FWIW: I think there are many positives about our current situation that would ease concerns of players considering extension here. Bringing in some quality free agents and having a great draft would certainly help, but from what I'm reading, most knowledgeable football people realize that the Browns are much closer to contention than 1-31 would indicate...If Alex Smith is the confident QB that I think he is, he could look at some game film and know that he could make a major difference here.. The thing is, if you are the Kansas City Chiefs, and you know you are close to a potential SB roster, why would you ever trade Smith to a SB contender like the Jaguars, within the conference? That's a team that is definitely a quality QB away from championship...Certainly from the Chiefs perspective, it would be more wise to deal with Cleveland...Just a thought.
We have a better defensive line (doesn't help Cousins) and, strangely enough, better receivers. Huge caveat in that one of those receivers is a pee-test away from indefinite suspension, so that's a total crap shoot. No. Not to sound too much like @showstopper, but I want to win playoff games. 7-9 is a nice step, but at what point has Kirk Cousins displayed the ability to carry a team in the post-season? I don't think 0-16 to 7-9 is as impressive as it sounds because we should have been 5-11 at worst this year. All depends on who those picks are. Same here. In 2017, Browns had #1, #12, #25, #33, #52, and #65 (similar setup) and turned that into a future one plus Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers, David Njoku, and DeShone Kizer. Immediately grading those guys, you have a fringe Pro Bowler (Garrett), a solid starter (Njoku), a good rotational guy (who should be a starter - Ogunjobi), and two busts. The Saints at #11, #42, and #67 - and they turned those picks into Marshon Lattimore (Pro Bowl), Marcus Williams (rookie All Pro team), and Alvin Kamara (Pro Bowl).
If he was a free agent, I'd know for sure he's not coming... John Dorsey isn't going to let us go through another season from hell without a QB. There is NO team better equipped to trade for Alex Smith. We have three 2nd rounders. Why would you not want to trade one for Alex Smith, especially if you think he's better than Cousins? I mean, ya gotta have a positive mind. Maybe Alex would have tremendous success and love it here.....You never know how things will work out. You are making a lot of negative assumptions.
#1 - Honestly, Chase Daniel or Drew Stanton. If we're picking a QB at #1 overall, then we don't need to have some veteran who holds down the spot for more than eight games, to be honest. We need a veteran who knows what his role is - develop and prepare a a rookie QB to be a starter in the NFL. Again, below average QB play (Bortles, Brissett, Palmer) would have had us at 5-11. I think more highly of Mayfield, Rosen, and Jackson than I did of Watson, Trubisky, and Mahomes so any one of those guys should have us at 5-11 next year. #2 and #3 - I am going to defer to the guys at the Senior Bowl who talked to teams scouts and said that Barkley wasn't in the Top 7 discussion right now. Sure, it could be a smoke screen because some Top 7 team really wants him - and ultimately, I think he will end up being a Top 7 pick... but this is an extremely deep RB class with a lot of value in Rounds 2 - 4. The drop-off from Barkley to Guice is nowhere near the drop-off from Minkah Fitzpatrick to the next qualified center-field safety. Especially if you sign a complimentary corner in free agency, FS becomes a top pick/need. #4 - James Washington could be in play here, too... it will all depend on how the WR class shakes out. Right now, I'd expect Courtland Sutton, Calvin Ridley, James Washington, and Christian Kirk all to be first rounders. I don't think perimeter receiver is as pressing a need for the team as slot receiver, so you narrow the draft pool that way, too. #5 - Thanks, @beachbum #6 - Short term, yes. Long term, no. #7 - Our LT and RT options were, quite honestly, garbage this year. Spencer Drango was flat-out bad. Now, the growing consensus is that you either develop a tackle for years or sign a vet in free agency - the college game simply does not seem to translate here as it did in the past. The last Top 10 pick at LT to have any level of success year-in and year-out like Thomas has been Tyron Smith (Dallas). The best offensive line prospect in this class is a guard (Quenton Nelson) and it's not close.
Just to be clear, I do still 100% put Plan A as "Get Alex Smith". And given the relative price of the other QBs... A.J. McCarron - already agreed upon a second, and third Kirk Cousins - $30 million a year Alex Smith - a second and future pick ... it's a no-brainer who I'd want.
That would be awful, and give us zero legitimacy...So we roll in with another rookie, Chase Daniel and Kizer??? oh boy...
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/ind...ng_the_quarterback_race.html#incart_big-photo ^^^The description of Kizer-ball at the end was spot on....
(CLE/WAS) QB: Washington 51.1 / 78.9 Redskins by a LONG way RB: Washington 62.8 / 77.5 Redskins FB: Cleveland 52.4 / 42.6 Browns WR1: Cleveland 82.1 / 57.7 Browns by a large margin WR2: Washington 45.9 / 72.9 Redskins by a large margin TE: Cleveland 69.0 / 40.7 Browns by a large margin LT: Washington* 47.7 / 82.1 Browns *Thomas = 86.4 LG: Cleveland 85.2 / 49.0 Browns by a large margin C: Cleveland 70.5 / 56.0 Browns by a large margin RG: Washington 81.1 / 83.2 Damn close RT: Washington 53.6 / 71.4 Redskins by a large margin Offense # of positions Browns 6 are better (4 by large margin), Redskins 4 (3 by large margin, one of which is the player we are talking about), 1 very close LDE: Tied 75.7 / 75.6 Tied *Obgah = 72.6 DT1: Cleveland 81.5 / 71.4 Browns by big margin DT3: Cleveland 68.9 / 49.6 Browns by large margin RDE: Cleveland 88.4 / 79.2 Browns by big margin LOLB: Washington 43.9 / 85.6 Redskins by a large margin ILB: Cleveland 77.4 / 75.4 very close ROLB: Washington 59.6 / 76.0 Redskins by a large margin LCB: Cleveland 83.9 / 79.0 very close FS: Cleveland 72.4 / 51.5 Browns by a large margin SS: Washington 45.5 / 83.6 Redskins by a large margin RCB: Washington 73.1 / 79.1 Redskins by a small margin Defense # of positions Browns 4 (4 by a large margin), Redskins 4 (3 by a large margin), 2 very close If you simply by average grade overall Browns players 72 Redskins players 69 So, the Browns roster is actually better than the Redskins roster....(hint: you are losing this battle) NOW, take into account those numbers include Kirk Cousins and this is what the teams look like swapping him out..I don't know what to use for the Redskins, as I don't have a # for Colt McCoy, so I will take a modest 10 off and go with it. Browns now have a 73 average Redskins would have a 68 The averages don't change vert much...the ONLY major difference is the QB position between 0 and 7 wins on this season..Hell with the Browns roster, maybe he would have won 8 or 9... The Browns had a better roster than Cousins had in Washington, that doesn't bode well for your argument that he is the reason they didn't make the playoffs. Now, take this roster and add another 8 viable upgrades Saquon Barkley HUGE upgrade at RB Jarvis Landry HUGE upgrade at WR2 Minkah Fitzpatrick, HUGE upgrade at FS (I have no idea how you got the number you did with our FS this year) It would be pretty easy to upgrade the LOLB with a 43 grade... I'm curious, does the ROLB include Jamie Collins, since he was on IR? IF not, that alone bumps up this roster. This roster could easily jump to a playoff caliber roster by the end of the draft...It would just need a QB. The Redskins on the other hand, don't have nearly as many assets to do the same. Giving Kirk Cousins a much greater opportunity to win playoff games if he left Washington to come to Cleveland.
Yes, 5-11 at worst with a decent QB...yet a good QB would have given you 2 more wins than that decent QB...With this roster, Cousins might have been a fringe playoff caliber according to your charts... No shit Shurlock, it will always depend on the GM picking the right players. If Dorsey sucks, the Browns will suck. It doesn't matter if you sign Cousins or choose Mayfield...if all the other players were bad choices, the Browns will continue to suck. And again, your boy Sashi isn't making the picks you are now turning your nose up at (even though one year is ridiculous to judge)...Dorsey is.
Ive been studying DBs.....not high on Oliver(soft)....so far Ward looks like the most complete DB w Jackson next...need to look at the UCF kid
Whoa...I'm not ready to say that. But I can see some comparisons...Moss was incredible at Marshall. He earned the "freak" nickname, which gets overused. He was truly one of a kind though...
I just mean the big play ability, height and skinny frame...he may b more versatile w route running, but Moss was a freak and one of the best
