Brownie Berea Bits

There are always questions and news nuggets of note in every team's training camp. but usually, there aren't enough for a post by themselves.

The biggest news from Berea is the potential loss of starting linebacker Mack Wilson to a knee injury.
The Browns linebacking crew was looked at as one of the weaker units on the team and Wilson was the top linebacker of the bunch, so the knee injury that will at minimum cost Wilson a chunk of the season and possibly end his year entirely is a huge loss to the Browns.
Mack Wilson's loss will force the Browns to make a move of some type to add a veteran linebacker and there are a few available that I'd be interested in.
All of them have flaws, but if they were perfect they wouldn't be available in training camp, would they?

Former Ram and Giants Alec Ogletree is a strong tackler, but not great in pass coverage, Mark Barron spent last season in Pittsburgh but was solid with the Rams after moving from safety to linebacker and he plays Wilson's position on the weakside as does well-traveled veteran Malcolm Smith, who was the MVP in Seattle's Super Bowl win in 2014.
Clay Matthews is a popular choice because of his dad's time in Cleveland, but he's a pass rusher off the edge and isn't really a fit for what Wilson's responsibilities are.
I'd like to see former Buckeye Darron Lee get a shot, Lee's got more than enough speed and it would be interesting to see what he could do with the new defensive coordinator Joe Woods.

Kevin Johnson had been impressive in camp, according to observers, but Johnson is going to miss time with a lacerated liver and I'm sure that is as painful as it sounds, so Johnson's time out of the lineup could be substantial.
The loss of Johnson could be offset by an interesting waiver claim just before camp started when Cleveland claimed cornerback M.J. Stewart off waivers from Tampa Bay.
Stewart was the second-round pick by Tampa in 2018 out of North Carolina and turns 25 in September.
It seems a bit early to give up on a second-rounder, but Tampa Bay likely needs to keep some cap space open after signing, so that could have been a factor.
Stewart started five games in his two seasons with the Buccaneers and can play some slot corner, so it was a small risk to take and the Jets are reported to have made a claim for Stewart, so other teams were thinking the same about Stewart.

One final note on the concussion suffered by Nick Chubb from a horsecollar tackle from Mack Wilson on the day before Wilson's knee injury.
Kevin Stefanski wasn't happy, and he shouldn't have been, but before the next day's practice, Stefanski announced that Wilson had been demoted to the second team behind Tay Davis.
While this may have been a good thing for the "culture change" that every coach seems to talk about these days, it could have cost them Mack Wilson for the season.
How?
I'm not quite sure about this, but Wilson was now playing with the second-team defense and theoretically had Stefanski not demoted Wilson, he wouldn't have been on the field when he was injured.
That's a stretch to a degree because when a ligament is ready to give, it's going to give eventually, but if Wilson's injury occurred with a cleat sticking or another player rolling into him (and I haven't seen the play, so I don't know that), Stefanski's demotion didn't cause the injury, but it did place him on the field in order for it to happen...

Back later with the Cavaliers in the lottery and the return to the ring of Sergio Martinez.

Browns Bargain Shopping.

The Cleveland Browns may have spent most of their planned free agency dollars on the three players that I wrote about earlier in the week, but that didn't mean that the shopping basket was otherwise empty as the Browns added a few potential starters and some depth pieces on the cheap that Cleveland hopes to get fortunate with.

The signing that I am most interested in seeing is former Raider first-round safety Karl Joseph, who signed a one year contract worth 2.5 million with 500,000 guaranteed on the agreement.
Joseph was the 14th overall pick in 2016 from West Virginia and the then-Oakland Raiders declined to pick up his fifth-year option before last season.
Joseph played in nine games and finished with 39 solo tackles and one interception in 2019 and barring a high draft pick at the position, Joseph will likely slot in as the early leader to start at strong safety.
Just as I go to Ryan for detailed knowledge of former Packers, I go to Corey Cunningham for information on players that played in Oakland (now Las Vegas) and Corey's report wasn't one to get excited about.
Corey's report was that Joseph was a hard-hitter, but never seemed to live up to his draft hype and seemed to fail in secondary coverage often.
His exact finishing quote was this- "I almost want to compare him to (don't cringe) Jabril Peppers".
Oh, Boy.
I kinda like the signing's potential and Joseph will be motivated for a bigger contract, so I'm intrigued but not assured that this will be a success.

Joseph's safety partner will be another former Viking (unless the Browns draft a safety, which is very possible) as Cleveland signed Andrew Sendejo to a one year contract at 2.25 million.
Sendejo is different than Joseph as Joseph brings a high upside and is young enough to turn a career around with Sendejo at 33 being a one-year stopgap to fill the free safety spot.
Sendejo started for Minnesota for parts of four seasons before an injury ended his 2018 season.
Sendejo started last season with the Eagles before being waived and finishing the season back with the Vikings.
Sendejo is a hard hitter to the point of serving suspensions for overly physical play in the past, but he is a placeholder for a younger player in the next season or two.

Another former 2016 first-rounder is on board with cornerback Kevin Johnson signing for 3.5 million on a one year contract.
Johnson was picked 16th overall in 2016. but never lived up to that billing with the Texans, who released him early last season.
Johnson hasn't been a big playmaker with only one interception in his four seasons in the league.
Johnson struggled with injuries in Houston but has been noted to have posted a good season last year after being claimed by Buffalo.
The Bills used him at the outside corner and slot corner, but the Browns are bringing him in to be the slot corner and cover the inside routes.
Johnson, like Karl Joseph, is looking to revitalize his career and with a one year contract in tow, Johnson will be playing for a big contract, so motivation shouldn't be an issue.

The Browns have a linebacker need with the losses of Christian Kirksey to the Browns and Joe Schobert to the Jaguars and Cleveland signed one veteran in B.J. Goodson, formerly of the Packers.
Goodson spent the 2019 season in Green Bay after toiling for the Giants in his first three years in the league after being selected by New York in the fourth round.
Goodson started nine of fifteen games with Green Bay, but his numbers didn't impress with only 23 solo tackles.
So as with Corey on Raiders, Ryan is my go-to person for Packers and his take on Goodson isn't much to be excited about.
"Is more of a 4-3 linebacker, overmatched in the Packers 3-4, fine as a situational linebacker, but zero big-play ability, fine as a depth player but not as a placement for a Kirksey or Schobert".
Well, considering that Goodson (as of this writing) would be a starter, I'm not very encouraged by that scouting report.
Like the rest of these signings, Goodson inked a one year contract.

The defensive line added a depth player in former Bengal defensive tackle Andrew Billings, yet another 2016 draftee in the fourth round from Baylor.
Billings missed the 2016 season and finished last season with one sack, but this is the one signing that I do wonder about as Cincinnati runs a 3-4 and Billings spent most of his time at nose tackle for the Bengals.
I'm not sure that Billings will be more than a depth piece with the Browns, but the price was right for a rotational defensive lineman...

I mentioned in the earlier pieces that the Browns sent a 2021 seventh-rounder to Denver for fullback Andy Janovich and this looks like a player that will be a starter for the Browns.
Kevin Stefanski's offense is very fullback-friendly and with Denver changing their offense a bit, Janovich was a player that was on the outs in Denver.
Janovich is one of the better blocking fullbacks in the league and although Denver didn't use him often in the passing game, Janovich isn't ham-handed as a receiver.
Janovich only played in seven games last season due to an elbow injury but will be full strength for training camp where he will likely be the favorite against former Viking Johnny Stanton for the starting fullback position.

The final signing was JoJo Natson, who is a kick returning specialist that played for the Rams in 2018 and 2019.
Natson averaged 22 yards on kickoffs and just under eight yards returning punts last season for the Rams and is returning to the area after playing for the Akron Zips in college.
Natson isn't a game-breaker, but he's a solid returner as far as punts go and the Browns have lacked that in recent years...

This finishes the Browns series of free-agent additions, although future signings will be addressed.
I've had a lot of problems being motivated in these crazy times to finish posts and this one took far more time than I expected.
I hope to work on the inbox and other posts soon.