Debate the Browns’ offseason possibilities in The Football Fan Forum
2010 Projection:
The Browns figure to be one of the worst teams in the league this year once again. They appear to be heading in somewhat the right direction, drafting a new quarterback to try to fix this mess. However, as has been said, Colt McCoy isn’t going to see the field much this year, if at all, because Mike Holmgren doesn’t feel he’s ready. This is a very smart idea considering how much better quarterbacks have been in their career if they’ve had a rookie redshirt year. With mid round picks, sitting them a year seems to be the whole way they pan out, at least when you look at the last few years with guys like Drew Brees, Matt Schaub, Chad Henne, and Kevin Kolb. I wasn’t huge on Colt McCoy coming out of school, but I like him a lot more if they sit him this year and let him learn a pro style offense and develop.
However, that leaves this year and that leaves Jake Delhomme as their starting quarterback. This is the guy who threw 18 picks to 8 touchdowns last year with Carolina. He’s been alright in the past and some might be expecting a bounce back year for him, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. His receivers aren’t going to help him out much. At least in Carolina he had Steve Smith. Here, he has Mohammed Massaqoui, Brian Robiskie, and Benjamin Watson. Good luck.
Their running game could be solid, but as we’ve seen before, that doesn’t matter much if you’re team can’t create yards through the air. Look at Tennessee. Chris Johnson rushed for 2000+ yards, but they didn’t even make the playoffs. In order to make the playoffs, you need at least a top 15 quarterback and even with a top 15 quarterback, you’d probably need a top 10, top 12 defense, which brings me to the other side of the ball.
They made some solid additions on that side of the ball this offseason, but overall I think it’s just as mediocre of a group as it was last year. Sheldon Brown helps their secondary a bit, but I don’t think any of their draft picks will have an immediate impact. They drafted 3 defensive backs, 2 of which I really didn’t like, and defensive backs take a while to develop and see the field anyway. Joe Haden will probably be their nickel back this year, but he’s not going to help them out in any huge way this year.
Projection: 2-14 4th in AFC North
Power Ranking: 32
Last season: 5-11
Draft:
#7 CB Joe Haden (Florida)
The Browns were an awful team last year, as they were for pretty much the entire last decade. They really needed to go with someone who can help them right away and Haden, because of their depth at cornerback, will probably not start until year 3. They should have tried to trade down here (though I can’t say I know they didn’t try) and if they couldn’t, they needed to take a quarterback like Jimmy Clausen.
Grade: C+
#38 S TJ Ward (Oregon)
Huh? The Browns needed to take a quarterback here and could have taken Jimmy Clausen in the 2nd round, but instead they decided to take a 5th round prospect at safety. Yeah, safety was a need, but Ward is a huge reach by a count of 3 rounds, and doesn’t have a lot of positional value for a team that needs to get better in a hurry. By taking a cornerback who won’t start until year 3 and taking a safety that has no business ever starting in the NFL, the Browns have somehow managed to not make themselves any better at all with their first 2 picks, at least not immediately.
Grade: F
#59 RB Montario Hardesty (Tennessee)
I don’t love Colt McCoy, but the Browns need a quarterback so I don’t see why they didn’t take one here. I mean, they had to have traded up for a reason, but apparently that reason was to take a 2nd string running back, which wasn’t a huge need at all. They would have been fine with Jerome Harrison and James Davis at running back next year. I don’t see how this pick makes them much better next year either.
Grade: C-
#85 QB Colt McCoy (Texas)
I have to hand it to Mike Holmgren. I guess Colt McCoy was his guy all along and he was able to have the guts to wait on him, knowing he’d probably fall. However, that could have ended up looking pretty stupid. Still, I don’t mind the pick. I don’t love McCoy and I had higher rated quarterbacks available, but at least it’s the right position.
Grade: A-
#92 G Shawn Lauvao (Arizona State)
The Browns reached for a 5th round prospect in the 3rd at a position of little value? Really? That doesn’t sound like them. I like Mike Holmgren just wanted to guy his quarterback out of this draft and let Eric Mangini do the rest of the drafting. So many of these picks look like classic Eric Mangini picks. Either that or Mike Holmgren is less smart than I give him credit for.
Grade: D
#160 S Larry Asante (Nebraska)
At least he fits the draft range, but the Browns have so many more important needs that they can’t really drafted another safety. Plus, I don’t like Asante. I don’t think he’s a starting caliber player in the NFL. What’s with all of these bad teams not paying attention to positional value. Who is going to catch Colt McCoy/Jake Delhomme’s passes, what about their defensive line, rush linebacker?
Grade: B-
#177 WR Carlton Mitchell (South Florida)
He fits the draft range, has great upside, and fills a need, so this is probably one of their best picks, but they did have better options, though I can’t bash this pick too much.
Grade: B+
#186 3-4 DE Clifton Geathers (South Carolina)
Finally, some good positional value. Geathers is a perfect fit with huge upside at the 3-4 end position for the Browns and can serve as their replacement for Corey Williams.
Grade: A
Overall:
The Browns could have done worse, but not much. I don’t think they made themselves any better for next year at all, and because of that, I think they actually made themselves worse for next year. However, even with all of their reaches and picks that lacked positional value, they did draft a cornerback in the first with really good upside and a potential franchise quarterback in the 3rd, though I don’t like McCoy’s chances, even with a year on the bench, as Holmgren has said he will give him.
Grade: C
Key undrafted free agents:
RLB Auston English (Oklahoma)
Rush Linebacker:
The Browns actually managed 40 sacks as a team, but no one had more than 6.5 so they still have that need for an elite pass rusher. They could target Derrick Morgan at 7 if they feel he would fit their 3-4 scheme, which I feel he wouldn’t. Otherwise, they’ll have to wait until the 2nd round or later to get an elite rush linebacker which would be smart because of the alarming rate at which rush linebackers have been busting in recent years.
Traded for Chris Gocong
Wide Receiver:
The Browns drafted 2 wide receivers in the 2nd round last year, but there’s a good chance that one doesn’t pan out and even if both do, I don’t see either as that elite deep threat of a wide receiver. Their first pick could very well be an elite #1 wide receiver to replace Braylon Edwards, preferably one who tries. They need to get Brady Quinn help ASAP.
Drafted Carlton Mitchell (#177)
Middle Linebacker:
A real 3-4 middle linebacker upgrade next to D’Qwell Jackson is needed. David Veikune doesn’t fit the scheme at all and was a major reach in the 2nd round last year.
Signed Scott Fujita
Quarterback:
353 throws doesn’t make a career, but Brady Quinn’s career is on thin ice. They should give him one more year to prove himself, but if he struggles early, they will want someone in the bullpen warming up because for the sake of the public defense of Cleveland we don’t want Derek Anderson playing quarterback again. Unsuspecting innocent citizens will be belted will footballs while walking the streets on Sundays. Both Mike Holmgren and Eric Mangini will want a chance to bring in their own guy at quarterback so I would be very surprised if they didn’t take one before round 4.
Traded for Seneca Wallace, Signed Jake Delhomme, Drafted Colt McCoy (#85)
Cornerback:
They have very little depth at the position and Brandon McDonald is better as a nickelback anyway. They need a good corner opposite Eric Wright. If they use the best available strategy again this year, Joe Haden could very well be their pick at 7. If they don’t take Haden, expect them to look at a cornerback later for depth purposes only. They have other needs.
Drafted Joe Haden (#7), Traded for Sheldon Brown
Offensive Tackle:
Joe Thomas is a stud left tackle, probably the best in the league, but John St. Clair was one of the worst starting right tackles in the league last year. Makes you wonder why they gave him a three year deal after how bad he was with the Bears. Right tackle doesn’t have a ton of positional value, which of course means Eric Mangini could spend an early pick on it, and this isn’t a huge need considering how well their line played as a whole thanks to Joe Thomas, but they could have one of the top 5 offensive lines in the league with an upgrade at right tackle.
Signed Tony Pashos
Tight End:
The Browns started several different tight ends last year and it got so bad that they had to promote Evan Moore from the practice squad to start late in the season and he did a better job than anyone else. However, tight end doesn’t have a huge positional value so it can wait another season if he has to, but picking up a 1-2 year stopgap in free agency might be nice.
Signed Benjamin Watson, Signed Alex Smith
Free agents:
QB Derek Anderson- signed with Cardinals 2 years 7.5 million
QB Brett Ratliff (exclusive rights)
RB Jerome Harrison (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million
RB Jamal Lewis
FB Lawrence Vickers (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million
WR Donte Stallworth- signed with Ravens 1 yr .9 mil
WR Mike Furrey
WR Sydndric “I could not make this name up if I tried” Steptoe (restricted)
OT Ryan Tucker
G Rex Hadnot- signed with Cardinals 3 years 9 million
C Hank Fraley- signed with Rams
C Eric Ghiaciuc
RLB Matt Roth (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.8 million
RLB Arnold Harrison (restricted)
MLB Jason Trusnik (restricted)- signed 1 year 1.6 million
MLB D’Qwell Jackson (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million
MLB Blake Costanzo (exclusive rights)- resigned 1 year
S Brodney Pool (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Jets 1 year 1.3 million
S Abram Elam (restricted)- tendered (2nd)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million
K Shaun Suisham
Offseason moves:
Browns sign WR Bobby Engram
Browns cut K Shaun Suisham
Browns cut C Eric Ghiaciuc
Browns re-sign MLB D’Qwell Jackson
Browns re-sign RB Jerome Harrison
Browns re-sign RLB Matt Roth
Browns re-sign S Abram Elam
Browns re-sign FB Lawrence Vickers
Browns sign K Shaun Suisham
Browns sign TE Alex Smith
Browns sign C Eric Ghiaciuc
Browns re-sign MLB Blake Costanzo
Browns trade QB Brady Quinn to Broncos for FB Peyton Hillis, 2011 6th-rounder and 2012 late-rounder
Browns trade DE Kamerion Wimbley to Raiders for 2010 3rd-rounder
Browns re-sign MLB Jason Trusnik
Browns cut TE Steve Heiden
Browns sign TE Ben Watson
Browns cut QB Derek Anderson
Browns acquire QB Seneca Wallace from Seahawks for conditional 2011 pick
Browns sign MLB Scott Fujita
Browns sign OT Tony Pashos
Browns announce retirement of OT Ryan Tucker
Browns trade DT Corey Williams and 2010 7th-rounder to Lions for 2010 5th-rounder
Browns tender MLB D’Qwell Jackson
Browns tender RB Jerome Harrison
Browns tender MLB Blake Costanzo
Browns tender MLB Jason Trusnik
Browns tender FB Lawrence Vickers
Browns tender S Abram Elam
Browns tender RLB Matt Roth
Browns cut C Hank Fraley
Browns cut RB Jamal Lewis
Browns cut WR Donte’ Stallworth
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