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What a strange ride it has been. In all my years the only time I’ve ever been this excited for a season was the 2008 season after we finished 10-6. Of course, we all know how that turned out…4-12 and a complete regime change again. However, this feels different, we actually feel like a contender. So how after years of ineptitude, high draft picks, a revolving door at QB and Coach/GM did we wind up here. I think to really look at how we got here we need to go back to the 2016 offseason.

2016: It seems like only yesterday. After coming off a 7-9 season in 2014 we were cautiously optimistic that this team could continue in the right direction. As usual it didn’t. Pettine (who when he was hired felt like the only guy who’d take the job after missing out on the top coaching hire that year, Chip Kelly) was let go after his 2nd season and a 3-13 record. Between the Gordon and Manziel drama and the laughing stock the Browns front office had become a complete reboot seemed inevitable. Farmer was fired as well as almost all of the front office and the rebuild was on again. Only this time, we went in a completely different direction.

Think about this, as bad as the Browns have been, we’ve only had the #1 pick twice since coming back into the league; both were in the first two seasons of 99 and 2000 and both players ended up busting out of the league. We’ve never been the worst team in the league but always bad enough to constantly hover around the 4-9 selections. This usually meant we always would miss out on the surefire #1 QB’s in the draft or the generational talents taken at the top. And somehow we’d always blow the high pick we got (the Gilberts, Mingos, Wimbleys, Richardsons). Think about this as well; until last week the only member on the Browns roster from the 2015 draft or free agent class still on the team was Duke Johnson. In fact the only three men still on the roster from 2015 are Bitonio, Kirksey and Hughlett.

2016 was different and it started the same day as Pettine and Farmer were fired. Haslem announced a Harvard educated lawyer with virtually no football experience having served mainly as lead counsel for the Jacksonville Jaguars and general counsel for the Browns. It was a head scratcher to this day, even more so two days later when Haslem hired Paul Depodesta (of Moneyball fame) away from the Mets as the chief strategy officer (a position he still holds). Haslem, Brown and Depodesta made it clear; analytics were the future and the Browns were going to be the ones to initiate it. It was outside the box thinking but for a team that had been a perineal loser what did they have to lose? A lot we would find out but that begs the question we may never truly know: Did Haslem and Sashi go into this process with the expectation to tank and hoard draft picks for a complete rebuild or were they actually convinced that they could field a team that could compete albeit without many big names but solid players who fit a role perfectly ala the Moneyball A’s? I lean more towards the former but it was this strategy and the next two abysmal seasons which would set the wheels in motion.

It appeared at first we caught a break when Bengals OC Hue Jackson agreed to become head coach (don’t forget, he was THE hottest name out there and the fact he picked us over the Giants seemed like things were finally about to start going our way). Jackson was going to be the OC as well and Ray Horton was hired as DC, a solid choice it appeared at the time. We also had the number 2 pick in the upcoming draft. However once free agency hit, we got a glimpse of exactly what the Front Office’s strategy was.

The first thing they was release Manziel followed shortly thereafter by other veterans on larger contracts including Dwayne Bowe, Karlos Dansby, Donte Whitner and Brian Hartline. The Browns also failed to retain any of their high profile free agents allowing Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz, Travis Benjamin and Tashaun Gipson to leave and sign elsewhere. They resigned mainly special teams players and mediocre starters such as Jamie Meder, Tank Carder and Austin Pasztor. The one resigning they got right was Terrelle Pryor who after being cut and resigned by the team the previous season had a career year in 2016 and used that to sign elsewhere where he hasn’t come anywhere close to replicating those numbers. In free agency they brought in 5 players; RG3, Demario Davis, Alvin Bailey, Rahim Moore and Justin Tuggle. Besides RG3 and Davis none of the other free agents played another season in the NFL after 2016. The RG3 signing made sense as it could’ve turned out two ways: A super-talented high draft pick QB uses his change of scenery and revitalizes his career or he would stay injury prone and ineffective and give us another high draft pick.

Now with the draft approaching the word coming out was that Hue and the front office loved Jared Goff and wanted him to be the guy. With Tennessee picking first and already having Mariotta barring a trade it seemed they would get their man. Alas the Rams sent an Armada of picks to the Titans and made it clear it was for Goff. This led to the question; is the 2nd QB worth the 2nd pick? It seemed Goff was the only QB that warranted that high of a pick early on but as the draft process continued another name shot up the board; Carson Wentz, a Big Ben sized big armed QB who’d just won back to back National Championships. The only problem is that was for North Dakota State, an FCS team. Wentz’s stats were incomplete as a broken wrist kept him out for half the season. His redshirt senior year he threw for 1,651 yards, 17 TDs and 4 INTs. Originally projected as a 3rd round prospect his measurables and combine performance and workouts shot him up the board. The Browns had to make a decision; was this their franchise QB in the making or simply an overhyped prospect climbing draft boards in what was saw at the time as a relatively weak QB class?

Hidnsight being what it is, I don’t blame them for trading out. With their history of QB flops Wentz looked like a risk and being void of talent as we were at the time it appeared to be the smart thing to do. So in the end Cleveland went with the haul. They got Philly’s 1st, 3rd and 4th round picks that year as well as a first round pick in 2017 and a 2nd round pick in 2018 to move back 6 spots. They traded again with the Titans to move back 7 more spots to #15 in exchange for the Titans 3rd round pick in 2016 and 2nd in 2017. While the haul was great, the selections made that year could be argued as anything but. The Browns drafted Corey Coleman, Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Nassib, Shon Coleman and Cody Kessler with their first 5 picks in the first 3 rounds. No member is still on the roster 3 years later. In fact the Browns of the 14 Browns selections only 3 are still on the team; Joe Schobert, Rashard Higgins and Seth DeValve with Schobert and Higgins likely being the only ones on the team at the start of the season. Names like Ricardo Louis, Jordan Payton, Derek Kindred, Spencer Drango, Trey Caldwell and Scooby Wright have all faded from memory. Just 3 years ago, this was our team.
The season was not kind. The youth and lack of talent was obvious from the start. After going 0-4 in the preseason RG3 was hurt in the season opener and would miss more than half the season playing only 5 games and being released afterwards. He was the starter in their lone win in Week 16. Before that the Browns had been abysmal losing 10 of their previous 14 games by at least 2 scores. Injuries to RG3 and McCown had forced rookie QB Kessler into action much sooner than anticipated and he played like it. Being overly cautious his 1,380 yards, 6TD 2INT and 92.3 passer rating stats didn’t look that bad but when you consider that was over 8 starts it leaves much to be desired. Statistically Isiah Crowell had his best year with 952 yards and 7 TDs but the run game couldn’t be used effectively with the Browns always playing from behind. Pryor also had a career year catching 77 balls for 1,008 yards and 4 TDs. He has yet to catch more than 20/240/2 since that year. It should be noted that Josh Gordon was also suspended the entire year for a failed drug test.
The 2016 season left a sour taste in everyone’s mouth but it was becoming obvious this was just a hard pill we were going to have to swallow. The abundance of talent that was lost in free agency on top of the inconsistency at QB and the overall youth didn’t leave Browns fans very hopeful the following season would be any better. What the Browns seemed to have going for them though was youth (which turned out to be more of a mirage as far as this class went) and future draft picks.

2016 was the year Cleveland tore down the house and tried to start rebuilding the foundation. Little did we know it would take us all of 2017 to just lay a foundation.

2019 Roster members

On the team before 2016
Charlie Hughlett
Christian Kirksey
Joel Bitonio

Members acquired during 2016:
Joe Schobert
Rashard Higgins
Seth DeValve (TBD)

Until tomorrow, when we look at the Perfect Season, as low as we can possibly go and the hiring of the man most credited with turning this team around.


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Now we come to the magical season, the imperfect season, the season that saw Cleveland go undefeated in the preseason and perfectly terrible in the regular. It was the season where the previous years futility and draft pick acquirements were beginning to be used (though not as well as we’d have liked). It also saw the exile of Sashi Brown and the hiring of John Dorsey who has been credited most for turning this team into the current contender it is. But before that this was probably the most excruciating 16 games of football ever played by the Browns.

We start in the offseason. Coming off 1-15 the Browns finally had the number one pick in the upcoming draft and the 12th pick from the previous years trade with Philly. But before that Hue Jackson cleaned house with his coaching, firing 8 coaches or assistants including DC Ray Horton. He brought in Gregg Williams the next day. There was still no OC as Jackson was committed to fulfilling the role himself. As of this point there are also only 6 players on the team that are still there today: Bitonio, Hughlett, Kirksey, Schobert, Higgins and DeValve.

The free agency period before the draft was similar to the year prior in that veterans with higher contracts were released or allowed to walk to continue to push youth and cap space. This included releasing Gary Barnidge, RG3, Joe Haden, Tramon Williams and Josh McCown while allowing Terrelle Pryor to sign with the Redskins. They were a bit busier in Free agency though as they began to shore up the offensive line signing JC Tretter and Kevin Zeitler. They also replaced the departing Haden and Pryor with Jason McCourtey and Kenny Britt.

It was also the offseason of one of the most peculiar trades in NFL history. In 2015 the Denver Broncos had won the Super Bowl in Peyton Mannings final year, but there were those that argued that their backup QB Brock Osweiler was better at the time whom started 7 games while throwing 10 TDs 6 INTs 1,967 yards with a 61.8 completion percentage and a respectable 86.4 QB rating. Manning retired following the season and it appeared Osweiler was prepared to take over the reigns. However Osweiler was a free agent and felt that the Broncos had disrespected him by benching him once Manning was healthy as he’d outplayed him and lowballed him when it came to resigning. Osweiler instead signed with a team that felt they were only a QB away from being super bowl contenders, the Houston Texans, signing for 4 years and $72 million. The season couldn’t have gone worse for Houston. Osweiler was atrocious at worst and mediocre at best. He was actually benched in week 15 for backup QB Tom Savage and only entered the starting lineup again after Savage suffered a concussion. The talented team was still able to finish 9-7 and make the postseason and won a game against the Raiders before being thumped by the Patriots. The cap strapped team desperate to get out from Osweilers contract found a solution in Sashi Brown and Cleveland. The Browns having copious amounts of cap space essentially agreed to take on Osweilers contract in exchange for a 2nd round pick.

There were several QB’s in the draft that had talent and potential but none seemed like surefire number one picks (its hard saying that now considering Pat Mahomes was in this class). There was however a generational talent at the top that stood above all else; Myles Garrett. It was clear he’d be the number one pick though there were rumblings that Mitch Trubisky could be in the mix but it seemed more likely the Browns would instead try to use their bevy of picks to trade up for him (Chicago made sure that didn’t happen trading up to #2). After selecting Garrett the Browns had the 12th pick and two other QB’s who could be deemed worthy, Mahomes and DeShaun Watson. Both carried questions however with Mahomes coming from Texas Tech’s Air Raid offense and Watson coming from the Spread if either could make it in the NFL. Dorsey was convinced though and even though his team was a playoff contender with a Probowl QB he still traded up above Cleveland and drafted Mahomes. Watson was still there when they picked at 12 so like the previous year the question remained; take the QB or trade out for picks? Houston still seeking that QB offered their 1st round pick in 2018 if they Browns would pass on Watson and move down 13 spots. Cleveland took the deal and used the pick on Jabrill Peppers. They traded up from 33 to 29 to also grab David Njoku. Using the pick they got from Tennessee the previous draft they selected QB DeShone Kizer, a talented but raw player who had first round potential but fell to the 2nd round over concerns about his readiness (openly questioned by his college coach) among other things. Larry Ogunjobi followed a few picks later. After that the rest of the draft was forgettable. Howard Wilson never played a down in the NFL while Roderick Johnson, Caleb Brantley and Matt Dayes were released the following offseason while Zane Gonzalez was cut two games into 2018 after several missed critical kicks.

Going into the season it was assumed that previous years Rookie QB Cody Kessler would be the starter while Kizer developed and Osweiler backed him up. However in camp it became clear the QB picture was muddled as Kessler couldn’t establish himself and Osweiler was unable to take the job from him. Following the preseason it was decided that the team would release Osweiler and go with the rookie Kizer who they’d develop on the field like Wentz did in Philly the year before. Kessler backed up and Hogan remained the 3rd QB.

Kizer showed promise in his first game and nearly led Cleveland to a win over the Steelers. The wheels fell off soon after and the season could generally be summed up by the Browns awful QB play. Kizer showed his inexperience and how much growth he still needed as his decision making caused him to lead the league in interceptions. He was benched several times but Cody Kessler and Kevin Hogan did not fair any better. Kizer finished the season with 11 TD’s and 22 INTs. He played in 15 games throwing for 2,894 yards and a completion percentage of 53.6 and a QB rating of 60.4.

The lack of talent on this team was obvious. The Kenny Britt signing was a joke. The defense, while better, couldn’t stop anyone and the offense couldn’t get past their abysmal QB play. To rub even more salt in the wound, the team’s stalwart and best player, Joe Thomas tore his tricep and never played another NFL down retiring after the season. Following an overtime loss to a bad Green Bay team playing with a backup QB, the turning point came. On December 7th, with the team 0-13, Sashi Brown was fired and hours later John Dorsey, who had departed Kansas City over disputes regarding management style, was hired as the General Manager of the Browns. His first move the next day was to release Kenny Britt.

The Browns would lose out the remaining games and imperfection was complete. In two years Hue Jackson had a 1-31 record (though many supporters argued it was simply because Sashi had gutted the team). The record obviously set the Browns up to get the number one pick and this time it was in a draft with many talented QBs atop the board. And Watson, while showing great talent for the Texans was injured and the Texans finished with the 4th worst record in football giving Cleveland two very high 1st and 2nd round picks.

This is where the story begins to turn. While Brown had gutted the team he had also loaded up on draft capital as well as leaving the most cap space in the league. This allowed Dorsey the ammunition needed to truly get this team to where it needed to go. The Browns also acquired several players this year still with the team and key pieces at that. Garrett showed right away why he was worthy of the number one pick and now looks like a potential defensive player of the year candidate. Njoku has continued to develop every year and looks to be a potential breakout TE. Ogunjobi has been solid at DT and Tretter has done very well playing center. Zeitler, Kizer and Pepper all later became key pieces in trades down the line which we will discuss in tomorrows post; 2018 – A new hope.

Players acquired during 2017:
Myles Garrett
David Njoku
Larry Ogunjobi
Britton Colquitt
JC Tretter


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With the amount being written about this team, I REALLY hope they are able to validate the expectations, otherwise this will go down as one of the greatest over-hypes and implosions in NFL history.

The volume & frequency of things heralding our arrival.... I hope we actually arrive.


On paper, it all looks good - better than good, but this is the NFL and what you have on paper doesn't mean much.


Browns is the Browns

... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.

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Originally Posted By: PrplPplEater
With the amount being written about this team, I REALLY hope they are able to validate the expectations, otherwise this will go down as one of the greatest over-hypes and implosions in NFL history.






This.

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Is this "War and Peace" thread?

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Originally Posted By: SuperBrown
Is this "War and Peace" thread?

It's a good read. Not to mention, especially beneficial to you - since you are learning to read. wink


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Originally Posted By: AZBrown
Originally Posted By: PrplPplEater
With the amount being written about this team, I REALLY hope they are able to validate the expectations, otherwise this will go down as one of the greatest over-hypes and implosions in NFL history.






This.


^Battered fan hand-wringing and pearl clutching. Sit back and enjoy the ride. And keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.


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Remember the "Dream Team" that Washington assembled several years back?

I'm excited and optimistic, but I sure as hell ain't going to brag about how great we are until we at least have a winning record. LOL

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Versatile, that very thought has troubled me just a bit as well. But wasn’t it the eagles that built that dream team?? Not certain. I do think one key difference is I think a lot of our key parts are pretty young and hungry.

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Yeah keith, I think you are right about that. My bad.

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Alas 2018, the year that we all hope will go down as the moment the Browns finally turned the corner and started building up from the foundation. It also saw one of the biggest roster turnovers in NFL history. At the end of the 2017 season, only 11 players were on the roster that remain today. In fact only 19 of the 53 man roster made it to 2018. Dorsey knew he needed to infuse this team with talent and thanks to Sashi’s decisions to jettison contracts and stockpile draft picks. Cleveland had the most cap space in the league and also had 5 draft choices in the first 105 picks.

Using the bevy of draft choices his first moves were to acquire acquire the talented yet disgruntled Jarvis Landry from Miami for a 4th and 7th (giving him a new contract in the process) followed by getting Tyrod Taylor from Buffalo for a 3rd. He would also trade the starting QB DeShone Kizer to Green Bay for Demarious Randall. That free agency period saw Dorsey splash into the pool. He signed TJ Carrie, Chris Hubbard, Terrance Mitchell, Greg Robinson, and Chris Smith who are all currently on the team. He also inked Carlos Hyde, Darren Fells and Orsen Charles. On the flip side he also let 38 players go. This included trading all three QBs on the roster. Dorsey traded Cody Kessler, Kevin Hogan, Jason McCourty, Danny Shelton and Jamar Taylor for draft picks.

Now the draft. After years of futility and trading away the opportunity to draft franchise QB’s the Browns sat with the 1st and 4th picks in the 1st round and the 1st and 3rd picks in the 2nd round. There would be no trading down this time. It has long been known that the biggest struggle since the Browns return in 99 has been finding a franchise QB. In the 18 years since it had returned the Browns have had 29 starting QB’s. The revolving door turned into a running joke capped off by a jersey who’s crossed out names fell to the floor from the back of that Tim Couch Jersey. Going into the draft there were 4 highly touted QB’s; Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield, Josh Allen and Josh Rosen. Rosen was thought to be the most NFL ready though you never really heard his name and Cleveland at #1. Allen was raw with a big arm and there was rumblings he could go #1. The safest choice appeared to be Sam Darnold. Compared to a younger Andrew Luck he was the prospect everyone assumed would be the pick. It wasn’t until only a few days before the draft that word of another QB was in their sights; the Heisman winner from Oklahoma Baker Mayfield.

Going into the draft it was thought that Cleveland couldn’t mess this up; either you drafted Saquon Barkley #1 and take the best QB available at #4 or you draft Darnold #1 and grab Bradley Chubb at #4. The Browns shocked the NFL world by instead taking Mayfield at #1 and Denzel Ward at #4. Personally I don’t think you could’ve gone wrong here. I think Darnold will be a great QB in the future and Chubb will be an All Pro but Ward already made the pro bowl this year and looks primed to be a shutdown corner for years while we all know the story on Mayfield. He was exactly the type of QB this city and team needed. Kid is a natural born leader. Having filled two of the biggest needs Dorsey continued filling in areas of need. He drafted Austin Corbett and Nick Chubb in the 2nd. Chubb is already a stud while Corbett has yet to prove himself. He surprised many by taking Chad Thomas in the 3rd but after a year of nothing, reports are that he has been very impressive in camp. Antonio Callaway came in the 4th, a talented receiver but not without his issues. Genard Avery looks like a steal from the 5th round and Damion Ratley is fighting for a spot with a crowded WR corps. The only drafted player who did not make the team was Simeon Thomas. Two undrafted rookies also made the roster in Derek Willies and Desmond Harrison (Harrison was cut this year and Willies is in the same boat as Ratley fighting for a roster spot). The team also signed Drew Stanton to mentor Mayfield. Kyle Kalis and Dontrelle Hilliard were signed to the practice squad and Carl Davis was claimed off waivers.

As far as the coaching Hue Jackson was given another year. It was obvious that while a 1-31 record was atrocious at best, he had also been coaching teams in tank mode and devoid of talent. He brought in Todd Haley to take over as OC after two years of holding the position himself. He also fired 4 assistant/coaches and brought in a man by the name of Freddie Kitchens to coach RBs. We also got the luxury of Hard Knocks which gave us an inside glimpse of the strife between Jackson, Haley and the rest of his staff. It would be a precursor for things to come.

The home opener gave Browns fans hope as they went on to tie the Steelers after a blocked kick that would’ve won the game. The following week was also a heartbreaker as two more crucial missed kicks cost the Browns a win at New Orleans and Zane Gonzalez his job. The Browns signed Greg Joseph to replace him. It was the following week against the Jets that finally saw the beginning of a new era. After a half of poor play, Tyrod Taylor was injured thrusting Mayfield into the starters role. He never looked back leading the team to a 21-17 comeback win and ending the 19 winless streak for Cleveland. A questionable spot on a 4th down run the following week cost Cleveland in Oakland but the Browns were now competitive. They won the following week against Baltimore and then the wheels fell off. They were crushed by the Chargers 38-14 (after which Carlos Hyde was traded so Nick Chubb could get more touches) and lost to the Buccs in overtime. There were growing reports that the rift between Jackson and Hayley was beyond repair at this point and they clashed constantly. After their third loss in a row to Pittsburgh where the team really wasn’t competitive, Hue Jackson was fired. Many thought Todd Haley would take over as interim Head Coach but an hour later he was sent packing as well. Greg Williams was tapped to lead the team and Freddie Kitchens took over for Haley.

After losing to the Chiefs what followed was a turnaround and renewed hope for the ages (when it comes to being a Browns fan). We would win 5 of the last 7 games and up until week 16 there was still a shot at the playoffs. The 2018 season, albeit with a losing record of 7-8-1, had Browns fans more hopeful than ever. The main reason of course being it appears after years of futility we finally found our QB. Mayfield went on to set the rookie record for most TD passes and finished 2nd to Barkley in rookie of the year. After Jackson’s firing the offense was catered to his strengths and the results leave us wondering how good this kid can really be. The most influx of our roster came during this season as we added 21 players that are still on the roster. The holes left seemed also to be filled during the 2019 offseason which I’ll finish tomorrow.

Players added in 2018
Baker Mayfield
Denzel Ward
Nick Chubb
Austin Corbett
Chad Thomas
Antonio Callaway
Genard Avery
Damion Ratley
Greg Joseph
Drew Stanton
TJ Carrie
Chris Hubbard
Greg Robinson
Jarvis Landry
Terrance Mitchell
Chris Smith
Devaroe Lawrence
Damarious Randall
Ray Ray Armstrong
Dontrelle Hilliard
Derek Willies


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this s good stuff


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Yeah, a nice breakdown. Thanks...


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And here we arrive, 2019. If the seasons could be broken down 2016 and 2017 would be the stock piling of assets at the expense of winning (something we were unfamiliar with anyhow) while 2018 could be looked at as the year we used our ammo to rebuild. Now comes 2019, the finishing touches.

The first thing was to hire a head coach. Gregg Williams had done an admirable job as the interim HC, Bruce Arians had thrown his name into the hat, Super Bowl winning HC Mike McCarthy was available and the Browns job appeared to be the most desired in the league. Instead the Browns went with the man they credited with turning around the offense after the firing of Todd Haley, Freddie Kitchens (it was reported Haley had recommended Kitchens to be the interim HC after he and Jackson were fired before they went with Williams; it was also reported that the Browns were down to Kitchens and Vikings OC Kevin Stefanski which I never understood). I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Kitchens thus far, I don’t know but he just has a different feel than the previous coaches we’ve had here.

Going into the 2019 offseason all but 4 projected starters were already on the roster, compared to the previous years when only 4 starters were on the team going into the 2017 offseason you can see the overhaul. A decent amount of cap space was still there but we also still had draft capital to utilize. One thing I can see from Dorsey is that he is a fan of using draft picks to trade for proven talent rather than using them on the selection of a rookie whos career you have no idea will turn out (Sashi Brown used 24 draft picks in two years while Dorsey has used 16, only 6 of Browns picks still remain).

The first major move of the offseason was the signing of Kareem Hunt. We all know the story and the baggage that was going to come along with it, but we also knew the immense talent Hunt possessed. Everyone is entitled to their opinion on Hunt and that’s fair, but a man with his talent wasn’t going to stay on the streets for long and with Dorsey having drafted him in KC and Cleveland being his hometown it was a good match for a 2nd chance. This left Duke Johnson feeling unappreciated and wanting a trade. This is where the genius of Dorsey comes in; we knew we wouldn’t have Hunt for the first 8 games of the season and needed depth behind Chubb. Johnson is still a very good player and Dorsey wasn’t just going to let him go for peanuts, even with the emergence in camp of Dontrelle Hilliard. It paid off when the Texans sent a conditional 4th (which will more than likely become a 3rd) for Johnson. This was the same offseason in which Pro Bowl RB Jordan Howard was shipped out for a 6th round pick.

Nine days later another underrated signing that appears to be paying dividends; Jaelen Strong. Once thought to be a potential 1st round pick, he was picked in the 3rd round but injuries and suspensions had left him with career totals of 31 receptions for 330 yards and 4 TDs in 4 seasons. He was signed expected to be a camp body and instead has almost made himself a lock to make the team and possibly the #4 wideout with Callaway’s suspension. I hope he becomes the Breshad Perriman of this year; the bust prospect signed off the scrap heap who becomes a solid contributer to the team.

The next move was to shore up the pass rush. While Garrett had continued to ascend the same couldn’t be said for the DE on the opposing side Emmanuel Ogbah. After starting his rookie year with 5.5 sacks he had only been able to get 7 combined over the next two seasons. Believing Corbett or someone else could be plugged in Dorsey traded Pro Bowl RG Kevin Zeitler to the Giants for DE Olivier Vernon (a probowl alternate whom PFF rated as the 14th best edge rusher last season). Ogbah was then traded to KC for DB Eric Murray (another Dorsey pick).

The trade with the Giants also kept the door open for the biggest trade of the year. Signing Jarvis Landry last season, the expectation is that he would be an over qualified #2 opposite star receiver Josh Gordon who the Browns finally had back. Gordon lasted one game in 2018 before he injured himself during a photoshoot and missed the game in NO. The Browns had enough and shipped him to New England for a 5th round pick. While this allowed other receivers such as Higgins, Callaway and Perriman to shine it also left a void at the top. That all changed when Dorsey acquired Odell Beckham Jr for the Cleveland’s 1st round pick, the 3rd round pick they got for Danny Shelton and Jabrill Peppers. The Browns weren’t going to find that talented a player with those picks and getting arguable the best WR in the league in the prime of his career is not something most teams can accomplish. The Browns signed Morgan Burnett to help alleviate the loss of Peppers.

When free agency hit the Browns didn’t go all out but rather continued to build solid depth and plug up remaining holes. The signed projected starters OL Eric Kush to fill in at RG and DT Sheldon Richardson to team with Garrett, Ogunjobi and Vernon to form what on paper appears to be one of the best D-lines in the NFL. Also signed were OL Kendall Lamm and Bryan Witzman, LB Adarius Thomas, RB D’Ernest Johnson, TE Demetruis Harris and QB Garrett Gilbert.

When it came to the draft, even without a first round pick the Browns still got what many believe was a first round talent in Greedy Williams. Sione Takitaki was next and appears to provide good depth at LB while Sheldrick Redwine was taken to be in the safety mix. The real steal appears to be in the 5th round where we took LB Mack Wilson who had 1st round potential had has displayed it thus far, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s starting before season’s end. We took K Austin Seibert next to compete with Greg Joseph and thus far results have not been great. I would not be surprised if both are cut and we sign another kicker before the start of the season. With a team this talented a good kicker could literally be the difference in a getting a post season appearance or not. OL Drew Forbes was next and appears to be a good developmental player and I’ve yet to really hear anything on CB Donnie Lewis. We have a few undrafted FA’s that could possibly make the team. WR DJ Montgomery was placed on IR and the rumor is it was done so because the Browns didn’t think they’d be able to hide him on their practice squad. DE Wyatt Ray has an outside shot. And while unlikely P Jamie Gillan could stick. The latest signing of Braxton Miller as well is intriguing though Im not sure of his chances so late in camp (though it has been suggested the Browns could keep him as a representative for Lamar Jackson in practice situations).

I think that Cleveland showed the model for floundering teams that this is how you do a proper rebuild. You hear teams talk about 4-year plans and I think this is how you execute it to perfection. Acquire picks and cap the first season or two and then pull the trigger and acquire your talent.

We’re still a few weeks away from the final cut downs with 2 preseason games to go and they can’t go by soon enough. Everyone is hyping the Browns and I don’t blame them. The talent on this team is clearly there and it feels like all the pieces are there that we’ve lacked in previous years; a competent GM, a HC that demands accountability and a fiery leader at QB. This is a whole new experience and I for one can’t wait for the ride. That’s not to say something won’t befall the team this season that derails us and once again leaves us heartbroken, it is Cleveland afterall and its basically all we’ve known the past 20 years. But this time, with this team, I truly believe we are contenders and I can’t wait to see this city come alive for it.

Players added in 2019
Odell Beckham Jr
Olivier Vernon
Sheldon Richardson
Morgan Burnett
Eric Kush
Kareem Hunt
Garrett Gilbert
Demetrius Harris
D’Ernest Johnson
Eric Murray
Kendall Lamm
Jaelen Strong
Adarius Taylor
Bryan Witzman
Greedy Williams
Sione Takitaki
Sheldrick Redwine
Mack Wilson
Austin Seibert
Drew Forbes


The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.
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Props for these. Super impressed.


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I enjoyed reading these man. Good job. Thank you for taking the time and sharing.




“It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” -Steve Jobs.
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0-0 in the Win loss columns.

About the worst thing a young team can do before a game is read it's press clippings!

I'm not sure they'll get a winning record, anytime in the upcoming season, on the way to a possible 7-9 outcome, (it's a possibility)

I'm NOT in love with Odell Beckham's game, or think he means anything, until he actually proves it.
I'm not enamored with Jarvis Landry's game as much as a bunch here are,

This team WON'T go any farther than there Rb's and defense carry them,
and they are one news report away from having Ike/Randy/ .. Dontrell Hilliard as their STARTER, for half the season, pending no more troubles.

I've listened to a lot of off season hypes, in 30 some years, (I'm not older or younger than I am)

But I've not seen love from the National media like this since the 1980's

But it won't even buy you a cup of coffee, that and 1.35 will buy you a cup of coffee.

The schedule is harder this year, (it's cyclical, I think Hue's first year was the easier year).

The schedule is front loaded with nighttime games and backloaded with divisional games, (except for a possible 3 game road trip), they did a pretty good job to make it hard,

Think about it, if they struggle early, they'll look bad on national T.V.
and if the hope is to come back with a late season run,

All the divisional games in a near row, means you face teams that; you and they, know you each other, inside and out, so making a "run" even less probable.

You've got Baker Magic going for ya, but from Wentz to Trubisky there're near around TEN young Qb's with magic around the league.

Don't get my hopes up.
Believe it when I see it.

Sure it might be going well but can they continue to dominate.

This ain't going to be easy, the NFL is NOT EASY, but YOU' ARE ALL IN The NFL for a REASON.

Stop listening when people tell you how wonderful the Browns are until they actually DO IT. I learned to stop listening to the hype about 2004.

It ain't going to help you beat the Titans, and after the Titans the games don't get easier.


Can Deshaun Watson play better for the Browns, than Baker Mayfield would have? ... Now the Games count.
DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum From Offender to Contender; Rebuilding the Browns (Part 1- 2016)

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