At the end
of the 2013 season, there was a hint of optimism amongst the Cleveland Browns. The
defense performed as a top ten unit, ranking eighth in the league in yards per
game allowed. Safety TJ Ward received second team all-pro honors, Joe Haden was
coming off another hyped season, and the front seven had performed solid all
season long. Sure, the offense was tragic outside of standout wide receiver
Josh Gordon and some solid offensive line players, but they had free agency and
a top five pick in the draft to fill needs at running back and QB. If they were
able to retain the defense and get a Manziel or a Bridgewater at number four,
there would be a lot of hope in Cleveland coming into the 2014 season. Let’s
look at how they have fared in the offseason thus far, as I believe they have
made some questionable management decisions.
The Bad:
They attempted to resign TJ Ward before letting him walk to Denver for a relatively cheap 4 year $23
million deal and replaced him with the older Donte Whitner (from the 49ers) on
a 4 year $28 million contract. Ward apparently asked for $8 million a year from the Browns, and that was thought of as too much for them, despite giving Whitner an average of $7 million a year. Ward is going into his fifth season and really
was an under the radar contributor for the Browns until the end of the season
when he received his second team all-pro honors. Whitner on the other hand is
going into his ninth season and is on the decline of his career. He is still a
modest starter, but for a young team like the Browns trying to build for a future,
it was questionable why they would take someone with an additional four years on
the NFL on their resume over a system grown player; and pay the older guy five
million dollars more. This isn’t just a slight down grade in immediate talent
for the Browns, but a long term downgrade at the strong safety position.
They also allowed their underrated
ex-linebacker D’Qwell Jackson to waltz to the Colts on a 4 year $22 million
deal, which is relatively cheap for a player who has led the AFC in tackles twice
in his career since being drafted back in 2006. Right after Jackson’s depart they
quickly signed Karlos Dansby (age 32 and has played four more seasons than
Jackson) to a 4 year $24 million contract. Again the Browns took a player on
the back half of his career and gave him more than the younger player that left
them in free agency. I understand football is not always a game of youth, but
the two players that left them offer more potential to a defense than the players
the Browns signed in free agency as replacements. I actually believe Karlos Dansby
is a great player and has had a very respectable career with the Dolphins and
the Cardinals, however he benefited from a strong supporting cast in Arizona
the last three seasons. Dansby could have a lot more in the tank than an
average 32 year old, but to me it would have been smarter to give Jackson the cheaper
deal that he wound up getting and save some spending money while also keeping a
quality player.
The Neutral:
I am very interested to see how Ben Tate works into the Cleveland offense. He received
a 2 year $7 million deal, and that is the only reason why I am putting the signing
into the neutral category instead categorizing as a bad signing, because in the
NFL that is a relatively low amount of money. If Ben Tate can produce at his optimal
level and not be battered down with the injuries that have plagued a majority
of his pro career than it will come off looking like a good signing. The potential
in Tate is there, but he is a risky sign to depend their running game on. I
still suspect they will take a running back within rounds 2-4 to help balance
the load and have a second option. However I feel that if Cleveland just were
to address the RB spot solely in the draft it would have sufficed.
The Good: The
brief Brandon Weeden era has finally come to an end and Cleveland fans can
rejoice as the Oklahoma St. alum has joined the Cowboys. Within 30 minutes of
Weeden’s release, Jason Campbell was also shown the door. Although these are
not additions to the team, they are good roster moves, as Brian Hoyer showed
more promise than both of these two QBs before tearing his ACL. I don’t expect
Hoyer to be “the guy” next season, so hopefully they can address that postion
in the first round of the draft, although they haven’t been interviewing a lot
of the top projected QBs. An addition I really liked for the Browns was signing
wide receiver Andrew Hawkins away from the Bengals on a 4 year $16 million
offer. Although Hawkins has battled with minor injuries in his short career, he
still is a reliable short yardage target and can work efficiently in the screen
game (which is any QBs best friend). This may be a good addition to the team,
but again I think they overpaid for a player that shows potential but hasn’t really
proven himself at the pro level. In contrast Julian Edelman, who plays a
similarly game to Hawkins, was top 5 in receptions last season and led the
Patriots in receiving yards with over 1000, drew a 4 year $19 million and was
open to testing other teams before resigning with New England. If the Browns
were going to drop $16 million on Hawkins, why not pay a little more for a
better quality player. Regardless of the comparisons, if Hawkins can stay
healthy he is a good compliment or 3rd receiver to Josh Gordon and
Jordan Cameron.
The Uncertain:
Browns’ Center and two time Pro Bowler Alex Mack has yet to be resigned coming
off his rookie contract. He has been a constant bright spot for the Browns
since being the 21st pick in the 2009 draft. Mack ranked 3rd
in the offseason’s top 100 free agents according to Bleacher Report and is the
only player in the top 10 to not have been handed a new contract. He will be receiving
a big payday from somebody, but I believe Cleveland needs to keep him if they don’t
want to regress further as an organization.
Overall
Thoughts: Cleveland went from a team that had a lot of youth and talent on the
defensive side of the ball and swapped them for older overpaid players while
also signing injury prone offensive players. The pieces are possible to come
together, but everyone needs to stay healthy and they need a stellar draft to
fill other holes (QB, RB, DL, DT, FS, CB2). If they end up losing out on Mack,
this may look like a very bad offseason for Cleveland. I believe they took a
team that was built for the future and made it a team that is built for now
(since they accelerated the overall age of the team).
Overall Grade: C-
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