Not free agency but Joe Thomas just announced his retirement. First ballot HOFer. A real shame that he played his entire career for an abysmal & dysfunctional franchise.
Played over 10,000 consecutive snaps at one point. As an offensive lineman. That is insane.
And he leaves just when it looks like Cleveland might have finally figured out what they are doing.
Worth noting that people also said this last year.
Not really. They got killed for not taking DeShaun Watson and trading out of that pick. They didn't do anything in free agency. This is a vastly different off season thus far, though they obviously can still blow the draft.
they only got killed for not taking DeShaun Watson when Watson started dominating in Houston. Many people listed them as winners in the draft.
I won't believe that they have it figured out as long as Hue Jackson is the head coach.
Looking back, I think that is probably right, though a lot of their positive grades was them actually taking Garrett at #1 and not reaching for a QB. That said, they were awful in free agency. ESPN gave them a C- on that front.
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/page/32for32x170316/2017-nfl-free-agency-grades-all-32-teamsCleveland Browns: The Browns' biggest addition was receiver Kenny Britt, but they also lost Terrelle Pryor Sr. and still need to address the quarterback position. Read the post here.
http://www.espn.com/blog/cleveland-browns/post/_/id/21767/free-agency-gives-browns-wr-kenny-britt-but-nobody-at-quarterbackMost significant signing: The Browns' receiving corps consists of four second-year players who did not overwhelm in their rookie seasons, and Kenny Britt. Britt signed a four-year deal on the first day of free agency, effectively replacing Terrelle Pryor. The receiving group would look a lot better with Britt and Pryor, but that's not the group the Browns have. To replace their most productive receiver, the Browns signed a player who hit 1,000 yards in his eighth season and who has averaged 38.6 catches, 610 yards and 3.8 touchdowns in his eight seasons. This hardly screams "dramatic improvement."
Most significant loss: Pryor led the Browns in receptions, yards and receiving touchdowns in 2016. He now plays in Washington. How that happened is up for debate, but clearly the Browns and Pryor and his camp disagreed on his value before free agency started. The way it ended -- with Pryor signing a deal worth $6 million and $2 million in incentives -- indicates the Browns gauged his value accurately. The market showed that Pryor was not going to make in excess of $10 million and that most teams felt any money spent over that was not well spent. The Browns probably offered Pryor in the neighborhood of what they offered Britt -- $8 to $9 million per year. Pryor's camp thought he was worth more. He has a year to prove it in Washington.
Player they should have signed: Easy to say because he made a ton of money, but it sure would have been nice to add some defensive interior strength and aggressiveness to Gregg Williams' defense with lineman Brandon Williams. Williams plays in the 3-4 and the 4-3, he plays the run and rushes the passer and he's a humble guy who fits on a team. Given Danny Shelton's improvement, putting Willams next to him would have meant a significant upgrade to the team's interior front. Williams is young (28) and adding him would have hurt a division rival. Williams became the league's highest-paid nose tackle when he re-signed in Baltimore, so he would not have come cheap. But the Browns started free agency with more than $100 million in salary cap room, so they could have fit him. The Browns spent $8 million on Britt and are paying $16 million to a quarterback not to play. Would $10 million on a productive defensive lineman been all that ridiculous?
What’s next: The most expensive player on the Browns will not play for them this year. Brock Osweiler's $16 million contact ranks him first on the team in salary and salary cap cost. Yet the team seems focused on trading or releasing him in the not-too-distant future. If and when that happens, the Browns will have Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan as their quarterbacks, with Britt as the leading receiver. One by one, the team's quarterback options faded. The Patriots made it known they would not trade Jimmy Garoppolo. The Bills kept Tyrod Taylor. The Bears signed Mike Glennon. Robert Griffin III was released. Meanwhile, the Browns didn't even think Brian Hoyer was worth a phone call. As of today, Kessler or a drafted rookie is the team's starting quarterback. And yes, the Browns are staring down the barrel of a 2-14 season as they come off finishing 1-15. Is it too early to talk 2018 draft?
Overall grade: C-minus. It was nice to improve the line, but even that had its quirks. The Browns gave a contract extension to a player coming off serious foot surgery. Joel Bitonio when healthy is as good as anyone and well-deserving of the deal, but wouldn't it make more sense to see him on the field to ensure he's healthy before giving him this extension? The Browns also added a right guard, which was not a position of need. Ask around the league and John Greco is given nothing but respect as an underappreciated pro. The flip side of this is that Kevin Zeitler is a good player, and Greco could move to center if J.C. Tretter does not work out or again has to fight injury. The bottom line with all these moves is that the team's quarterback position remains a gigantic unknown, and the roster overall still has some needs, though the team does have an extra second-round pick in 2018 thanks to the machinations of the trade with Houston that included Osweiler.
Topic: Cousins to Vikes, Brees re-signs, and other NFL free agency news (Read 25008 times)