Looking forward to 2019, Browns Team Needs

This is self explanatory..and should be ever changing as we enter free agency, then the draft.

First, who is exposed to free agency:
Tyrod Taylor QB
EJ Gaines CB
Greg Robinson LT
Breshad Perriman WR
Rashard "Hollywood" Higgins WR
Briean Boddy-Calhoun CB

These are the names that stick out to me, that we need to retain.

others: Ray-Ray Armstrong LB, Earl Watford RT, Philip Gaines CB, Orson Charles FB, Rod Streater WR, Carl Davis DT, Juston Burris CB, Jermaine Whitehead FS, Trevon Coley DT(I almost listed Trevon up top, but he needs to be upgraded imho).

Currently, imho, our top priority is stopping the run. With the Ravens new system, we msut be able to hold a normal team to under 75 yards rushing and the Ravens to under 150. Do that and you have a chance to win.

I think we need a run specialist on the D-line and LB. We also need depth, so it is a nice thing that we aren't losing anyone from the current starting lineup at either spot.

If we lose any of the names above to free agency, their position group becomes an immediate need as well.

It's hard to prioritize by position, but assuming we retain all the above names, I would say it looks something like:

DT
LB
CB
WR
OT
Depth

What are your thoughts?

 

One name has been in the back of my mind filed under "pipe dream" - C. J. Mosely, LB Baltimore Ravens.

• He fills at least two of your needs . . . LB and run stuffer.
• He will be a UFA this off season.
• His loss would weaken the Ravens' D

 

First, the free agents...

Tyrod Taylor, QB

Thanks for the memories, Tyrod. Looking forward to freeing up those $16 million in cap space and genuinely rooting for him to get a starting job elsewhere and have success. We definitely didn't see his best in Cleveland and, like Baker's stagnation from Week 3 to Week 8, a ton of that falls on Hue and Haley - not the player himself.

I think the prudent move to fill the position is draft a mid- to lower round quarterback (R4-R7) to groom for future draft picks. I like Drew Stanton as the mentor QB, but I don't want him as the active backup on gameday in 2019.

E.J. Gaines, CB

Gaines is decent, but definitely upgrade-able. My preference here is to add a perimeter corner somewhere in the first three rounds. Denzel Ward's concussions this season are serious reason for long-term concern, so having a suitable backup is important.

Greg Robinson, LT

Cleveland's Comeback Player of the Year? I genuinely believe Robinson has to be our priority free agent. Whatever happened in Week 9 worked and he's experienced a complete resurgence this season. The other reason here is that rookie draft picks take a while to develop and the free agent crop is not very good. Robinson is easily the best of the bunch and if that means signing him to a 4-year (or greater) deal, then so be it.

Breshad Perriman, WR

While I'm still looking to upgrade the wide receiver spot in the draft, I am for re-signing Perriman if both team and player feel good about the deal. He's not going to command a high salary, but proved he can play. The more receivers, the better... we can always cut guys down the road.

Rashard Higgins, WR

I said he was WR1 earlier this year and I stand by it. I think "Hollywood" deserves a multi-year, sizable extension. He was our second-most productive receiver and definitely the most reliable - his catch rate led the team. He's in the RFA group, so they can sign him to the first- or second-round tender and play that game a little bit, if they want to.

Briean Boddy-Calhoun, CB/FS

He spent more time at free safety this season and I think he's worth bringing back (again, team/player agree) simply for the flexibility he gives us. We don't have a sound backup for Randall, who did miss some snaps with injury this year.

 

Bring back Kevin Hogan !!!

 

I figure he'll be Washington's starting QB next season!

 

All of your guys' analysis and not one of you mentioned a freakin' KICKER!!!!!!!!

 

That's why this is an open forum, have at it!

 

Well in my defense, it's the first I've seen of this thread, but I've mentioned Kicker as a major issue several times on other thread.

My free agent wish list:
Steven Gostkowski
Robbie Gould
Adam Vinatieri

Nobody paid more dearly for kicking fails in the 2018 season than the Cleveland Browns....

 

Pittsburgh may disagree with you on this.

 

Greg Joseph finished 18th in FG percentage (he was 30th in XP percentage). The following kickers finished ahead of him and have expiring contracts:

UFA: Robbie Gould (CHI), Jason Myers (NYJ), Josh Lambo (JAX), Adam Vinateiri (IND)
RFA: Will Lutz (NOR)
ERFA: Aldrick Rosas (NYG), Harrison Butker (KAN), Ka'imi Fairbairn (HOU)

The guys in red are kicking for playoff teams who would likely resign a quality kicker (only Vinatieri and Gould are making big dollars). Rosas is an ERFA and can't negotiate with anyone anyhow, so the Giants would have to cut him (or fail to resign him) in order for him to get on the market.

That leaves Jason Myers and Josh Lambo as the only potential upgrades to the position in 2019. Myers' career FG percentage is 84.3% (54 games, 115 attempts). Lambo's is 85.7% (55 games, 105 attempts).

Joseph's career percentages is 85.0% (14 games, 20 attempts). As with other positions, practice and time help... Myers' percentage before this season was 81.0%, starting off at 86.7% as a rookie but dropping to 79.4% and 73.3% in the following seasons. Lambo's first two seasons were both 81.3%.

Technically, both of them were behind Joseph at this same point in their careers. I don't object to bringing in some legs in camp to compete, but I don't see them adding anyone in pre-draft free agency. They'll likely pick up a guy (or two) to bring in after the draft.

 

https://brownswire.usatoday.com/201...itions-of-need-for-the-browns-this-offseason/

 

Check that...How bad do you think the Bears wish they still had Robbie Gould?

 

Probably the maximum you could wish.

 

So what does Freddie Kitchens need to take his offense to the next level? Spoiler ahead: his offense was the second-best offense in NFL history, behind only the 2000 Rams, during his time as coordinator in 2018.

Is it weird to say (think?) that the team needs to invest on the defensive side? Despite heavy investments on that side from 2016-present, we still have gaps. In the draft, we've added: Emmanuel Ogbah, Joe Schobert, Derrick Kindred, Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers, Larry Ogunjobi, Howard Wilson, Denzel Ward, Chad Thomas, and Genard Avery. That's a LOT of talent for the 29th overall performing squad.

The gaps, in my eyes, are interior defensive line, range linebacker, and perimeter corner... not necessarily in that order. Kirksey coming back in 2019 might help correct the range linebacker issue. Interior defensive line (for me) is pick #17 right now, and perimeter cornerback could be a free agency add.

A nice-to-have bonus would be an upgrade at EDGE opposite Garrett. That could free Ogbah up to move inside as part of that rotation.

Why does it feel like that's all it'll take?

Quick fix:

- Sign Dee Ford (DE), Darqueze Dennard (CB)
- Draft Dre'Mont Jones
- Move Ogbah inside

Starters and rotation:

LDE: Dee Ford, Genard Avery
DT: Dre'Mont Jones, Emmanuel Ogbah
DT: Larry Ogunjobi, Trevon Coley*
RDE: Myles Garrett, Chris Smith

*Coley would need to be re-signed

I'm not planning on anything from Chad Thomas. I figure he's on the three-year plan like Austin Corbett. He'll take over for a departing veteran player after some development.

 

Not sure exactly where this belongs, but there's a new ESPN piece that is both good and bad - reliving a bunch of the 2016 - 2018 drama for sure:

http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...rowns-front-office-where-hope-history-collide

It's long, but was a good read overall.

 

Sashi Brown's tell-all book is going to be lit.

 

^^^^^ I will add: do not read that article if you had or somehow still have a positive opinion of Hue Jackson.

 

The "Browns Guardrails", as mentioned in the article:



Couple of things...

1. That this is considered "analytics" shows how far the NFL has to go to accept new methods and lines of thinking

2. CB > EDGE (and then we see Denzel > Chubb)

3. How quickly did things go off the rails? Look at some of those tenets... "No uncoordinated leaks"

 

The only one who comes off looking worse than Hue is Jimmy.

Something I found interesting too... the "brass" voted 4-1 McDermott over Jackson, with Jimmy the lone vote for Hue. Three of those four are obvious... Sashi Brown, Paul DePodesta, and Alec Scheiner. The only other one in the building at the time who would be involved in that level of discussion would have been... ? Dee. Haslam.

Jimmy goes against the four, including his own wife, hires an abject failure who torpedoes the franchise, and then has his own wife saying the process has her wishing "they never bought the team". Yikes.

 

Lordy, was Ray Farmer awful at this job. First draft as an NFL GM. Inaugural first round pick, the one you want to define your career? Let your head coach have a player who none of the teams' scouts had even spoken to. Next pick up, target a wide receiver (after passing on Sammy Watkins, Mike Evans, and Odell Beckham Jr.) and instead draft a QB whom your owner wants but the scouts do not. THEN... you finally get the stones to run the draft you want and you turn down a HIGH SECOND ROUND PICK for Brian Hoyer to show your authority?

Oof.