I don't think it would surprise anyone if the Browns put big emphasis on strengthening the linebacking corp in the draft this year. Looks like the LSU pipeline to Cleveland could be in action again: https://brownswire.usatoday.com/2021/01/28/browns-2021-nfl-draft-jabril-cox-lsu-senior-bowl/
Browns taking full advantage of workouts, in-person meetings conducted at Senior Bowl https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/new...kouts-in-person-meetings-conducted-at-senior-
I normally try to start looking at an upcoming off season by putting a stake in the ground that defines where we are (personnel wise) at the end of the prior season. Here's my stake in the ground:
In house Free Agents: Larry Ogungobi, Rashard Higgins and maybe B.J. Goodson are the only UFA's I would emphasize re-signing. Porter Gustin is an ERFA that showed some promise as a rotational contributor. IMHO, he's a no brainer to resign. With only three LB's currently signed, I would probably double down on UFA's and still draft a couple more. Then turn them loose in training camp to compete for the starter's slots.
One player that caught my eye during bowl season, and I expect he's on the Browns' radar: Granted I've only really watched one game from this prospect, but he certainly made an impression. Azeez Ojulari - EDGE - Georgia. He was dominant in the Peach Bowl against Cincinnati. 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and a safety....Might make an ideal bookend rusher to pair with Garrett. Gets a great jump off the ball and at 6'3/240 he has speed and strength to wreak havoc.
Well, watching that Super Bowl, I couldn't stop thinking "speed at linebacker" but it's an organizational decision not to value the position highly. If that's going to remain true, I think the Browns gotta take best DB or best EDGE at #26 without question.
Barrett is a free agent, for me he is the Browns #1 priority in early off-season. As far as free agency, he should be the main priority. I hate to go here, but OBJ should be considered on the block. Don’t make the phone calls and get him riled up, but TAKE the phone calls that are going to happen and if you get fair compensation, take it. I would need to explore, but a first round pick and a complementary player shouldn’t be out of the question. Or maybe a new regime wanting to base their new team on offense may be willing to trade a top caliber LB or S. I like the Odell/Jarvis story, friendship, competition, etc... but they have proven they don’t need him and quite possibly are better without him. Now that Baker realizes HE is better by not keying on him, OBJ will never be happy in this offense. Might as well leave on good terms. Anyone see a player out there that could make a fair trade possible?
What does OBJ like more than TDs? Fame and notoriety? What team has an owner in a similar mindset? Would Jerry Jones like to market OBJ? How about adding Shaq Barrett in free agency AND trading OBJ to the Cowboys for Jaylon Smith and a 3rd round pick? The Cowboys defense SUCKED and they are most assuredly looking for a scapegoat. High contract Jaylon Smith may end up being that guy. Could be a win win for both teams.
Put me still in Odell's corner. I'm not sure Baker's improvement as the year went on was less to do with missing OBJ and more to do with getting comfortable in the system. A healthy OBJ and a comfortable Baker could be a thing to behold, so I'm signing up for at least one more season with them both. I agree... Andrew Berry would be doing a disservice if he wasn't fielding calls about any player -- everyone's got a price. I think, personally, my price for OBJ would be higher than what Dorsey surrendered (two firsts and a Pro Bowler) so that would limit offers/interest.
I'd probably take my chances with a rookie from this class (Owusu-Koramoah, Collins, or Bolton in R1) if the front office has decided to value the position. I think we can look to shore up the secondary in free agency or via trade when some of the cash-strapped teams start cutting due to cap casualties. The free agency linebacker class, however, is a disaster and the Browns do need to be mindful of spending since we'll have some of our own to re-up and extend shortly.
We're officially a Joe Thomas (73 days) away from the NFL Draft... may be a bit favorable to the home team, but here's one approach I would take this offseason and draft to shore up this roster and push us from contender to favorite. Free Agency: Re-sign Rashard Higgins (WR), Malcolm Smith (ILB), Larry Ogunjobi, and Olivier Vernon (franchise tag?) Re-sign Cody Parkey out of necessity but definitely bring in kickers for looks this offseason Add: J.J. Watt (EDGE; 2-year deal), Jaquiski Tartt (FS; 4-year deal) I don't think this is unreasonable. The Browns were, rumored, to be the highest bidders for Jadeveon Clowney in 2020. J.J. Watt may prefer a team like Green Bay or Tampa to play in the NFC and compete for a title, but those teams also won't have the cash resources Cleveland does. Even if we retain Vernon, you can never have enough good EDGE players and both Olivier and J.J. have struggled with injuries through their careers. Jaquiski Tartt isn't anything to get too excited about, but he's played for Joe Woods before and should come relatively cheap. Both Karl Joseph and Andrew Sendejo are free agents who likely won't get another offer. Rashard Higgins is Baker Mayfield's safety blanket and would be my priority re-signing. Malcolm Smith was a nice pick up last season and our lack of depth/talent at the position means we shouldn't be letting able bodies walk. Larry Ogunjobi should be affordable and Vernon, while costly, flashed that top-notch agility towards the second half the season before his injury. Pre-Draft (trades): Browns trade #26 overall, #59 overall, and a 2022 fourth round pick to New Orleans for Marshon Lattimore and #28 overall. It may be that the trade happens on Draft Day, which is fine. I think it has to happen beforehand given the cap issues. The Browns are in a great position to poach talent from teams who will be facing cap hell. The Saints are the worst off, but have an asset we should be pushing hard to get - Marshon Lattimore. Bring the Cleveland kid home and let him line up with Denzel Ward in the secondary. Lattimore will also need a contract extension - he's due $10.2 million in 2021 and set to hit the market in 2022. On the surface, it may seem like a lot to give up for Lattimore, whom the Saints could part way with without suffering any cap hits, but we're also priming the pump for a draft-day trade with them... Draft Day: 1.28 (f/New Orleans): Nick Bolton, ILB Missouri. The linebacker class will be interesting for sure, but I have to hope that the Browns F/O has prioritized the position after seeing the impact players like Devin White and Lavonte David had for Tampa Bay (won them a Super Bowl and stopped the offensive juggernaut in Kansas City). There are a couple of different ways the team could go, based on how the boards shakes out and how teams value playing in 2020 versus opting out. I expect the top prospect - Jeremiah Owuso-Koramoah - to be gone before the Browns pick. Zaven Collins is intriguing, but seems like (1) a Las Vegas Raiders type of player, and (2) could also be gone by the time the Browns get around to picking based on his success last season. That leaves us taking the guy who played in 2020 or the guy who didn't (Micah Parsons, PSU). Parsons may be the better prospect, but the consensus is teams will show preference to players who did play in 2020. Bolton should be able to be an every down linebacker at the next level. He's battle-tested in the SEC and finished the last two seasons with 198 tackles, 16.5 TFLs, 2.0 sacks, 2 INTs, and 12 PDs. 2.60 (f/New Orleans): Shaun Wade, CB Ohio State. Browns again make a move with New Orleans, as promised. Browns bundle both threes (#89 and #91) to get up to #60. Here, they take Wade out of Ohio State to shore up the pass defense. Wade has dropped a bit this season in many people's eyes but keep in mind he was asked to move from the interior (where he was a projected first round pick) to the perimeter where he predictably struggled and has 'dropped' for most folks into the late second early third discussion. If he's here when the Saints have the pick, I do this in a heartbeat. Wade can stay inside and the Browns can field an all-OSU starting cornerback trio with Lattimore, Ward, and Wade. 4.111 (f/Philadelphia): Dylan Moses, LB Alabama. Showing a commitment to the second-level and turning around the defense, the Browns grab another Alabama linebacker - ostensibly to replace Mack Wilson who's regressed this season. Moses is an athletic and fluid linebacker who can play the WILL spot in the defense. He's spent time at all three spots and is coming off a bit of a down year in 2020 but he's an intriguing pick who (hopefully) works out better than Wilson has. 4.131: Seth Williams, WR Auburn. Prototypically sized (6'3" and 212 pounds) with reliable hands, Williams adds to the complement of receivers -- even with "Hollywood" Higgins returning for another contract in this scenario. Browns are set to lose Taywan Taylor, Marvin Hall, JoJo Natson, and could upgrade KhaDarel Hodge (who's still seeing an obscene 25% of total offensive snaps) at the WR spot. Donovan Peoples-Jones was a pleasant surprise last season and Williams would offer more of the same. Baker also seems to thrive throwing to receivers who aren't lighting up the 40-yard or built like Megatron... just solid, hard-working dudes who do their job and make life easier on the QB. 5.170: Adetokunbo Ogundeji, EDGE Notre Dame. In the fifth, we start looking to add developmental players and Ogundeji can be that on the edge. Measurements will be crucial for him as his college listing is in question (6'5" and 268). If that holds up, he has the length to play and looked improved season-over-season in his time at South Bend. He would have a chance to learn behind one of the greats (Watt) and the current best (Garrett). If we keep Vernon around, he's fifth man behind Vernon and Clayborn, so while he wouldn't see the field much as a rookie, that's precisely what you want out of a fifth rounder. 6.211: Nick Eubanks, TE Michigan. Developmental player drafted on promise, not production. It's not wrong to say Michigan, as a program, is a dumpster fire and Jim Harbaugh has been a disaster. That doesn't mean his players are. Eubanks is big (6'5" and 255 pounds) who underwhelmed during his time in Ann Arbor. That said, the Browns' tight end room is presently a mess. Austin Hooper was a disaster signing last offseason. Despite being the second-highest targeted receiver in 2020, Hooper posted a mediocre 435 yards and 4 touchdowns, wasn't a reliable target with several back-breaking drops, had an impossibly low yards-after-catch (a lack of YAC, if you will). For some contrast, Njoku in his last full season (2018) had 14 fewer targets and produced 639 yards and 4 touchdowns -- and we're looking for reason to move on from him. Njoku, who was our best TE option in 2020 will be a free agent after the season. Stefanski likes heavy TE sets and another option would be nice to have. 7.255 (f/Buffalo): Dustin Crum, QB Kent State. So he's not quite Josh Cribbs, but Crum (who lost almost the whole season when the MAC opted out) was an intriguing player with a decent blend of QB ability and athleticism. His running style is somewhat reminiscent of Cribbs' - a long-strider who somehow keeps defenders off-guard and breaks tackles. The Browns aren't likely to keep three quarterbacks, but like Cribbs and Julian Edleman before him, Crum would benefit from a switch to WR/KR and adding a gadget element to whichever team adds him. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Offense (23) QB: Baker Mayfield / Case Keenum RB: Nick Chubb / Kareem Hunt / D'Earnest Johnson TE: Austin Hooper / David Njoku / Harrison Bryant / Nick Eubanks (R) WR: Odell Beckham Jr. / Seth Williams (R) WR: Jarvis Landry / Donovan Peoples-Jones WR: Rashard Higgins LT: Jedrick Wills Jr. / Michael Dunn LG: Joel Bitonio C: J.C. Tretter / Nick Harris RG: Wyatt Teller / Blake Hance RT: Jack Conklin / Chris Hubbard Defense (26) RDE: Myles Garrett / Adrian Clayborn / Adetokunbo Ogundeji (R) DT: Sheldon Richardson / Elliott Jordan DT: Larry Ogunjobi / Andrew Billings LDE: J.J. Watt / Olivier Vernon / Porter Gustin ROLB (S): Sione Takitaki ILB: Malcolm Smith / Nick Bolton (R) / Trevon Young LOLB (W): Mack Wilson / Dylan Moses (R) RCB: Marshon Lattimore / Greedy Williams LCB: Denzel Ward / Tavierre Thomas NCB: Shaun Wade (R) / M.J. Stewart FS: Jaquiski Tartt / Ronnie Harrison SS: Grant Delpit / Sheldrick Redwine Offense (4) K: Cody Parkey* P: Jamie Gillan LS: Charley Hughlett PR/KR: Dustin Crum (R) / D'Earnest Johnson Italics: re-signed Boldface: free agent acquisition (R): rookie
Sas, Sas, Sas, you of lots of hope. JJ Watt is going to the Steelers to play with his brothers. He doesn’t want money, he wants to play with his brothers which is something that he hasn’t done in his life because he is too old to have played with them in PeeWee, Highscool, and college. It’s the reason he asked for his release. The Steelers couldn’t have traded for him with the contract he had.
I get it (and I can appreciate your optimism). If he wants a ring, he'll come to Cleveland. If he wants to play out his final days with his less-talented brothers while they struggle to secure third place in the Division, he'll go to Pittsburgh.
Get to play AGAINST his brothers twice a year minimum... Also should be intriguing to him...along with the money the Browns can pay and the Steelers cannot. He also wants to win a Super Bowl and he realizes his chances are greater with the Browns roster/coaching staff than the Steelers.
