Category Archives: Browns

Browns Callaway cleared of charges

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Cleveland Browns receiver Antonio Callaway has been cleared of drug charges that occured during training camp prior to last season.

Before last season began Cleveland Browns receiver Antonio Callaway was cited possession of marijuana. Callaway found himself charged with marijuana possession after a traffic stop. The incident occurred during Browns training camp last season. The charges have since been dismissed.

When the incident initially occurred there was a sense of “here we go again”. Another talented, but troubled wide receiver having issues with the Cleveland Browns. Of course this is a reference to former receiver Josh Gordon. There was also a feeling that while Cleveland was supporting Gordon at the time, the introduction of another “bad influence” in Callaway could cause a relapse. While a relapse may have occurred, there is no reason to blame the presence of Callaway for said incident.

Antonio Callaway experienced an up and down rookie season with Cleveland. 43 receptions for 586 yards and five touchdowns was the final line for Callaway. This came in 16 games including 11 starts. Cleveland should expect Callaway to grow as a player and build upon his rookie campaign.

John Dorsey acquires players with off the field issues often

Antonio Callaway is just one of the latest players with off the field issues that John Dorsey has acquired. Callaway possessed the talent of a first round pick. However questions about legal issues led to his draft stock falling. The issues resulted in dropping to the fourth round. Dorsey saw the upside in Callaway and made the selection.

Just this offseason Dorsey has brought Kareem Hunt and Jaelen Strong to Cleveland. Hunt with his obvious domestic violence cases and Strong with a similar drug related issue. Strong served a one-game suspension in 2017 due a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Acquiring players with a questionable past is just part of the John Dorsey experience.

Moving forward Antonio Callaway needs to make sure more incidents do not occur. The last thing the Browns need is another Josh Gordon-esque saga on their hands. As long as no further incidents occur, the Browns have a solid receiver for their offense to utilize in their game plans.

Browns sign wide receiver Jaelen Strong

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The Cleveland Browns have signed wide receiver Jaelen Strong to a contract. Strong’s reprentatives and later the Browns announced the deal Wednesday.

In perhaps what will amount to a “see what he has” signing, the Cleveland Browns signed former Texans and Jaguars receiver Jaelen Strong to a contract Wednesday. Strong missed the entire 2018 season due to an ACL tear that occurred during his time in Jacksonville.

The Cleveland Browns tweeted out the deal Wednesday afternoon.

During his short career Strong has not been the impact player that Houston thought he could be. While he was only a third round pick, Houston was desperate for help at the receiver position opposite DeAndre Hopkins. His poor play led to the Texans finding help elsewhere.

While Strong’s numbers were far from good in Houston (28 receptions, 292 yards and three touchdowns), some of that could be to blame on the poor quarterback play in Houston. Brian Hoyer was far from good in Houston and that could have impacted his overall numbers as a member of the Texans.

While Jaelen Strong was not a polished receiver in Houston, it is possible that Cleveland saw something in him. Another reclamation project of sorts. This is similar to how Cleveland picked up Breshad Perriman midseason and restored his value. It is possible that the Browns are looking to perform a similar career resurrection with Strong.

Cleveland making this move is hardly a surprise. General manger John Dorsey is one who takes risks on players with off the field issues. Strong served a one-game suspension for a violation of the substance abuse policy in 2017. Add in the fact that Strong is coming off an ACL injury, this was a move that Dorsey was just waiting to make. It is possible Strong makes an impact for Cleveland this season, it is also possible he is cut before the regular season.

Browns have the safety position locked down

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Pro Football Focus released their saftey rankings for the AFC North and the Browns have two of the top four at the position.

It was not long ago that the Cleveland Browns had issues in the back of their secondary. Jabrill Peppers was lining up in Lake Erie and there was not a competent player opposite of him. Enter Damarious Randall. Randall changed positions, from cornerback to free safety, and thrived in the process. This also allowed Peppers to live up to his potential.

Pro Football Focus released their Top 5 players at the safety position in the AFC North. Cleveland’s Peppers and Randall were two of the top four at the position.

Jabrill Peppers

As mentioned above, Jabrill Peppers improved upon his rookie season. Starting all 16 games, Peppers combined for 79 total tackles, five of which went for a loss. Peppers also managed his first career sack and hit the opposing quarterback five times. This is due to lining up closer to the line of scrimmage rather than 20+ yards off of it. Peppers was also able to intercept one pass while defending five others.

With his improved play Pro Football Focus gave Peppers a grade of 77.6, just behind Baltimore’s Eric Weddle. This grade classifies as “above average” according to their standards.

Damarious Randall

The Browns acquisition of Damarious Randall is perhaps one of the better moves by Cleveland prior to last season. The former cornerback changed positions to the more comfortable safety position. In addition to playing well on the field, Randall was able to unlock the potential of fellow safety Jabrill Peppers.

Randall intercepted four passes during his first season as a member of the Browns. None was more memorable than the interception against Cincinnati which was promptly handed to former Browns head coach Hue Jackson.

Randall also defended nine passes and recovered one fumble. His presence as a member of the Cleveland secondary. Randall also combined for 85 total tackles, two went for a loss.

Pro Football Focus determined this performance was worthy a grade of 72.7. A grade that is “above average” according to their grading system.

The Cleveland Browns appear to be set at the safety position for the near future. While Randall’s contract does expire after next season, the Browns will have to give serious consideration to an extension. For now the Cleveland Browns have two of the best players at the safety position in the AFC North.

Baker Mayfield is AFC North’s best quarterback

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Pro Football Focus names Baker Mayfield the division’s best quarterback

The Cleveland Browns got a good one in Baker Mayfield. Pro Football Focus has named the rookie the best quarterback in the division.

Baker Mayfield appeared in 14 games in 2018, starting 13 of them. Mayfield’s first action came in the Thursday Night Football victory over the New York Jets. Mayfield took over as the Browns starter for the remainder of the season after the comeback win.

Baker Mayfield completed 63.8 percent of his passes for 3,725 yards, 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Mayfield had three 4th quarter comebacks and four game-winning drives on the year.

Mayfield’s performance on the field changed drastically once the disastrous duo of Hue Jackson and Todd Haley were ousted. Once Freddie Kitchens got control of the offense, things changed for the better. Mayfield threw 19 touchdowns with Kitchens at the helm. Mayfield’s completion percentage rose ten points after the coaching change.

Pro Football Focus looked at Baker Mayfield’s season as a whole and still determined he was the best in the division

While Baker Mayfield’s rookie campaign can be broken into two distinct halves, Pro Football Focus determined his overall body of work is worth being graded as the best quarterback in the AFC North. Mayfield’s second half of the season is most likely the reason why his grade is as high as it is.

Pro Football Focus gave Baker Mayfield a grade of 84.5 which classifies as “Good” by their standards. PFF gives Mayfield a comfortable margin over second place Andy Dalton and a larger margin over Ben Roethlisberger. A 12.5 point margin exists between Mayfield and Joe Flacco. The largest margin is between Baker Mayfield and Lamar Jackson (26 points).

Although an analytical grade of Baker Mayfield is not needed to realize he is a good quarterback, it is alway encouraging that the analytics and eye test match. Typically in circumstances such as this, the general consensus is that both evaluations are accurate. It appears rather safe to say that the determination of Baker Mayfield being the best quarterback in the division is accurate.

Baker Mayfield performed at a level that very few are capable of. There are veteran quarterbacks who are unable to do what Mayfield did as a rookie. Baker Mayfield performs as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His play led to being graded as the best signal caller in the AFC North.

Browns: Zeitler, Bitonio Top 5 in division

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Cleveland Browns guards Joel Bitonio and Kevin Zeitler rank as two of the best guards in the AFC North according to Pro Football Focus.

Pro Football Focus already gave credit to the performance of Cleveland Browns center JC Tretter earlier this offseason, now credit is being given to the two teammates who line up next to him on every play. Kevin Zeitler and Joel Bitonio rank in the Top 5 of AFC North guards. Zeitler and Bitonio rank second and third respectively. The only guard in the division considered better is Baltimore’s Marshal Yanda.

Joel Bitonio

The Browns left guard Joel Bitonio comes in second on the list. Bitonio’s grade of 74.7 classifies him as “above average” by Pro Football Focus’ system. Bitonio appeared in all 16 games for the second consecutive season. This comes after only appearing in 5 games in 2016 due to injury. Bitonio proved he is one of the best guards in the league and will be an integral part of the Browns offensive line moving forward.

Kevin Zeitler

Rather than dwell on a “trade rumor” about Kevin Zeitler, it is better to focus on his productive 2018 campaign. The Browns right guard received a grade of 74.2. This is just below the grade that Bitonio received and also classifies as “above average”. Like Bitonio, Zeitler appeared in all 16 games for Cleveland last season. Zeitler’s longterm future in Cleveland may not be as clear as Bitonio’s, but should at least be a member of the team next season.

Browns guards were integral to their success

The Cleveland Browns offensive line performed as one of the better units the NFL down the stretch. The performances of two of the best guards in the division certainly helped. That is in addition to the division’s best center JC Tretter. Bitonio and Zeitler will look to continue their success in 2019 as the Cleveland looks to compete for the division title.

Browns have two of AFC North’s best linebackers

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Cleveland Browns linebackers Joe Schobert and Jamie Collins have placed in the Top 5 of the AFC North’s best linebackers according to Pro Football Focus.

The accolades continue to come in for the Cleveland Browns. Joe Schobert and Jamie Collins have been named two of the best linebackers in the AFC North according to Pro Football Focus.

Joe Schobert

Joe Schobert appeared in 13 games for the Cleveland Browns in 2018, three games were missed due to injury. While Schobert was sidelined the Browns defense did not play at the same level when compared to when Schobert was on the field. Cleveland struggled to stop opposing offenses without Schobert.

When Schobert was on the field he made 103 total tackles, three of which went for a loss. Schobert also managed three sacks on the year. In addition to tackles, Schobert intercepted one pass, defended six passes, forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles.

This production led to Schobert receiving the grade of 78.2 which classifies as “Good” according to PFF. This grade also places Joe Schobert at the top of AFC North linebackers last season.

Jamie Collins

Jamie Collins may be one of the more divisive players on the Cleveland Browns defense. Collins is known for occasionally taking plays off and not necessarily giving maximum effort at all times. This had led to varying opinions on the Browns linebacker.

Jamie Collins combined to make 104 total tackles, 73 of them were of the solo variety. Collins managed to sack the quarterback four times last season, reaching a total that has not been met since his time in New England. With 13 tackles for loss, Collins was able to make plays in the backfield from time to time. Collins was also able to intercept one pass, defend four passes, force and recover one fumble.

This production from Jamie Collins led to Pro Football Focus giving him a grade of 62.3 which classifies as “Average” by their scale. Collins was able to round out the Top 5 linebackers in the AFC North.

Denzel Ward receives praise from PFF

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Pro Football Focus has given Denzel Ward high grades and include the Browns rookie in their Top 101.

Cleveland Browns cornerback Denzel Ward put together an impressive rookie campaign. Appearing in 13 games, intercepting three passes, defending 11 passes, recovering three fumbles and forcing one fumble. Ward also combined for 53 total tackles, five of which went for a loss.

Pro Football Focus released their top cornerbacks in the AFC North and Denzel Ward took the top spot in the division. Ward just edged out Baltimore’s Marlon Humphrey.

Denzel Ward’s grade of 79 classifies as “Good”. This also puts the rookie cornerback at 15th overall in the league. Not only is Ward being the best cornerback in the division impressive, the fact that Ward is only behind 14 others as a rookie is quite the accomplishment.

Pro Football Focus’ praise of Denzel Ward did not end there

Pro Football Focus had their countdown of their Top 101 players in the NFL. Denzel Ward checked in on this list at number 89.

The people over at Pro Football Focus obviously realize that Ward is talented. Ward has been included as the top cornerback in the AFC North. A Top 15 cornerback overall. Lastly one of the Top 101 players in the league.

Denzel Ward’s career is off to a good start

There were some analysts as well as fans who were not fully on board with the Browns selection of Denzel Ward with the fourth pick. Obviously John Dorsey and Co. know exactly what they are doing. Ward put together an impressive rookie campaign and more than validated his selection at four.

What is important to keep in mind is that Denzel Ward is only 21 years old. There is a long future ahead of him and with Ward starting off his career playing at this level it makes some wonder just how good he can be. As long as he stays healthy, Denzel Ward can be one one of the best in the league. Considering how well Ward performed as a rookie, he really is not far off from being among that group at this moment in time.

Myles Garrett is AFC North’s top Edge defender

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Pro Football Focus announced that Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett is the top rated edge defender in the AFC North.

Myles Garrett had a good rookie season, but his sophomore campaign was even more impressive. Appearing in all 16 games for the Browns, Garrett managed to sack the quarterback 13.5 times. This total ranks second in Browns history behind Reggie Camp’s 14 sack effort in 1984.

In addition to the 13.5 sacks, Garrett totaled 44 tackles on the season. 12 of which went for a loss. 35 of the 44 tackles were of the solo variety. One of the more important aspects to being an edge defender in the NFL is getting to the quarterback. While that does not always result in a sack, it can result in a quarterback hit. Myles Garrett totaled 29 hits on opposing quarterbacks in 2018. The next highest total on the Browns was Larry Ogunjobi’s 15.

Myles Garrett was also able to force three fumbles last season. Forcing fumbles is an important part of playing defense in the NFL. When they are of the sack-fumble variety they are even more important. That can cause a momentum shift and change the outcome of the game.

All of Garrett’s production led to Pro Football Focus ranking the Texas A & M product as the top edge defender in the AFC North last season and bay quite a wide margin.

Myles Garrett received a grade of 87.0 which qualifies as good by PFF’s grading scale. Additionally Garrett ranks 12th overall among edge defenders in the NFL. This is encouraging to see that the Cleveland Browns have one of the best edge defenders in the league on their defense. The fact that Cleveland has the best in the division should make their rivals fear facing the Browns. Garrett is more than capable of getting to the quarterback on any given play. What happens after that can not only change the outcome of a game, but potentially a season.

Browns should avoid Ryan Fitzpatrick

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A name that some have suggested as a potential backup quarterback for Baker Mayfield is Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the Cleveland Browns should avoid him.

Ryan Fitzpatrick is more than capable of being a backup quarterback in the NFL. Fitzpatrick has even started in multiple places during his career and has been able to win games as a starter. However the reason for the Cleveland Browns to avoid Ryan Fitzpatrick is not performance related (although that angle has more than enough merit to argue for). The reason is that there is a strange phenomenon that occurs when Ryan Fitzpatrick is a backup quarterback in the NFL.

The regular starter almost always suffers an injury.

Since entering the league in 2005, the starting quarterback of a team that Ryan Fitzpatrick has been a member of has been injured eight times. Even when Fitzpatrick was benched in favor of someone else, his replacement would get injured. Fitzpatrick even got a shot while Jameis Winston served a suspension, (although that is unrelated to the presence of Fitzpatrick).

2005: While with the St. Louis Rams Fitzpatrick replaces an injured Jamie Martin.

2008: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer suffers an elbow injury and Fitzpatrick ended up starting 12 games that season.

2009: Buffalo Bills starter Trent Edwards leaves a game with an injury and Fitzpatrick replaces him for that game and is subsequently named the starter after Dick Jauron is fired.

2013: Fitzpatrick replaces an injured Jake Locker and starts 9 of 11 games for the Tennessee Titans that season.

2014: After being benched for Ryan Mallett earlier in the year, Mallett suffers a season ending pectoral injury. This leads to Fitzpatrick reclaiming his starting role for the Houston Texans.

2015: Fitzpatrick is now a member of the New York Jets and is the backup for Geno Smith. IK Enemkpali breaks Smith’s jaw and Fitzpatrick becomes the starter.

2016: Geno Smith replaces Fitzpatrick due to ineffective play. In Smith’s first start he suffers a season-ending injury, leading to Fitzpatrick again starting for the Jets.

2017: Tampa Bay signs Ryan Fitzpatrick in the offseason. Starter Jameis Winston injures his shoulder and Fitzpatrick replaces him.

2018: Not an injury, but while Winston is serving a suspension, “FitzMagic” happens. This leads to speculation that Fitzpatrick may not relinquish the starting job. Winston took back the starting role but was inevitably replaced by Fitzpatrick due to poor play.

Once is a fluke, twice is a coincidence, but eight injuries is certainly something.

Eight injuries have occurred leading to Ryan Fitzpatrick starting football games. There is just some sort of weird series of events that occurs once Fitzpatrick enters the building.

There is absolutely no scientific date or tangible reason for why this happens. It just does.

When it comes to the Cleveland Browns and their search for a new backup quarterback, they should avoid Ryan Fitzpatrick. Football teams should not live in fear or be superstitious in regards to certain things. Although this is one instance where they should. There is more than examples of Fitzpatrick signing with a team and eventually replacing the starter due to injury. It is best not to take that chance now that the Cleveland Browns have their franchise quarterback in Baker Mayfield.

Antonio Brown is not coming Cleveland

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Antonio Brown requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers leading to speculation about the Cleveland Browns and the potential to acquire his services.

This happens every time a superstar player requests a trade or becomes a free agent. Cleveland Browns fans everywhere try and find some rationale into why said player will come to Cleveland. The latest incarnation of this fantasy is Antonio Brown. Brown requested a trade from the Pittsburgh Steelers and almost instantly it became it was “make it happen John Dorsey” time.

This type of thinking is understandable. Acquiring an elite player at a premier position is always difficult to do and when a path presents itself to trade/sign a superstar player most begin their trip to fantasyland. It does not appear that Antonio Brown will be appearing in a Pittsburgh Steelers uniform next season. In fact it almost seems like a guarantee (even though the Steelers have not yet granted his trade request).

While he may end up in a new city, this does not mean Antonio Brown will end up in Cleveland.

Pittsburgh will not trade Antonio Brown to an up and coming division rival

The Cleveland Browns are an up and coming team. They are also a division rival of Antonio Brown’s current team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. It is extremely unlikely that Pittsburgh would deal a player of Brown’s talent to a division rival. Especially if the division rival is considered by some to be the favorite to win the division next season. The blowback Pittsburgh would receive from sending Brown to Cleveland would be immense. After witnessing Brown become a distraction last season, it would be hard to justify to Steelers fans who would have to watch him in a Browns uniform burning their defense twice a year.

Baker Mayfield does not need Antonio Brown

This may be an overlooked aspect of this discussion. Baker Mayfield does not need a player of Antonio Brown’s talent. Mayfield is able make the players around him better. While other quarterbacks are made better by their supporting cast, Mayfield excelled with receivers many considered to be very much replaceable. Sure, improving the wide receiver position would be nice and may happen, but it is not a pressing need. Mayfield can continue to perform at a high level without Antonio Brown.

The cost of Antonio Brown will be astronomical

Acquiring Antonio Brown is a luxury move that the Browns are not quite in the position to make. While the team has a solid foundation, there are some holes that do need to be addressed. The required draft picks to acquire Brown would take away from resources to address these needs.

Add in the fact that Pittsburgh will take on a massive dead cap hit if they were to trade Brown.

While the team that acquires him can send money back in the trade to cover this cap hit, over $20 million is a lot of money. Especially when considering at least one high draft pick would be required to acquire his services. It is also worth mentioning that the Steelers would charge the Browns what would amount to a division rival tax, requiring much more from Cleveland than most other teams.

While it is a fun fantasyland to live in, it just is not all that realistic to think Antonio Brown will end up in Cleveland via trade. This is a trade more likely to happen in Madden than real life. If Brown was a free agent it would be a different story. That is when conversations like this would be reasonable, but for now they are just pure fantasy.