I allowed myself to let Hue Jackson talk me into believing in DeShone Kizer. Jackson should be clearly more capable of someone like me in identifying QB talent and assessing when it's ready to see the field. Demoting Kessler and promoting Kizer seemed to indicate that Kizer was capable of besting the "veteran" and was going to perform better than Kessler's 65.6 completion percentage, 3.1 TD percentage, 1.0 INT percentage, and 92.3 quarterback rating. Now, we have to accelerate the Year 3 plan - Kizer will have to hold down the position until our rookie 2018 draft pick is ready to start. Depending on who that pick is, I would have different timelines: Baker Mayfield - immediately Josh Rosen - mid-season Lamar Jackson - 2019 or beyond Sam Darnold - Year 5 or 6 of the rebuild Mason Rudolph - doesn't matter, I quit the Browns Josh Allen - ditto
Or . . . Spend some of that $100M and bring in Kirk Cousins as the 2018 starter and let Kizer and Mayfield (if he is who you prefer) duke it out for the QB2 spot.
Question for the group: Would you spend at least Brock Osweiller money on Kirk Cousins and - STILL - draft a QB with one of the top 10 picks in 2018? Then with the other top 10 pick, draft the highest rated WR on the board.
I would spend that on A.J. McCarron. There's almost no doubt we use the 1-2 combination of first round picks on a QB and either WR or FS. With even adequate QB play this season, the team is looking at 4-5 at worst right now.
Currently, I have too many other players rated higher than my highest WR, but I have just started watching film on prospects...so, as of right now, I haven't watched nearly enough film of any WR to put them into the top 10 of this draft...Not saying there isn't a guy I will elevate later, but I haven't seen enough yet to even make a determination. As of right now..to answer your question.. I would have absolutely no problem spending MUCH MORE than Osweiler money for Kirk Cousins to come here, draft your top rated QB (imho, I believe I have watched enough film to determine that would be Mayfield, even though I have a few players rated higher than the top QB right now...it's still a QB) #1 overall and take best player available with the Texans top 10 pick...THEN, as SAS suggested earlier, pinpoint your top receiver, finalize where they are in line as far as talent in the overall draft. If that guy is your 25 rated player in the draft, do what ever it takes to move up from #33 to #20 and get him...If he's the 15th rated player on your board, maybe think about shopping that #5-7 pick from Houston and move down to 10-11 and take him there. What I don't want to see is having your top rated receiver ranked around 28 and waiting to #33 to see if he falls..the Top rated at every skill position will be gone before #33. Use a package of picks and go get him!! If I could come out of next spring with Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield, Their top rated WR and a top talent free safety, whether through free agency or with the Texans pick...I will be an extremely happy camper. I also want to find a LB, and will be fine with re-signing Crowell, but that above and I will be happy.
I'm not signing Cousins to 1 year, I'm signing him to 4 years and at the end of 4 years, we evaluate all 3 and choose which one to put our money on...By then, if for some odd reason it turns into DeShone Kizer, you pay him after year 3, trade Cousins and you have Mayfield for at least 2 years as his backup...or trade him as well and get a veteran backup. This would not be a hierarchy situation. You wouldn't sign Cousins then draft Mayfield to be his backup and relegate Kizer to 3rd string...It would be re-evaluated after the 2018 season to see how both Mayfield and Kizer had progressed in practice that season, obviously evaluate Cousins, but I fully expect him to remain at a professional level. If he elevates the entire team to a level none of us have seen before, then he is the man for the next 8 years, not 4, no matter what the next contract costs...If he is a professional, but doesn't elevate the entire offense to above and beyond levels, then the hope is that one of the other two will begin to "get it" and overtake him at some point in training camp leading into the 2019 season. If THAT occurs, you can trade Cousins at any time as they will be lining up to trade for Cousins on a team friendly contract that I designed to "punish" the Browns year one, but be friendly for the next 3 years. That's what I would do...with the tools available to the Browns right now. In fact here is the contract I offer Cousins: 2018 $40M 2019 $25M 2020 $23M 2021 $25M Make the first two years guaranteed and about half of the 3rd year guaranteed, which will make this by far the most expensive QB contract to date by guarantees (currently Matthew Stafford's $60.5M is the highest) and in terms of average per year ($28.25M) it also makes him the highest paid QB in the NFL. No other team would be willing to offer a contract like that...but I would if I ran the Browns.
Here's the thing, I'm not sure any team as ever been in the situation the Browns have put themselves in, in terms of draft clout. Having 5 picks in the top 65 allows you to be selfish and take a chance on the best QB you have evaluated in this draft and use that top pick to take him. Even if he doesn't pan out, you still have another chance in the top ten to get a top talent for your team, it doesn't hurt you in any long term way for taking that chance at this point. Most other teams have 2-3 picks in the top 65, not 5 of them..We hit on half of our picks in those first 5 (3 out of 5) and we will most likely be better off than any other team drafting in 2018..So the QB NEEDS to be addressed, even if the Browns were somehow stricken to pay Cousins to play in Cleveland, which I don't think they will do without Haslem stepping in.
Here's my take. I am absolutely fed up with struggling with the QB issue in Cleveland to the point of whatever it takes to sign a bonified starting QB you do it and then you back fill the QB room with a second year player who MAY develop - and - spend a top 10 pick on a third QB and let those two compete for the QB2 role. And, at the same time, you add talent around him. I would even go so far as to sign the best free agent WR and still draft the top ranked WR. We have the draft assets and the salary cap space - why wait?
That's tough to say. Hard to predetermine the draft after #1.... Call me crazy, but if Coleman and Gordon can come on strong for us down the stretch, there is a possibility that we don't go WR with one of those top picks. In fact, it would no longer be our biggest weakness outside of QB. What if there is a higher rated OT? or CB? or LB? Ya just never know. The Browns should draft the QB (Mayfield?), and then take the best football player on the board... We need another WR regardless, but I'm not sure we won't look to free agency there. We already know the Browns are still interested in Terrelle Pryor... If we did somehow sign Cousins to $16M per year deal. That's not elite starter money, so I wouldn't have a problem if they still wanted to draft a QB. It would likely piss him off though....
I said, "at least Osweiller money". Cousins won't be bought for $16M / year. Pay him whatever it takes and then back fill the QB room with Kizer and (fill in the blank draftee). Tell Cousins that to get his price, he's going to have to look to his right and his left in the QB room and see two young guns who are there to try and take his job. Just like he did in Washington.
I believe Cousins will re-sign with the Redskins the week before free agency opens. I hope he waits until the allowed tampering period begins so he can at least gauge what other teams will be willing to do for him. If they Browns don't walk away with Cousins and he doesn't return to Washington, I will be upset. They have the assets to go get him..The only excuse they could have is if the Browns go on a rampage and win 5 of their last 7 games because Kizer magically looks likes Watson did before his injury...Then I will not only give them a pass on Cousins, but also be looking at something else at #1 overall... Something tells me, we will still be talking about QB in 60 days...
I can certainly seeing the Browns going after Cousins. They have the money to throw at him to make him the highest paid player in the league...which is realistically what it will take to land him...and they have some weapons to entice him and a plethora of picks with which to add to his surrounding talent. However, I cannot imagine a scenario where they sign Cousins to what would likely be a 5 year deal worth north of $125M AND draft a QB in the top 10. If you are putting your eggs in the Cousins basket, you use those premium picks to surround him with talent, not draft his eventual replacement!
I agree with this 100%. I understood Lym's scenario to be a situation where we somehow got Cousins at a big discount (Osweiller money)....But yes, if we go all in on Cousins, making him the highest paid QB, it would be absurd to then turn around and take a QB high in the first round of the draft. Even the Browns wouldn't do that...When you sign him to the big $125m+ contract, you are telling him that he is your guy.
I agree with you again Lym...problem lies with the "best available" tag. As for free agents, imho that would probably be Jarvis Landry and a video was just released showing a possible domestic violence issue. I saw it, but could barely see what was going on in the version I saw. If it turns out to be legit, I wouldn't touch him. Alshon Jeffery is probably next in line and signed a one year prove it contract with the Eagles this year for $9.5M, he is currently on pace to have the following: 889 yards, 9 TDs, with Carson Wentz having a MVP year. Then you have some youngsters in Jordan Matthews (traded to Buffalo this year) on track for 500 yards and 2 TDs and Allen Robinson (one and a half years removed from a 1,500 yard season) who tore his ACL in game 1 of this season (In fact, I don't know how that effects his free agency status). Sammy Watkins will also be available, but he hasn't proven anything in the 4 years he has been in the league. He's on pace for 700 yards and 8 TDs after being traded to the Rams It's slim pickings in free agency. It may make the most sense to re-sign Terrelle Pryor and pair him with Coleman, Gordon and a shiny new rookie in the first round. We will get into the draft WRs in about another month...unless SAS is ready to start the threads now.
Again . . . I said, "at least Osweiller money". I'm not stupid enough to believe that Cousins would sign for $16M. And I'm also sick and tired of fucking around with the QB position in Cleveland! As such, I would absolutely sign Cousins for whatever it takes and STILL draft a QB in the top 5-6 picks of the 2018 draft. Fix the God damn thing now and fix it for the next 10 to 15 years !!!
I agree it is highly improbable it would happen, but I would not be upset if it did. The rookie/Kizer would have time to become something better than Cousins, if they don't you re-sign Cousins again. If they do, well that would be even better to have a QB BETTER than Kirk Cousins. It may take someone better than Cousins to win a Super Bowl. I don't think Cousins is the best in the league, but he is certainly the best free agent QB I have ever seen.
