The 2020 Free Agency Thread...
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A little more clickbait
https://factoryofsadness.co/2020/01/16/cleveland-browns-5-free-agents-to-bolster-the-squad/amp/4/
WSS
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A little more clickbait
https://factoryofsadness.co/2020/01/16/cleveland-browns-5-free-agents-to-bolster-the-squad/amp/4/
WSS
A little more clickbait
Got that right...
Couple good names there would fill needs, but not exactly a discriminating list.
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It probably is tempting for one year or so, but it's a very deep OT class. The benefits of drafting your own guy and letting him roll for a career are huge, I think.
Problem is that "Depth" does not necessarily mean plug and play quality is there. There are always a ton of OTs in a draft class... just as there are WRs and DBs... problem is a fair number of even the better OT prospects end up being OGs or Cs in the Pros.
The question is... how talented is this OT class? Preliminary looks at the consensus top two prospects by tia and I have underwhelmed us. That is not boding well for the quality of the class.
Growing your own is preferable, but do we have that luxury given the quality of our 2019 starters? We may not have a choice, but do we have the luxury?
Problem is that "Depth" does not necessarily mean plug and play quality is there. There are always a ton of OTs in a draft class... just as there are WRs and DBs... problem is a fair number of even the better OT prospects end up being OGs or Cs in the Pros.
The question is... how talented is this OT class? Preliminary looks at the consensus top two prospects by tia and I have underwhelmed us. That is not boding well for the quality of the class.
Growing your own is preferable, but do we have that luxury given the quality of our 2019 starters? We may not have a choice, but do we have the luxury?
sure. The OT class isn't anywhere near the quality of the wr class. But there are offensive linemen who could step in and help the Browns further down than the third round. The tough part, is knowing who they are. There have been UDFA who have had nice careers in the NFL... plenty of draftable talent. Picking the one that helps your team is the harder part. I figure the Browns picked Corbett out of need, that is a bad idea.
I think back to players I admired with the Browns, like OG Robert Jackson. He was undrafted, but had a nice career, over ten year, all with the Browns. I believe there are gems in this draft well into the fifth/sixth rounds...then who knows, I don't.
Obviously, when I tossed out my 3 round draft, it was disregarding free agency and the combine. But when I looked at the OL class, OT tackles stood out to me.
I'm not alone, for whatever that is worth:
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Couple more OTs hitting the market that caught my eye...
Another high-end UFA to go with Castonzo... the
PackTitan's Jack Conklin. Still young... he's going to cost even more in total.And there are a couple in the more affordable category...
- Brian Bulaga (GB)... can't see the Pack committing to both him and Conklin; played hurt much of 2019.
- Cornelius Lucas (CHI)... pressed into service in 2019 and had a good year.
- Hala Vaitai (PHI)... also pressed into service and had a very good 2019 season. <==== a real target.
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
Couple more OTs hitting the market that caught my eye...
Another high-end UFA to go with Castonzo... the
PackTitan's Jack Conklin. Still young... he's going to cost even more in total.And there are a couple in the more affordable category...
- Brian Bulaga (GB)... can't see the Pack committing to both him and Conklin; played hurt much of 2019.
- Cornelius Lucas (CHI)... pressed into service in 2019 and had a good year.
- Hala Vaitai (PHI)... also pressed into service and had a very good 2019 season. <==== a real target.
Couple more OTs hitting the market that caught my eye...
Another high-end UFA to go with Castonzo... the Pack's Jack Conklin. Still young... he's going to cost even more in total.
And there are a couple in the more affordable category...
- Brian Bulaga (GB)... can't see the Pack committing to both him and Conklin; played hurt much of 2019.
- Cornelius Lucas (CHI)... pressed into service in 2019 and had a good year.
- Hala Vaitai (PHI)... also pressed into service and had a very good 2019 season. <==== a real target.
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Conklin plays for the Titans, my guy.
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And for OG... couple of likely high-priced options...
- Graham Glasgow (DET)... young, very good, going to cost maybe $10mm/yr.
- Joe Thuney (NE).... also young might be cheaper due to questions around OL who leave NE.
And more reasonably priced...
- Steve Wisniewski (KC)... injured in 2019, bit older, but not old, can still play and play well
- Earl Watford (TB)... spot starter journeyman that graded out well at PFF (#27 OG)
- Eric Flowers (WSH)... flopped at OT in NYG/JAX, but moved inside with WSH and played decent
- Denzelle Good (OAK)... part-timed his way to PFF's #26 spot
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
Couple more OTs hitting the market that caught my eye...
Another high-end UFA to go with Castonzo... the Pack's Jack Conklin. Still young... he's going to cost even more in total.
And there are a couple in the more affordable category...
- Brian Bulaga (GB)... can't see the Pack committing to both him and Conklin; played hurt much of 2019.
- Cornelius Lucas (CHI)... pressed into service in 2019 and had a good year.
- Hala Vaitai (PHI)... also pressed into service and had a very good 2019 season. <==== a real target.
?
Conklin plays for the Titans, my guy.
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Thuney's going to be north of 10M annually
Scherff/Washington should be on the high-priced OG list
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Thuney's going to be north of 10M annually
Scherff/Washington should be on the high-priced OG list
Scherff/Washington should be on the high-priced OG list
I am only listing folks in which I would have interest If I Ruled the World...
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
Scherff/Washington should be on the high-priced OG list
I am only listing folks in which I would have interest If I Ruled the World...
I am only listing folks in which I would have interest If I Ruled the World...
Or if I were a rich businessman with a zillion bucks and thought buying a football team would be fun.....eh?
Something to do for 17 weeks in the fall/winter? Stay in a nice warm booth with a TV and drink cocktails watching them play.
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And for OG... couple of likely high-priced options...
- Graham Glasgow (DET)... young, very good, going to cost maybe $10mm/yr.
- Joe Thuney (NE).... also young might be cheaper due to questions around OL who leave NE.
And more reasonably priced...
- Steve Wisniewski (KC)... injured in 2019, bit older, but not old, can still play and play well
- Earl Watford (TB)... spot starter journeyman that graded out well at PFF (#27 OG)
- Eric Flowers (WSH)... flopped at OT in NYG/JAX, but moved inside with WSH and played decent
- Denzelle Good (OAK)... part-timed his way to PFF's #26 spot
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I've always liked Hunter Henry. Usually have him on my FFL, but injuries kept me from playing him as much as I wanted to. Might come cheap with that history.
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Heard this today: It is seemingly imperative for the Browns to get one starting OT out of FA, and one out of the Draft. Chris Hubbard is an adequate backup, but not starter.
Jack Conklin seems to be a major target for RT.
Also need help at Safety and Linebacker. Combination of FA and draft.
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Wonder how much $$ Chris Harris is looking for.
"When you have a shared vision it is a lot easier to make unpopular decisions." - Paul DePodesta "When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less." - Paul Brown Complete 2017 Browns Board Mock: http://thebrownsboard.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=46196 -
Wonder how much $$ Chris Harris is looking for.
That's a little lower than what I had in mind, TBH.
I had some football related thoughts racking around in my head earlier today. The future of the defense, both immediate and longterm, was the biggest of those. Specifically our pass rush vs our coverage and how Joe Woods would intend on limiting the run via a combination of personnel and/or numbers committed to the box.
In short, if our new front office is going to weigh the dollars vs field value of certain players, I can't imagine Vernon stays through the off-season. I also don't suspect we can immediately supplement the other edge rusher spot so easily with a rookie or combination of FA and in-house talent. I think priority #1 for this dline needs to be getting stronger at limiting the opposing rushing attacks which also means Vernon has to go. That may dictate taking a look at how our coverage holds up, especially on early downs where teams showed a tendency to attack our secondary at times out of more "traditional" running formations.
I'm also looking at money invested in position groups and realizing that Denzel is still on the cheap for another year or two, Greedy at minimum 2 years and Terrance Mitchell has a reasonable contract as well.
My initial thought ? I would love to drop a few dollars on a great corner like Harris who can erase slot receivers and already would have great familiarity with the defense Woods is installing.
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OK... here's my Bang-for-the-Buck FA shopping list...
Offense
- OT - Halapoulivaati Vaitai (PHI); PFF's # 21 OT in 2019; Age: 26; My Est'd Cost: $24mm/4 yrs w/ $6mm Guaranteed
- OG - Stefen Wiesnewski (KC); #16 OG; Age: 31; My Est. $6mm/2 yrs w/ $1.5mm guar
- TE - Charles Clay (AZ); #29 TE; Age 31; My Est. $3.0mm w/ $1mm guar
- WR - Higgins; Age 25; My Est. $10mm/4 yr plus incentives up to another $10mm; $2mm guar
- RB - CJ Prosise; Age 25; My Est. $2mm/2 yr; $400k guar
- QB - AJ McCarron; Age 29; My Est. $5mm/2 yr; $2mm guar
Defense
- DT - Michael Pierce (BLT); #45 DL (Top Ten prior season); Age 27.2; OTC Est. $15mm/3 yr w/ $6.5mm guar
- DE - Vinny Curry (PHI); #22 Edge; Age 31; OTC Est. $9.5mm/2 yr w/$4.5mm guar
- ILB - Nick Kwiatkowski (CHI); #15 LB; Age 26; OTC Est. $6.5mm/2 yr w/$2.6mm guar
- OLB - Mychal Kendricks (SEA); #37 LB; Age 29; My Est. $6mm/2 yr w/$1mm guar
- FS - Jimmie Ward (SF); #6 S; Age 29; OTC Est. $16mm/2 yr w/ $6mm guar
- SS - Jayron Kearse (MN); Age 26; My Est. $10mm/4 yr w/$500k guar plus Incentives up to added $10mm w/$1.5mm guar
- CB - Maurice Canady (NYJ); #20 CB; Age 26; My Est. $4.5mm/3 yr w/$1mm guar
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QB - AJ McCarron; Age 29; My Est. $5mm/2 yr; $2mm guar
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It's an MKC article.... so there's that... but the emphasis it places on our OL interest in FA includes some impressive names.
4. Redskins guard Brandon Scherff
5. Patriots guard Joe Thuney
6. Redskins left tackle Trent Williams (Trade)
7. Titans right tackle Jack Conklin
Obviously it's either 4 or 5 and likely either 6 or 7, but the names show we are looking to the top shelf for up to two OL needs.
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I am still of the opinion that the Free Agency period should be starting like NOW.....first of March or thereabouts. Not 2 weeks from now.
Just exactly what is the league waiting for? Is this the designated "take a Carribean vacation" period? If so, I can understand that.
Or is it just an "evaluation" period? I would think they have had plenty of time for that
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