@unsympathetic said:

eh???????

@unsympathetic said:

An 8 year veteran who has only missed one game and has started 140+ games for a perennial contender does not have extremely high "bust" potential....its way too late for that....

Worst that happens is we overspent a few bucks for some quality leadership....and we have the bucks to spend.....so....

Id rather that than have to sign a cheaper player who cant play or ...even worse....not fill the position just to save a few bucks we wouldn't spend anyway........

The bust potential is extremely high here.

@billmurray said:

@billmurray said:

You are complaining because the Browns upgraded a position? Stupid. This team must try to get incrementally better where they can, and this is one move to do so.

The Browns will never be as great as you want until they get a Superstar Quarterback.....but such a player does not exist for them to acquire this year....unless they were to trade the entire rest of their team to get him.

I am not that concerned about the growth of our "young talent". If they are good enough nothing will stand in their way. If Gilbert turns into a superstud CB that will prove out, and then Williams will be the nickel back.....and that doesn't bother me at all.

@tour2ma said:

Well, as I noted, one respected person...Polian, rated Williams a B+ player, and Skrine a D.

Now, I guess we should get a better sampling of opinions, but that is an opinion with a pedigree.

@tim-couch-pulls-out said:

I'm much more comfortable paying Williams $7m per and allowing Gilbert to continue to grow in the nickel than I would be going into this season with Gilbert as our starting #2.

So now we have a bridge CB, too.

@frenchie said:

If I'm not mistaken, Gilbert was said to be the top man-to-man coverage guy in the draft last year.

@frenchie said:

Hey, great signing - but I've got a question that I've been thinking about for a while. It's just speculation (by me) but can there any chance that the Browns are considering shifting Gilbert to safety? He might not have the skills for a cover corner but is a fast, athletic player with a nose for the football (see pick 6 last year). Comments?

Doubt it. Gipson is a Pro Bowler and young.

@billmurray said:

Why do we celebrate signings like this as we try to rebuild? That's not a knock on Williams he's a solid cb and was one of the best FA's still available. I get it, we want to see this franchise be successful and it's exciting when we sign a player that makes us more competitive. But at the end of the day he's not going to contribute LONG TERM to this team, he's a stop gap that might make us slightly more competitive for a few years but what good does that ultimately do us? Going 7-9 instead of 6-10?

This front office lacks a vision for the long term, they only focus on being more competitive for the next season over sustainable success long term even if that means taking some lumps these next few years in order to develop young players that can either help us win going forward or earn big contracts elsewhere and bring in comp picks that we develop all over again. That's why teams like the Packers, Patriots, and Ratbirds are so successful. They build the core of their team through the draft and not through FA.

Those are the types of team that needed Tramon Williams, a contender looking for the last couple pieces to push them over the top. Not a team like us who's rebuilding. Odds are we aren't even making the playoffs with or without Williams, so why not use those snaps to develop a young cb who could actually help us long term? Williams would've signed with a contender for 5M per and we overpaid him to come be a stop gap. It's moves like this that stunt the growth of our young talent and spend unnecessary money.

I'm much more comfortable paying Williams $7m per and allowing Gilbert to continue to grow in the nickel than I would be going into this season with Gilbert as our starting #2. We're nowhere near cap trouble, nowhere near. Bringing in solid veteran leadership from a perennial contending team at a position of question is not a wasteful move.

The Packers, Ravens, Patriots et all are able to "build through the draft" because they have franchise quarterbacks who can lead them to, at minimum, an 8-win season. They had to start somewhere.

"Taking lumps" at a position of need means that, in two years, we'll be restarting.

This isn't spending money for the sake of spending money. This is adding starting level, veteran talent at a position of need to help grow young players at those positions. If they wanted a stop-gap or to build through FA, they would have signed Revis or Cromartie.

@billmurray said:

Slow down please, read your 2nd paragraph. This is only the 2nd year of this Front Office.

They may have whiffed on the 1st round last year, but they did get decent players in West, Bitonio, Kirksey, possibly Desir. Tramon Williams is a stop gap, in case Desir & Gilbert aren't ready.

It doesn't look like they are looking for FA to build this team to me. I am probably too optimistic, but I think the Browns are being smart, although I do wish they kept Sheard.

It's hard to be patient, but we need to be patient. Let this stuff play out, and draft smart (like you mentioned). To me, drafting smart is NOT trading #12, 19 or 43. We take 3 players at those slots, we WILL improve. Don't listen to the negative crap- the Browns are not that far off from contention.

WSS

This front office lacks a vision for the long term, they only focus on being more competitive for the next season over sustainable success long term even if that means taking some lumps these next few years in order to develop young players that can either help us win going forward or earn big contracts elsewhere and bring in comp picks that we develop all over again. That's why teams like the Packers, Patriots, and Ratbirds are so successful. They build the core of their team through the draft and not through FA.

Those are the types of team that needed Tramon Williams, a contender looking for the last couple pieces to push them over the top. Not a team like us who's rebuilding. Odds are we aren't even making the playoffs with or without Williams, so why not use those snaps to develop a young cb who could actually help us long term? Williams would've signed with a contender for 5M per and we overpaid him to come be a stop gap. It's moves like this that stunt the growth of our young talent and spend unnecessary money.

really dumb things once in a while, like Buster running smack dab into a player

receiving a kick.

Good player? Yes, but I do not understand the premium over Buster.

Mike

One of the great moves of the offseason by any team IMO