Daily Archives: July 7, 2022

“No market” for Collin Sexton

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Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton received a qualifying offer making him a restricted free agent and interest from other teams is yet to seriously develop. Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com recently quoted a rival executive about Sexton’s market.

“He has no market“

This is not all that surprising considering what has been seen of Collin Sexton up to this point. Add in the fact his season was cut very short due to injury and it makes even more sense. Considering his score-first playing style and obvious deficiencies as a passer last season was a chance to shed any doubts about him as a player, but it was not to be. Now Sexton finds himself in a situation where questions have not been answered and determining his fit has become even more difficult.

One of the biggest obstacles for Collin Sexton is his reported desire to make $20 million (or more) while his value has been gauged by others at about half that number. This comes back to playing style and overall fit.

There is no doubt that Sexton can score when called upon, but when it comes to actually running an offense that is when issues arise. While he has improved as a passer he still has blinders on and does not find open teammates nearly enough. Add in the fact that the Cavs thrived after Sexton went down for the year it must be a concern for any potential suitors in free agency. Correlation does not always mean causation, however it is hard to shake in this instance. With Sexton in the mix it appeared that Cleveland was destined for another Eastern Conference basement finish. Without Sexton they made the play-in tournament.

As far as Collin Sexton is concerned he is not a bad player and not anything better than above average either. There is a spot for him in this league it just might not be in Cleveland. For the Cavs and their quest to take that next step forward they have to make big picture decisions which means moving on from players that can play but do not necessarily fit. The situation in Golden State with Monta Ellis comes to mind all those years ago. Ellis was moved in order to maximize the talents of others on their roster and we have all seen where that has taken them. It is not necessarily a like for like comparison, but the similarities cannot be ignored.

This leads to a decision that must be made by Collin Sexton. Take the money from a bad team that is willing to overpay for numbers that do no lead to winning. The other option is taking less money and playing the role of a sixth-man on a good team. The problem for Sexton is the latter role does not appear to be vacant in Cleveland and would need to found elsewhere. Another issue is that the lack of market makes finding a different suitor much more difficult. Even though it may not be in the best interest of the Cavs, the best option for Sexton is to remain in Cleveland and play for a bigger deal in free agency next year. There is also the option that the Cavs move Sexton during the season during a midseason roster shuffle which may be the most realistic option for all involved.

Jacoby Brissett can hold down the fort if needed

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When Week 1 finally comes around the Cleveland Browns could be starting one of two quarterbacks, Deshaun Watson or Jacoby Brissett. Should Watson find himself the recipient of a lengthy suspension all is not lost as Brissett has proven himself to be a more than capable quarterback. If need be Brissett can hold down the fort in Cleveland as long as Watson is not available.

It must be noted that the realistic expectations for the Browns in 2022 change quite a bit depending on who their quarterback is. With Watson the expectations are obviously a playoff bound campaign with the possibility of making a run. Super Bowl may be a bit much, but is not terribly far from reality. In regards to the Jacoby Brissett experience expectations must be tempered a bit, however they are not the bottom feeder many perceive them as.

Brissett falls into the category of game manager and that is more than fine. With the loaded offense in Cleveland all the team needs is a game manager to get them around .500, something that the former quarterback was simply unable to do. Having Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Amari Cooper, David Njoku, and Harrison Bryant can take a lot of pressure off of Brissett allowing him to manage the game properly. That is before considering Donovan Peoples-Jones, Anthony Schwartz, David Bell, and D’Ernest Johnson. There are lot of quarterbacks who would love to have this supporting cast, especially with a coach like Kevin Stefanski running the show.

Even though so called pundits and analysts alike continue to push for the Browns to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo there is no need. Besides the fact that the offense does not fit Garoppolo’s skill set, there is a reason why the team put their quarterback room together in this manner. Jacoby Brissett can ensure the team does not hit rock bottom while preparing to turn the keys over to Watson when the time comes.

The Cleveland Browns can finally move on

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With the trade of Baker Mayfield behind them, the Cleveland Browns can finally move forward with players they plan on being a part of their future. No longer will the team be surrounded by questions of what they will do with Mayfield if they are unable to facilitate trade. Thanks to the desperation of the Carolina Panthers they were unable to unload the disappointing quarterback for a conditional draft pick.

The team was able to identify that Mayfield was not going to be their answer at quarterback a long time ago. While the team did have their best season since the 1990’s with Mayfield, this was more of a result of excellent coaching and a team that had an unreal amount of talent to support the mediocre signal caller. Even with a loaded offense Mayfield was unable to perform up to a level that the Browns determined to be extension worthy. 2021 was a year of struggle for Cleveland and Mayfield which made their decision that much easier.

Moving On

While they may have moved on from Mayfield they now have to deal with a different kind of uncertainty. The status of Deshaun Watson is up in the air with the length of his suspension (if any) being a daily topic of debate. Even if Watson is suspended for an entire year moving on from Mayfield is the right decision for the Browns. This past offseason saw the team overhaul the offense to fit the strengths of the new quarterbacks and not that of the former number one overall pick. This is going to be an offense that has spacing and has more open concepts rather than tight end heavy offense that is required to make Mayfield remotely serviceable on a good day. Meanwhile Mayfield finds himself in a downgraded situation all around in Carolina with lesser talent at the skill positions and a lame duck coach on the hot seat in Matt Rhule.

Despite the opinions of many there was never a scenario which was going to see the Browns bring back Mayfield. The team could be without Watson for this entire season (or possibly longer) and if that is the case it will be Jacoby Brissett holding down the fort with Josh Dobbs being the backup. Dobbs is a fine third quarterback, but the Browns would be wise to add another to the mix to either be his backup or usurp Dobbs’ backup role should the opportunity present itself.

What all of this came down to was the Browns front office and coaching staff realizing that putting their future in the hands of Mayfield was not good for anyone. Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry, and Paul DePodesta (why he is still here no one knows) would all find their jobs in jeopardy should they run it back and not find success. Turning the page on Mayfield extends their job security and gives their employment an extension. That being said should the decision to acquire Watson turn into a complete debacle (it is close currently), they could still end up with their job on the line.