[Dawg E. Dawg]

I’ll play your game.

First, I franchise tag Pryor (he’s getting paid by somebody). I’d try to sign Alshon Jeffry. If I can’t get him, I negotiate a deal with Pryor. If I get him, I remove the tag from Pryor, or still do a deal if he’ll sign one. Go get a safety in Free Agency. Eric Berry probably won’t be available but there are 4-5 high quality starters like Barry Church (I’m a Toledo guy, sue me)that’ll be there. There should be a good guard as well.

Other than than safety and guard, focus on depth in FA. In the draft…

I’ll take a lot of flak, but I’d go get my QB at 1. I haven’t looked into them a lot, but I’m leaning towards trubisky at the moment. at 12, depends who’s there. I like the idea of Robinson to play guard or RT, and eventually take over for JT.

The rest of the draft, just take it as it comes. Get a DE and corner with upsides. Haven’t seen his projections, but I’d love to pick up Kareem Hunt (TOL-EDO BABY!!!) in the later rounds.

[Dawg E. Dawg]

One more thing I’ll add. If O.J Howard falls, Id make a real attempt to leapfrog the Steelers to get him. Of course, I’ve done little to help the defense, but that’s what the rest of the draft is for, lol.

[Shooter]

Tag Pryor.

Spend oodles of money in FA. #1, it isn’t mine so I don’t care, but we have a ridiculous amount of it, so spend it. Spend it all for a change. Can you get Eric Berry? Doubtful, but dreams can be dreamt. I’ll ride the Alshon Jeffrey train if it’s possible. Further, with the amount of cap space, really the options are limitless as to who this team could bring in. Donta Hightower anyone? Trumane Johnson? Sam Sheilds? Who knows.

Sign Kevin Zeitler from Cinci. Gurad problem, solved.

Trade for Jimmy Garappolo. There, I said it. (Yes, even if it means sending New England the #12). He’s better than anyone we could draft at QB, and he can start, START, from day 1.

Draft Myles Garret at #1.

Draft the best center available with our 2nd 2nd round pick.

Use the rest of the raft to plug holes as they see fit.

To recap in this scenario, (and this is taking to account the signing of Jamie Collins) the Browns, in one offseason, add a stud starting linebacker, guard, center, WR, and franchise QB. With the possibility of also adding pieces through either draft or FA (depending on how it shakes out) of Safety, more O-line, D-line, and Corner.

I’m not an expert……..but I bet we’d win more than 1 fucking game.

[Shooter]

Amendment:

For what it’s worth, I just had a little chat with Daryl Ruiter about Terrell Pryor.

It breaks down like this: We either sign him to a long term deal within the next two weeks, or we make him the highest paid WR in the NFL next year with the tag. The rules of tagging a player have changed, and have shifted from the average of the top 5 players at that position, to the % of the salary cap.

The timing is key now for the Browns.

I asked him “but wouldn’t it just suck ass to let this guy walk, after we put in all the time and effort, to see him go flourish with another club?”

His answer was “That’s why it’s so important to sign him within the next two weeks”.

Time for all of us to re-shift that thought process of “just tagging” TP.

[Dawg E. Dawg]

I don’t hate your plan shooter, but it’s basically centered around Jimmy G. If you’re sold on Jimmy (which, I realize you are) than that plan works. Personally, I’m not sold on an NE backup with only a couple games on his resume.

Will he be ready to start? Probably. But that’s after we’ve given up picks to get him and signed him to a big contract, risking a thorough Osweilering in the process. Or we don’t sign him, and it’s a one year tryout and if he does well, he has us over a barrel next year. If he does poorly, we wasted all that capital getting him. Conversely, a draft pick is a guy (usually 3-4 years younger than Jimmy) that you know you have at a reasonable price for 4-5 years. More raw? Yes. But also less risk.

As for the WR franchise tag, that’s exactly why I never suggested actually keeping Pryor under the tag. Just use it to buy time and negotiate. Of course, the risk is Pryor signs the tag right away and you can’t remove it later, though I don’t think he’d do that because he’s absorbing a lot of risk.

The only problem with that is then the franchise amount becomes the starting point for the first year of a long term deal, but I’d bet his agent is already using that as it is.

[Dawgstyle]

Free Agency: Since the return, this team has struggled to find its identity on either side of the ball.

Defense: I do what I have to do to land Eric Berry. He is a defense defining safety and will set the tone for the defense as Reed did with the Ravens and Polamalu did with the Steelers. I add the best young, competent talent I can at DB. Guys like the 6’2″ Trumaine Johnson (who played for Williams in Los Angeles), Stephon Gilmore and AJ Bouye. Lofty? You bet your sweet ass. But after a 1 win season, I put the NFL on notice with my own Legion of Boom.

Offense: Resign Terrelle Pryor. Make him happy. Look for more big body WR in Free agency that are going to create mismatches. Alshon Jeffery? Sure. Kenny Britt, Michael Floyd, Vincent Jackson (to serve in a role similar to jurevicius back in the day), Justin Hunter, Terrance Williams and maybe Kenny Stills for the slot. I’m looking for guys that are 28 or under and have put up +400 yards and scored at least 4 times in the last year to make the jump to the next level in 2017. No FA QBs. We have RG3 for another year, we have Kessler behind him, and I’m drafting one. Signing Lang from GB or Zeitler from Cincy to bolster the interior line is also a priority.

Bottom line is this: I want to have some salary cap decisions on both sides of the ball to make in 3-5 years. It’s a good problem to have (make those analytics guys earn their money) and should mean we’re competitive again.

If the combine matches my expectation, my draft looks like this:

Myles Garrett at #1. No ifs, ands or buts, this happens. Assuming I get Berry in FA, Reuben Foster. If not, I take the best available safety I can get and the best CB on the board if Foster and the top tier Safeties are gone. I’d move back into the first and take QB Patrick Mahomes III by trading up to any spot between #21 and #24 (except #22) to leapfrog Houston assuming Watson/Trubisky/Kizer are off the board, packaging multiple picks from our bounty this year to ensure we get him. If some subset of those QB prospects remains, I roll the dice and see if Mahomes falls to us in the second. I address the interior line in the 2nd/3rd round. really after the third the chances of landing a starter are slim to none, so I look at depth and projects with high ceilings hoping I can find a diamond in the rough.

The purpose of my Free Agent and Draft Strategy is simple: make a splash. Get rid of the Clowns mentality and go all in like the Cavs and Indians have done and make a legitimate push not just towards being competitive, but towards being relevant. I’m tired of having all this salary cap available to make moves that never materialize. We have $100 million in cap space and are coming off of a one win season, it’s time we shit or get off the pot.

818 mph. 13,723 feet. 3 second burn.
https://youtu.be/hy-3bb1Nqy0

[Dawg E. Dawg]

Here’s my problem with DS’s plan: it’s risky to wait that long to address the most important position in sports. We could easily be left empty handed if some other team picks Mahomes, and even if we get him we’re counting on our ability to outsmart and outs out the rest of the league. I’m a skeptic.

I get the Myles Garret hype, I do. But, I compare our situation to the 2014 Texans. Jadeveon Clowney was the slam dunk, can’t miss Quarteback killing machine. So, they picked him at 1 and let Bortles go to Jacksonville. Since then, they’ve cycled through QBs at a clevelandian rate, and dumped $80+ million into Osweiler and they’re still no closer to an answer than they were in 2014. If they would’ve picked Bortles, they’d be much better off. Even in a down year, he threw 7 more TDs than the Texans qbs combined for, and that’s without a receiver of Deandre Hopkins caliber.

The point is, if we hit on Garret but don’t get a QB, hitting on Garrett is irrelevant. We have to address the QB, and hoping the next Aaron Rodgers drops to us at the end of the first is why we’re in the position we’re in.

IMO, we haven’t picked a guy who could actually be a franchise QB since 2007 and Brady Quinn (Weeden and Manziel were Day 1 guys you couldn’t build a franchise around). It’s time we actually take a chance and get a guy that could be THE guy.

[soup]

Dawg E. Dawg wrote:

Here’s my problem with DS’s plan: it’s risky to wait that long to address the most important position in sports. We could easily be left empty handed if some other team picks Mahomes, and even if we get him we’re counting on our ability to outsmart and outs out the rest of the league. I’m a skeptic.
I get the Myles Garret hype, I do. But, I compare our situation to the 2014 Texans. Jadeveon Clowney was the slam dunk, can’t miss Quarteback killing machine. So, they picked him at 1 and let Bortles go to Jacksonville. Since then, they’ve cycled through QBs at a clevelandian rate, and dumped $80+ million into Osweiler and they’re still no closer to an answer than they were in 2014. If they would’ve picked Bortles, they’d be much better off. Even in a down year, he threw 7 more TDs than the Texans qbs combined for, and that’s without a receiver of Deandre Hopkins caliber.
The point is, if we hit on Garret but don’t get a QB, hitting on Garrett is irrelevant. We have to address the QB, and hoping the next Aaron Rodgers drops to us at the end of the first is why we’re in the position we’re in.
IMO, we haven’t picked a guy who could actually be a franchise QB since 2007 and Brady Quinn (Weeden and Manziel were Day 1 guys you couldn’t build a franchise around). It’s time we actually take a chance and get a guy that could be THE guy.

If they picked Bortles, they still wouldn’t have a QB. That’s the problem with your scenerio.

IMO the only guy in the draft worth taking is Watson – and it ain’t in round 1. Trubisky has 13 games and Kizer brings ne meaning to awful.

Freedom!!!

[Dawgstyle]

I feel you Dawg. Unfortunately, the Browns are in a position where they have to take risks if they want to succeed. We’re so bad at so many positions that simply drafting a QB, even one that has franchise potential, does not guarantee he can perform at a franchise QB level. Sure, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers can elevate the players around them now, but that wasn’t the case in the first 3 years of their careers.

My problem with the QBs in this draft is not talent. I honestly believe this class is on par with most other classes (unlike 2013 where there wasn’t a single QB with a first round grade). The issue that we’re seeing is the number of first round talents that come from the increasingly popular spread systems while we still remember picks that came from colleges that ran pro style offenses. Look at the college playoffs though. The spread is where its at. That’s not going to change. You can’t compete in college with a pro style offense anymore. Sure, your prospects get love at the draft, but those national championships are what its all about now.

As such, guys like Trubisky, Watson, Mahomes, etc. that would have gone to pro style schools in the early 2000’s now go to schools that run the spread. While it does not diminish their talent, it creates uncertainty at the next level. We’re seeing players that have made the transition now, and unlike the early 2000’s, there is reason to be optimistic that spread QBs can make the leap.

Back to the topic at hand, you can say what you want about the Texans choice to draft Clowney instead of Bortles, but they were in the playoffs and the Jags weren’t. Even without J.J. Watt. and Brian Cushing for the majority of the season. I understand your point though, but it’s speculation. Does Blake Bortles add enough to the offense to make up for the defense losing Jadaveon Clowney? I think you could reasonably argue both sides of that debate without giving up much ground to your opposition.

It should also be noted that I believe Osweiler will improve both this year and next. While he has exposure to playing in the NFL, O’Brien’s offensive concepts were different from those utilized in Denver. This is why I am skeptical of Jimmy G. in Cleveland (as opposed to the less talented AJ McCarron who has played in Hue’s offense and thus is a more known commodity). I think Jimmy G. is a good west coast QB that has a ceiling similar to, if not slightly below, that of Alex Smith in the WCO. That said, Kessler’s performance last season, while not amazing, gives me hope that he too will improve in year two, and while he also lacks the elite measurables like Garoppolo, his demeanor and willingness to get to work might make him a viable bridge and competent back up.

My concern with Garoppolo, McCarron, et al. is that we’d essentially be flooding the QB position with back up quality QBs while convincing ourselves that they are franchise quality QBs. They aren’t. And while the occasional Russell Wilson, Dak Prescott and Tom Brady do pop up, the majority of franchise QBs are taken in the first round. That said, Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Drew Brees and Colin Kaepernick have all lead viable playoff contenders at some point during their careers. Ultimately, where you’re picked is irrelevant, you have to perform.

And so, while I understand (and even agree with, to a certain extent) your reservations, while we might not significantly improve the roster if our calculated risks don’t pay off, we certainly won’t significantly improve the roster if we play it safe.

818 mph. 13,723 feet. 3 second burn.
https://youtu.be/hy-3bb1Nqy0

[mike barnes]

1.Sign Pryor
2. get 1 safety 1 CB and 1 OL in FA minimum
3. also in FA 1 WR that’s not a smurf at least 6 ft minimum
4. Trade for JG from new England
5. draft Garrett at #1, BPA the rest of the way

[DawgSoldier]

Using Manage the cap FA Simulator from Fanspeak I did this:

CLEVELAND BROWNS
Salary Cap: 166,000,000
Player Salaries: 147,739,021
Dead Money: 6,432,883
Carryover: 50,123,269
Reserved for Draft Picks: 5,000,000
Cap Space Remaining: 56,951,365ROSTER
SIGNED PLAYERS
Name Position Cap Hit
Terrelle Pryor WR 6,000,000
Austin Pasztor OT 1,600,000
Jonathan Cooper G 1,600,000
Armonty Bryant EDGE 1,600,000
Kevin Zeitler G 4,500,000
Luke Joeckel OT 5,700,000
TJ McDonald S 5,400,000
A.J. Bouye CB 6,000,000
Johnathan Hankins DL 6,600,000

REST OF ROSTER
Name Position Cap Hit
Desmond Bryant DL 4,000,000
Isaiah Crowell RB 2,800,000
Jamie Collins LB 12,100,000
Marcus Burley CB 1,800,000
Josh Gordon WR 1,800,000
Joe Thomas OT 10,000,000
John Greco G 975,000
Christian Kirksey LB 931,125
George Atkinson III RB 600,000
Rannell Hall WR 600,000
Marlon Moore WR 1,086,668
Darius Jackson RB 540,000
Jamar Taylor CB 3,275,000
Cody Parkey K 690,000
Cam Johnson EDGE 615,000
Danny Shelton DL 3,191,910
Malcolm Johnson TE 644,863
Charles Gaines CB 645,534
Cameron Erving C 2,571,564
Ibraheim Campbell S 743,002
Xavier Cooper DL 775,071
E.J. Bibbs TE 615,000
Randall Telfer TE 569,384
Duke Johnson RB 830,023
Joe Haden CB 14,400,000
Andrew Hawkins WR 1,800,000
John Hughes DL 2,900,000
Joel Bitonio G 1,737,813
Nate Orchard EDGE 1,218,083
Gary Barnidge TE 3,812,500
Tank Carder LB 1,400,000
Demario Davis LB 4,800,000
Alvin Bailey DL 2,333,333
Robert Griffin III QB 9,250,000
Emmanuel Ogbah EDGE 1,502,191
Scooby Wright III LB 555,176
Carl Nassib EDGE 840,548
Cody Kessler QB 770,246
Corey Coleman WR 2,648,860
Seth Devalve TE 635,848
Derrick Kindred S 664,839
Ricardo Louis WR 681,962
Joe Schobert EDGE 698,489
Jordan Payton WR 601,000
Dominique Alexander LB 540,000
Trey Caldwell CB 586,096
Spencer Drango G 591,913
Rashard Higgins WR 586,096
Shon Coleman OT 784,884

Here’s what I did with the Fanspeak Mock draft Simulator:

1: R1P1
EDGE MYLES GARRETT TEXAS A&M
Best player on the board

12: R1P12
QB MITCH TRUBISKY NORTH CAROLINA
Best QB right NOW in the draft.

33: R2P1
LB RAEKWON MCMILLAN OHIO STATE
IMO the best Mike backer in the draft

52: R2P20
S OBI MELIFONWU CONNECTICUT
Physical freak of safety that tackles well and plays to separate the wr from the ball instead of the ball though..basically a poor mans mailk hooker with out the ball skills but better tackling.

65: R3P1
WR COOPER KUPP EASTERN WASHINGTON
Pro ready slot or #2 WR that has GREAT route running skills and hands.

106: R4P1
C PAT ELFLEIN OHIO STATE
Erving SUCKS out loud and Elflein is a bargain here. A starting center at the top of the 4th round yes please.

141: R4P36
EDGE/LB TYUS BOWSER HOUSTON
A 3-3-5 LB that can rush from the edge or drop in coverage. Basically a lesser version of Khalil Mack of the Raiders.

146: R5P1
CB AHKELLO WITHERSPOON COLORADO
Tall Lanky DB that can play boundary corner or possibly FS….

176: R5P31
TE JEREMY SPRINKLE ARKANSAS
Tall Lanky TE that can run block as well, needs to ad 10 to 15 pounds IMO at 6’6″ 240 to help with his blocking.

180: R5P35
CB CHANNING STRIBLING MICHIGAN
Tall SKINNY nickel CB that is both quick and fast, but has a slight build at 6-2 175.

186: R6P1
S JOSH HARVEY-CLEMONS LOUISVILLE
Likely candidate for the hybrid player our DC likes in nickel sets sometimes, at 6-5 215 Clemons is a FREAK of a Safety. His length in coverage as well as his ability to tackle could give some folks some fits.

http://cloudassetserver.com/STL/posts/185/sp_04_976x0.jpg

[Ice]

First off, I’m gonna have to check out that tool at fanspeak. That looks pretty awesome.

Secondly, you didn’t really address the issues on the O-line. Who are your starters there in 2017?

[Author]

Posts