They prefer to build through the draft and get middling players in the FA market.

(guys like Frostee Rucker).

But no, this has not always been the case. The team has gone out and gotten big name FAs before....but they have tended not to work out. Someone mentioned LeCharles Bentley who got hurt his first day of practice here, never to play a game.

Going back a ways the Browns signed Andre "Bad Moon" Rison for big bucks. His nickname should have been "Bad News" because the guy was a bum and a meathead.

They got a guy named Jamir Miller, who had one really good year....then injury.

Again, it is just the current philosophy to not go out and get big name players.

We shall see if their "build through the draft" philosophy works.

And FYI, that IS the way most successful teams in the past have done it, so it is not like that approach has not worked often.

Its just that today's financial game may be a different matter.

@darren15 said:

Hi

I am new to this board but have been a Browns fan since the 80s when American Football was shown for the first time in the UK.

I recently moved to America and have the chance to watch the games and follow the Browns more closely.

Can I ask you have the Browns always sucked in free agency ?, do we never sign any game changers and skill players, I know Lerner owns a football ( Soccer to Americans) club in England and he wont sign decent players for them either .... is it to do with a lack of investment that we dont sign good players or a lack of intelligence from the people in control ?

Also I am just learning about salary caps ..... when a player gets a contract for say $30m and $12m guaranteed is it the higher number that is taken for cap purposes.

Thanks

GO BROWNS

Darren

Hi Darren. The higher number represents the total value of the contract. The lower number represents the non-salary portion of the contract. In the NFL, contract salaries are not guaranteed, only the bonuses. They must be on the roster for the first game of the season to vest their salary for that season.

So a player may receive a $30 million contract with $9 million guaranteed, play one season, be cut after the season ends, and the club is only responsible for the $9 million (and possibly not even t much depending on how it's structured - but that's probably more complicated than it's worth discussing.

-jj