafted the Texas Tech quarterback.
Still with several picks that I would have thought to be unlikely to be top ten choices,the Browns had several top notch players (especially on defense) available at the choice acquired from Philadelphia.
I was rooting for Ohio State safety Malik Hooker,but Alabama defensive tackle Jonathan Allen would make the Browns defensive line a monster instantly with Miles Garrett.
Tight end O.J. Howard of Alabama would have given the Browns the top player there in a deep crop and Alabama linebacker Rueben Foster had appeal as the intense linebacker that the Browns have lacked for years.
I wouldn't have scoffed at DeShaun Watson,the Clemson quarterback that broiled Ohio State in the playoffs,despite some concerns about his style of play being caught up to the defenses today.
A player such as Watson falling to the Browns was far different that trading assets to move up for him.
All of those options on the board-what to do?
Exactly what you would think the Browns would do-trade down.
Blah and the Browns dropped 13 spots to 25 and got the Houston Texans 2018 first round pick in return.
Always nice to have two number one's,but the Texans pick is likely to be in the 20's next year,which means the Browns could have a less desirable pair of picks than the current draft showed.
I would wished that the Browns could gotten something else added,such as a 3 or 4 in this draft.
That pick would prove handy by the end of the night...

Finally,at 25,Cleveland was up and all of those players were gone except Reuben Foster and I was hoping Foster or Washington safety Budda Baker.
Instead,the Browns again for all of the "analytics" and all the "new wave thinking" were the same old Browns as they bit on the most polarizing players in the draft in michigan safety Jabrill Peppers.
I didn't like Peppers,not for his michigan roots,but for the lack of steak behind the sizzle.
The hype says Peppers is a playmaker,yet ignore his one career interception,his lack of instincts at safety are blamed on michigan moving him around too much,yet that decision to move him around made him "versatile" and he'll enter the league after a recent issue at the combine as a member of the Substance Abuse Program!
Not having the instincts to play safety nor the size to play linebacker,Peppers is the epitome of a "tweener'.
I can see the Browns trying to involve him on offense and he is a dazzling punt returner,but other than a few gimmick plays,they aren't going to make him a regular part of the offensive game plan.
I just don't like this pick,although he could make it work as he has terrific athletic ability,but he's going to have learn how to play a set position and improve his weaknesses in order to do that.
It's possible,but I'd rather have a safety that played safety in Budda Baker than someone learning on the job.
One thing that never changes-the Browns asking players to do something at the highest level that they've never done before-Sigh....


One would have thought the Browns were finished as I moaned about Peppers to Ryan on Facebook as he prepared for his Packers to select and he hoped for Wisconsin's T.J. Watt.
Instead,the Browns swung a trade with Green Bay and Twitter was on fire thinking that perhaps the Browns were going after quarterback Deshone Kizer of Notre Dame or even another quarterback Davis Webb of California.
I was rooting for Reuben Foster again,but mentioned a chance of Miami tight end David Njoku as a secondary possibility.
The choice was Njoku,who brings a big target (6'4 246) with unusual speed and leaping ability for a tight end.
The upside is high for Njoku,who reminds me a little of Antonio Gates and if he can be that good-this is an excellent choice.
He may never be more than an average blocker,but physically,Njoku looks the part.
He'll need some refining,but this could be a standout with some polishing work.
Here's the issue for me-to move up just four spots from 29 to 33,the Browns,the team that values picks so much,traded the 33rd pick (1st in round 2) and 108 (the first in round 4 and the third day of the draft).
You had to figure 33 was gone,if the Browns wanted back into round one,but the Browns having to move 108 meant the Browns were out of the 4th round not only with the valuable first pick of the day (teams often love to trade for that pick as they have all night to try land a player that slipped and shouldn't be there),but completely.
The Browns preach quantity of picks and then deal themselves right out of quantity.
This is where getting a middle rounder in the trade with Houston would have went a long way.
The Browns do have three 5's and two 6's,so they could move up for the right player,but it could have been much easier.
I do like Njoku and think he could be the best tight end in the draft with development,but they paid a steep price to move up so little,especially in a stacked tight end class..


Wrapping up-
A-For Myles Garrett and managing to hold off the horde to force feed a quarterback that they really didn't think was proper value at 1.
D-For another trade down.With several elite defenders and possibly their quarterback of the future available,the Browns punted for a first rounder next year that might be lucky to be lower than 20th.
C Minus-For Jabrill Peppers,Unless the Browns have plans to use him as a Devin Hester type multi-tool player,I'm not a fan.
There was a reason that michigan moved him around so much-they didn't want to expose him at the same spot every play over the course of a game.
B-David Njoku-The price was high,but so is the talent of Njoku. A gamble,but one that could pay off.