Monthly Archives: March 2023

Receivers on Browns radar

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The Cleveland Browns reportedly have six wide receivers on their radar.

It has become abundantly clear that the Cleveland Browns are not content with their current group of wide receivers. According to a report from Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Cleveland currently has six wide receivers on their radar. One has already been mentioned as potential reunion option in Odell Beckham Jr. The Browns have checked in on the the free agent during his private workout earlier this week. Just who are the others mentioned as potential targets?

Non-OBJ Free agents

One player in particular has recently become available with a clear connection with Kevin Stefanski, Adam Thielen. Thielen is an older option who does not possess the speed that Browns twitter craves, but is someone familiar with Stefanski and can be a productive secondary target in the passing game.

For those looking for speed it is Mecole Hardman who looks to be a bit more appealing. Hardman is young and quick (two things Thielen is not) and can be a difference maker for the Cleveland offense. The Browns are truly missing a reliable speedy option in the passing game, but it can be dicey to bank on acquiring these types of players via free agency.

If size and speed turn out to be what Cleveland is looking for then DJ Chark should be towards the top of their list. The former Jaguar and Lion will not be waiting long for offers as many teams covet his skillset. Chark will not come cheap and most contract projections have priced him out of what Cleveland should be allocating when they have more pressing needs elsewhere.

Trade targets

This could change relatively soon due a quarterback upgrade on the horizon (Aaron Rodgers), but Elijah Moore is a young cost controlled options that Cleveland should target aggressively. There were rumblings connecting the Browns to Moore last season with the young receiver remaining in New York. Perhaps the Jets may be more inclined to make a move now rather than the middle of last season.

A predictable name has popped up on this list in Brandin Cooks. Cooks and Watson played one season in Houston together in 2020 with good results. The soon-to-be 30-year old receiver finished with 1,150 yards and six touchdowns on 81 receptions. Adding another high salary option at receiver seems to be an unappealing scenario. Cleveland just got out from allocating a high dollar figure to two receivers and that seems like a path they might hesitate to duplicate. Of course they could restructure contracts of one or both high paid options, but that is only speculative at this moment.

If the Browns add any of these options, or anyone else for that matter, it would be a welcome addition. Cleveland must realize they need to capitalize on their roster now and not keep pushing it back a year. There is simply too much top end talent to waste another year in the bottom half of the division.

Guardians option, re-assign two players

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The Cleveland Guardians have made four roster moves Sunday.

Roster trimming continues for the Cleveland Guardians. The club has optioned outfielder George Valera and pitcher Joey Cantillo to Triple-A Columbus. In addition to these moves Cleveland has re-assigned Logan Allen and Peyton Battenfield to Minor League camp.

These moves are all expected from the Guardians as there is not a path to playing time in Cleveland for them at the moment. There could be playing time down the line if injuries or poor performance become and issue at the big league level. The important thing to keep in mind when it comes to the four players in particular is patience. Their time will come, it is just not right now.

Browns check in on familiar face

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The Cleveland Browns were one of several teams checking in on one of their former players.

This can be filed under unlikely, but still possible. The Cleveland Browns were in attendance for the private workout of former wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham did not play last season after recovering from a a torn ACL suffered in the Rams victory in Super Bowl LVI.

While mentioning the Browns and Beckham in the same sentence is akin to throwing a match into a timber box, it is still worth exploring. As mentioned in the above tweet, many receivers want to play with new quarterback Deshaun Watson, even those with a very public divorce from the Browns not too long ago. It is worth mentioning that the catalyst in that separation spent time on two teams last year, both of which were not Cleveland (Baker Mayfield). Perhaps the upgrade at the quarterback position could persuade Beckham to return to the Browns.

How would OBJ fit?

This is the multi-million dollar question that needs to be answered. Cleveland’s receiver group is very different from when Beckham landed in Cleveland via trade, meaning Beckham would not need to be a superstar x-factor to be impactful. If Beckham were to come in as a complimentary piece to Amari Cooper it would rightfully bump Donovan Peoples-Jones from the second receiver spot. A tandem of Cooper and Beckham would open up the middle of the field (again). This would allow Peoples-Jones and David Njoku to operate in space and create easy completion targets for Watson.

There is another fact the Browns must consider when it comes to their former and potentially future pass catcher. Beckham has endured his fair share of injuries over the course of his career, including two ACL tears in a relatively short period of time. While this Browns regime have signed injury prone players in the past (Jadeveon Clowney, Takkarist McKinley), it is rarely a good idea to continue this practice.

What it comes down to is comfort between the Browns and Beckham. If the Browns believe Beckham is healthy and can contribute offensively while not costing an arm and a leg it would be worth exploring. Conversely Beckham needs to be confident that he will be comfortable and be able to succeed in Cleveland. The first time around was a rollercoaster with very few highs and a ton of lows. There are certain aspects which have changed (quarterback), but the offensive scheme and play calling is still present and that may be enough to deter Beckham from returning.

Browns draft picks set

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After the NFL distributed compensatory picks, the Cleveland Browns now know exactly where they will be picking in the upcoming draft. Barring a trade Cleveland has eight picks in total with just two coming in the first 100.

Cleveland’s compensatory pick is of the special variety as they received due to the Minnesota Vikings hiring Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. This is the second of two compensatory picks the Browns received with the first coming last year. The first compensatory pick turned into David Bell, the 99th selection in the 2022 draft.

The Browns are still without a first pick this season which makes it important to hit on the picks they do have. Cleveland must be able to find contributors in the middle rounds, specifically during their run of picks between 111 and 142. If the Browns are able to add a few contributors of some caliber at this spot in the draft it will accomplish a much needed task. Raising the floor of this team. If not there will be changes in Berea by this time next year.

Guardians option catcher to Triple-A

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The Cleveland Guardians have decided to option one of their catchers to Triple-A Columbus.

As most expected, Bo Naylor will begin the 2023 season in Columbus. The Cleveland Guardians have optioned the younger Naylor to Triple-A as they are narrowing down their options to backup veteran Mie Zunino to begin the season.

Naylor is currently with Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic, but was still able to have some at-bats with the Guardians (going 1-6 in four games). Cleveland did give Naylor his first taste of the big leagues late last year with the catching prospect going hitless in eight at-bats with five strikeouts. Improvement is needed if Naylor is going to get called back up this season and potentially take over the catching position. The good news for Naylor is that his chance may come sooner rather than later.

Guardians catching options

The starting job in Cleveland belongs to Mike Zunino at the moment. Zunino is not consistent offensively with a batting average that is usually uninspiring with some power bursts. Zunino has hit 20 or more home runs four times in 10 seasons with a career-high 33 coming in 2021. Injuries and inconsistency led to a combined 18 home runs in three of his last four seasons (2019, 2020, 2022). A injury-riddled or disappointing season could impact Cleveland’s decision with Naylor down the line.

With Naylor being optioned that leaves five options to backup Mike Zunino. Byran Lavastida, Cam Gallagher, David Fry, Zack Collins, and Meibrys Viloria. It would not be surprising to see Cleveland opt to go with a catcher with some experience over a young option with little to none as Zunino’s backup. Gallagher has 171 appearances, Collins has 170, and Viloria 93. In comparison Lavastida has just six while Fry is yet to play in the majors.

Browns must learn from free agent mistakes

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Free agency under the current Cleveland Browns regime has been extremely underwhelming and they must learn from those mistakes this time around.

NFL free agency is right around the corner and that can be an exciting time for a team. Teams are looking to supplement the talent already on their roster and players are looking to cash in with a big payday. Navigating this process requires a delicate balance and unfortunately the current Cleveland Browns braintrust has not done so in an adequate manner. Reversing this trend is necessary if the team wants to improve upon last season and more importantly provide some job security to the decision makers who are going into year four with what seems like one outlier season.

Before diving into the misses it is important to mention that there have been a few successes in regards to the Browns free endeavors. Jack Conklin, B.J. Goodson, Adrian Clayborn, Anthony Walker, Jadeveon Clowney (year one only), and Jacoby Brissett proved to be quality signings by Cleveland. These particular signings are not the issue here. The problem is the misses.

The Browns bet on John Johnson, Troy Hill, Austin Hooper, Clowney (year two), Karl Joseph, Andrew Billings, Malik Jackson, Malik McDowell, Takkarist McKinley, and Taven Bryan to play meaningful roles for the Browns. It is alarming that these are all recent signings and none of these players will be suiting up for Cleveland in 2023. It is one thing to miss on a depth player or someone who does not see much playing time. The problem is that this does not apply to these names listed. Cleveland’s attempts at improving their roster through free agency have been underwhelming to say the least and that needs to change this time around.

Free agent philosophy must change

The major disconnect appears to be a fundamental misunderstanding of how to operate in the free agent market. Signing players to big multi-year deals is rarely a fruitful endeavor. More often than not teams that agree to these deals regret them sooner rather than later. The Browns need to adjust their plan, model, vision, or whatever ridiculous phrasing they choose to try and appear out in front of everyone else. That means raising the floor of the roster rather than the ceiling of the roster. Is it an exciting practice? No, but it accomplishes a few things. Improving the baseline talent around the star players, maintains financial flexibility in order to pay their own drafted players in addition to players acquired via trade, and it does not result in having to jettison quality players for the sake of getting under the cap.

At the end of the day free agency is where players go to get paid and not where championship teams get made. This is the mantra the Cleveland Browns need to remember once free agency officially begins. If not it could be another year of turnover and that is not limited to players this time around.