DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns Capology - Making sense of next year.

Like most seasons, the play on the field gets the fans thinking of next year a little early. We most likely will have a new GM, so lets get an idea of what he has to work with...

We currently have $131,292,266 committed to the cap in 2016. The cap is estimated to to be $150 mil, while I personally think it will be a little more, around $155 mil. A wild card to this is that the Thursday night TV package for next year is up for bid and it may get interest from internet TV companies such as Apple TV. There is the possibility that multiple billions get bid for a package that CBS currently pays $300 mil for right now. This could be a huge boost to the 2016 cap.

Our top 11 2016 Cap Hits...

I made this top 11 instead of 10 because our starting QB happens to hold the 11th spot.

1) Joe Haden - Joe is by far our highest paid player in 2016 at a $13,400,000 cap hit. He has had by far his worst year mainly due to multiple injuries. There is a large risk with Joe because he has had 2 concussions pretty close together and the risk of more concussions increase from this point on. Cutting or trading Joe would result in $10,000,000 of dead money and result in a cap savings of only $3,400,000. There would not be much of a market for Joe in trade possibilities this offseason. Cutting Joe makes no sense at all.

2) Joe Thomas - Joe is coming off another good year and has a very team friendly contract. His cap number is $9,500,000 and none of that is guaranteed. He is still one of the best LT's in football and a bargain at this price.

3) Donte Whitner - Whitner also had a down year this year and will cost $8,450,000 against the cap. Cutting or trading Donte would result in a cap hit of $4,500,000 and a cap savings of $3,950,000. He is 31 next year.

4) Alex Mack - Alex is highly paid for a center at $8,000,000. Although having a down year himself, he still played better than most centers in the league. Alex has an opt out in his contract next year. If Alex opts out, the Browns do not suffer any dead money at all. Due to his down year and the amount of his contract, Alex may choose to stay with the Browns if he feels that he won't get a better offer elsewhere. There is also the possibility that he is tired of a front office in disarray and will take less money to go to a team that is more stable.

5) Dwayne Bowe - Dwayne has a cap hit of $8,000,000 next year and if he is on the team next year I will personally drive to Berea and punch the GM in the nose. Cutting Bowe will result in $4,600,000 in dead money and a cap savings of $3,400,000. I wouldn't care if it costs $20 mil to kick that bum off the team.

6) Paul Kruger - Paul had a down year, but it is hard to judge because of the way the team tried to use him this year. He was asked to cover a lot more which is outside of his skill set. He has a cap hit of $7,700,000. Cutting or trading would result in $2,400,000 in dead money and a $5,300,000 in cap savings so it is very team friendly.

7) Desmond Bryant - Plays well when he is on the field, but has a hard time staying on the field. $7,000,000 cap hit in 2016. Cutting or trading Des would result in $2,000,000 in dead money and $5,000,000 in cap savings.

8) Tramon Williams - I loved this FA when we got him and he did even better than I thought he would when he got here. Tramon has a cap hit of $7,000,000. Cutting or trading results in $3,800,000 in dead money and $3,200,000 in cap savings.

9) Karlos Dansby - The 34 year old probably is overpaid for his production at $6,500,000, but we have little depth behind him and I don't see us cutting or trading him next year. If we did, it would result in $3,000,000 dead money and $3,500,000 of cap savings. I think we will try to draft another ILB of the future next year, but wait one more year with Dansby who's dead money becomes $1,500,000 and cap savings of $5,000,000 in 2017. He is still productive and has value as a mentor if we do draft his replacement.

10) Barkevious Mingo - His Cap Hit is $5,201,319. He seems to be yet another pass rusher that we have drafted that hasn't quite worked out. $2,567,182 in dead money and $2,634,137 in cap savings for 2016, so given the small cap savings he will probably be kept for another year for depth.

11) Josh McCown - A $5,041,666 cap hit in 2016. This is extremely cap friendly for a back-up QB, let alone our probable starter next year. Cutting or trading him would result in $2,333,334 dead money and $2,708,332 cap savings.

So in my opinion, Joe Haden is our biggest cap risk right now due to the concussions. Hopefully he survives the rest of the year without getting his brains scrambled and comes back strong next year.

Bowe is our most likely cap casualty for obvious reasons, followed by Kruger, Whitner and Dansby in probably that order.

Alex Mack controls his own destiny. I have hopes that he stays, but if he doesn't it only helps our cap situation and does not hurt it. I also believe that it would most likely get us a decent compensatory pick.

No matter what happens in the draft or FA, McCown will be on our roster next year. That includes if we get a big name in FA like Stafford. That also means that unless we move JFF in the off-season we will probably have 3 QB's on our roster next year. The kid has too much talent to cut so it's a trade or he stays here.

We have at least $20 mil to play with under the cap and most likely much more than that. We have more needs than we can draft, but how willing will players be to come here? Having a lot of money to spend gets negated if we have to overpay to get players.

Okay this is the first installment, my next post in this thread will talk about team needs.

Haden is a cap risk, injury risk, diminished player, and not a strong leader.

How does the signing of 2016 draft players impact our cap? I'm not sure how many picks we have in 2016 so does the 20Mil on hit on current roster only? Will we need to clear cap space just to draft in the first few rounds?

The rookie pool can only be set once we know where we are drafting, but I'm taking a guess that it's around $9,000,000 for our entire draft class. Remember that for every player that you sign, one of the lowest paid players gets bumped off of the bottom of the list. So let' say that you sign 8 draft picks, the 8 lowest paid players @ at least $450,000 would fall of the list giving you $3,600,000 of that $9 mil.

D-Dawg: A really good thread! Much more useful than the Manziel demotion "debate"...

I think that Mingo and Bowe are almost certainly gone, and that Mack will certainly opt out. (barring significant injury)

so who do you replace him with, if he's so trash?

man y'all dogging our best players is mind boggling on this board. he just had a bad year.

Someone cheaper, as the financial spirit of the thread may point to.

I hope I didn't come off as trashing Joe. I think he's a cap risk mostly because of his concussions. It doesn't make sense to trade or cut Joe financially next year and the big risk is for Joe to get another concussion or two next year. If he can make it through next year with a decent performance and concussion free, his contract becomes much more cap friendly as time goes on.

I doubt it as well, teams just don't normally let QB's like him leave.

I think one of the two guys is probably gone next year, but I doubt they blow things up again.

I might be wrong, but I raised an eyebrow when Farmer had to ask for permission before he talked to Denver about JT. If one of them goes, I think it's Farmer.

Big "if" in terms of both.

Great topic, DeputyDawg. I love talking about this sorta stuff. I agree with you on the possible casualties and would add Desmond Bryant to that list as well. The majority of that money has been paid very similar to Kruger.

The lingering issue is....although cutting some of these people would make financial sense, I'm not sure we have the players, as of now, to adequately replace them. However, based on FA and draft selections, that could certainly change.

Campbell over Whitner? Not yet, IMO. I do think the team will consider a 5T replacement to D. Bryant if we stay in a 34. I think he's played well as of late but is too inconsistent. I agree with your take on Kruger with the way they are playing him. However, remember his first year here in an attacking defense? He didn't do much. Essentially, he's had 1 good year out of 3. But, it's not like we have a bonafide pass rusher to replace him with.

When we signed Dansby, I figured it would be for a couple of years hoping we'd find his replacement. Although I like both Kirksey and Robertson, I don't feel comfortable with them starting if we stay in a 34. I'm not sure he get stye axe in 2016.

Definitely agree on Bowe....he's most likely gone.

Again, good topic. Thanks for starting it up.

Part Two:

2016 Team Needs

Yes right now it seems like everything, but I promise that it isn't as bleak as it appears. I'm going to start by analyzing this season.

Pettine's plan for this year was to get back to an AFC North type football team. "Run and stop the run" was the game plan and we failed on both of those accounts. The plan still makes sense as a basic starting point for building a team and once we can get these two basic principles established everything else becomes easier.

What we need:

Despite not having a running game, we still managed to put up about 21 points a game with McCown at QB which dipped to about 18.6 points a game with Manziel. This isn't a knock on Johnny. A young QB is not expected to put the offense on his shoulders. What this does tell me is that either QB is good enough to win a lot more games if we could run and stop the run. Do not misunderstand me. We still need a franchise QB but McCown is better than half the QB's in the league right now and JFF's ceiling is even higher than that. We have a big need at QB, but we are not desperate at the position. If there is a Franchise QB out there, we have to take him, but only if that guy is out there. I'll dive into more of what is out there in another post.

We need a WR as well, but in my opinion, we only need one WR. The type of WR we need is pretty rare in my opinion though. Again we put up 21 points a game with a bunch of undersized WR's. What we need is a big, physical, athletic WR that catches everything. A true #1 guy. We have a guy that can stretch the field in Benjamin, if Gordan comes back and is productive then we have two play makers that can stretch the field. We have a good 3rd down WR in Hartline. Gabriel and Hawkins are both able to fill roles as well. I haven't looked into the draft very hard yet, but I don't see the guy that we need in this year's draft. This may be a position that we have to fill in FA. Alshon Jefferey comes to mind for this spot and he won't come cheap.

Which brings me to what in my opinion is our biggest need. We need LB's both inside and outside. We can't stop the run and we can't stop the pass mainly because our LB's don't keep outside containment or fill gaps consistently in the middle, or tackle very well, or are athletic enough to rush the passer. If a Franchise QB isn't out there, our main focus should be the best available LB if it isn't a reach in my opinion.

Malcom Johnson looked lost at the FB position this year and I was pretty surprised that nobody else was brought in during the season to push him. FB is not something that you throw a lot of resources at, but it is the weakest spot in our offense right now in my opinion.

Barnidge seemed to come out of nowhere at the TE position this year. He isn't a special athlete or particularly gifted, but the guy catches everything that is catch-able. If we keep this offense, we still need a more athletic TE for the F TE spot. That guy may be Bibbs, though. It is hard to tell at this point because he has played so little. When it came to blocking, our TE's looked as lost as our FB this year. Both Barnidge and Dray were fine blockers last year, so that makes me think it more that they are more confused in the current system than unable to block. This will need to be fixed next year.

Desmond Bryant plays well when he's on the field, but has a hard time staying on the field. Randy Starks needs upgraded in my opinion. We need to put some effort in finding one or two 3-4 DE's in the middle rounds of this draft.

If we keep our offense, we still need a downhill RB. Crowell should be that type of guy, but for whatever reason it's not clicking. Duke Johnson could be an every down back, but not in this offense. He is not a one-cut runner.

What we don't need:

Our defense is based on putting the DB's on islands and they can only hold coverage for so long if there isn't a pass rush. I think that we already have the starters and the depth we need at the DB spot if we can generate a pass rush.

Even if Mack goes, it would be hard to spend anymore resources on o-line next year. If both Mack and Schwartz go, it might be necessary. I think Erving fills one spot if one goes and hopefully we don't lose either. We might try to find some late round or UDFA depth here.

In the next post I'll talk a little more about FA losses.

We are gonna have a ton of needs after this season.. smh

Please keep them coming, D-Dawg...

Is that like overpaid? Do you still see real value in there, or has his contract survived beyond his skill level. I don't see him shutting down a side of the field like I expected.

Can it be re-negotiated or adjusted in his case? FA may give a new GM who judges talent well an opportunity to upgrade IMO.

Anything to get rid of Bowe. Yet to prove he is worth his beans.

Part 3 Potential Free Agent Losses

Tashaun Gipson FS 25 $2,356,000 UFA

I know that a lot of people might not be happy that we didn't sign him long term last year, but if we did, he would have probably had a $12 mil to $13 mil contract this year. He'll still command pretty decent money, but nowhere near that next year unless someone is desperate for a FS. He has already stated that he is not bitter about his contract, and we have a decent chance of resigning him if we are willing to spend the money. I'd offer him around $8,000,000.


Craig Robertson ILB 27 $2,356,000 UFA

This one is a tough call. He did improve this year and his current price is decent. But he isn't exactly a young developing player anymore and we might spend the money better on a younger player with more potential. He is undersized but also decent on special teams. I would resign him only if the price is right.


Mitchell Schwartz RT 26 $1,645,267 UFA

The question isn't whether or not he is worth signing. The question is for how much. For the most part he had a very good season and showed a lot of improvement. He did have a couple of weeks that he didn't play as well though. I'm thinking he is probably worth around $5 mil a year. That would put him in the top 10 paid RT's.


Johnson Bademosi CB 25 $1,542,000 UFA

I don't mind a player making the roster just for his special teams ability. I do mind 3 players making it for special teams though. I also like to see the player having at least some potential at his roster spot. I don't see us resigning him unless it's really cheap


Gary Barnidge TE 30 $1,200,000 UFA

Will another team make a run at him is the question. I would pay him around $4 mil a year which is about what Heath Miller and Brandon Pettigrew make. He probably has better hands than both but not the same athletic ability.


Travis Benjamin WR 25 $779,250 UFA

FA WR's can bust the bank. Travis is not a #1 WR he is a #2. I would pay him between $6-7 mil, but all it takes is one team that sees him as a #1 like teams tend to do with speedy WR's and he is out of our price range.


Scott Solomon OLB 27 $660,000 RFA

Will be tagged right of first refusal if not long term. He was originally a 7th rounder so giving him a higher qualifying offer isn't worth it and I'm not sure he is worth right of first refusal and a 2nd rounder tender of around $2.5 mil.


Austin Pasztor RT 25 $660,000 RFA

I wouldn't tender


Tank Carder ILB 26 $660,000 UFA

I wouldn't tender


Josh Gordon WR 24 $564,115 ***

Normally Josh would be a UFA this year, but thanks to a few bone-headed moves, he will be under our control for at least this year. The fact that he hasn't had a paycheck for a year might be an opportunity to sign him long term for a less than free market deal that is incentive laden and team friendly.


Jamie Meder DT 24 $435,000 ERFA

We could get away with a minimum 1 year deal, but it is worth it to get him signed long term. I'd make an offer for 5 years at an average of $2 mil a year.


Travis Coons K 23 $435,000 ERFA

Was pretty accurate other than a couple of extra points. Doesn't seem to have great range. I'd make him a 1 year minimum offer.


Darrian Miller T 22 $204,705 ERFA

1 year minimum offer


Franchise tags:

It might make sense to offer Schwartz the transitional tag with hopes to negotiate long term.


Not sure what I'm going to talk about in the next installment yet. But there will be at least one more. It's too early to talk about potential FA's because most of these guys will wind up off the market, so it's kind of pointless. If I can't think of any other topic I will at least try to put it all together with some type of plan of action.

I really enjoy reading this kind of thread, I know nothing about the cap.

I admit, I'm trying like hell to figure it out, just doesn't come easy for me. I can't post a good response because this is way over my head.

This is where I get frustrated not being able to chime in with a knowledgeable post. But I sure enjoy reading them.

Your doing a wonderful job at it.Your efforts are much appreciated from me at least. Thumbs up !

Part 4- The really really early draft primer.

This is what is out there at positions we may be looking at in the draft. I haven't put a lot of effort in figuring out the draft yet and usually don't start looking hard until around the Senior Bowl, but I do have some thoughts I can talk about.

QB

There is not the sure thing out there like Luck was when he came out. There are 3 sure 1st round guys if they all decide to declare. There is a little more talent in the 2nd round than most years in my opinion. I view the top 3 more as projects than plug and play first year starters.

1) Paxton Lynch - There simply aren't many 6-7 245 lb QB's that can run out there. Talented but raw is the best way to describe Lynch. He has a cannon for an arm and a huge ceiling, but needs to work on his footwork and field vision. He probably has the most upside.

2) Jared Goff - Has a strong and accurate arm. He tends to have pretty decent mechanics but only when he doesn't have pressure. When under pressure everything breaks down quickly. His stats are pumped by his college offense and he'll need to learn to play under center.

3) Connor Cook - Much like Goff, he has a pretty strong arm and decent accuracy when not trying to do too much. He'll abandon his base and try to make throws with only his arm if you move him from his spot though. Lowest ceiling of the three, but probably the lowest floor as well. Could be a decent ball control QB with the right coaching and could be even more with a lot more coaching. He knows the right form, it's just that he panics a bit under pressure.

2nd round QB's

4) Cardale Jones - Another huge QB that can run. I think he probably has the strongest arm in the draft, but has little playing experience. He is very comparable to Lynch, but will need to work even harder on his field vision. There are also rumors on if Jones has the "want to" to do what it takes to be the starter. It may take more than 1 year to get him on the field.

5) Jacoby Brissett- May pass Cardale on the list. Does not have the arm of the guys above him, but is a better runner. The big knock on him is that he abandons the pocket too quickly, much like JFF, but he does have a pretty poor o-line.

6) Carson Wentz - Another Huge QB. Has really good mechanics and is very accurate. His big problem is his decision making and he forces the ball too much.

7) Christian Hackenberg - Is really hard to judge because he plays on such a bad team. Has looked like both Jekyl and Hyde at times. He could go way up or down on this list depending on how he looks on his Pro Day.

Other 1st round possibilities

OLB

Bosa- still considered the best player in the draft, but I have seen enough games this year that I'm not sold on that. He doesn't seem to have the mean streak that he had last year and isn't eating single blockers as much as last year either. Maybe he's just trying to stay healthy this year, but it might signal that he will do the same once he gets a big payday.

Shilique Calhoun- I really like what I have seen, but I haven't seen a ton. Well rounded. Has strength. Uses a lot of different rushing moves.

Leonard Floyd- Depends on his speed too much for my taste and I would prefer an OLB that is a little stronger.

ILB

Jaylon Smith- does not have the size I like, but has great instincts. Always seems to be in the right place.

Reggie Ragland- Bull of a LB that also has great instincts. Does not have Jaylon's speed but is an enforcer that makes you pay for trying to run on him.

WR only 2 guys I like in round 1

Michael Thomas - Big but not huge. Runs Great routes and will fight for the ball, but does not have #1 WR speed. More of a possession WR in my opinion.

Laquan Treadwell- Almost a carbon copy of Thomas.


The rest of the 1st rounders are smaller guys with speed. Better options may be found in the 2nd or 3rd.

DE

DeForest Buckner - This guy might not be JJ Watt, but he isn't far off from Cameron Jordan. He might be the most NFL ready player in the draft.

Robert Nkemdiche - Has huge talent, but the production doesn't match. Desperately needs coaching.

RB

Ezekiel Elliott - I don't see us taking a 1st round RB, but if we did Zeke is the perfect fit.

Later round Guys...

FB

Jalston Fowler- will probably go 4th or 5th round and is both an awesome blocker and great receiver out of the backfield.
CleveSteve informed me that he was drafted last year. At least I got the round right.

TE

Bucky Hodges - 6 ft 6 inches, 250 lbs and 4.63 speed. You have to put a DB on the guy to keep up with him and that DB will have a hard time tackling him after the catch.


More to come...

Thanks Deputy, I had started a post I didn't finish and this is a good place to put it.

2016 Free Agent Re-signings:

Craig Robertson, 3 years $12 million (similar to Bruce Carter, Riley, Woodyard. Dansby isn't getting younger, Kirksey is still unproven.)
Mitchell Schwartz, 4 years $18 million (Free, Breno Giacomini, Vollmer)
Gary Barnidge, 4 years $20 million (less than Pitta, more than Bennett, Walker)
Travis Benjamin, 4 years $26 million (less than Andre Johnson, Eric Decker, more than Tate, Desean Jackson)
Jamie Meder league minimum (ERFA)
Darrian Miller, league minimum (ERFA)
Travis Coons, league minimum (ERFA)


Let FAs walk:

Tashaun Gipson (bad blood, diminished play this year, likely command more money than his worth.)
Johnson Bademosi
Scott Solomon
Austin Pasztor
Tank Carder


Notable Cuts:

Dwayne Bowe (Dead $4.6 million, cap savings $3.4 million)
Paul Kruger ($2.4 dead, $5.3 savings -- Kruger can comlpain about dropping all he wants, but fact is he's in on almost all 3 & medium+ and is not pressuring the QB)
Johnny Manziel ($4.6 dead, $2.4 cap impact -- I keep trying to fool myself into a scenario Manziel is still here next year, but I can't believe it.)


Draft I want (assuming #3 overall and keeping Manziel):
SD) Laremy Tunsil, OT Ole Miss
BAL) Joey Bosa, OLB/DE Ohio State
1) Laquon Treadwell, WR Ole Miss (I'd take Bosa but I don't think Baltimore would pass on the top pass rusher and overall #1 rated player. Not Ozzie's style.)
2) Josh Doctson, WR TCU
3 + 5c1 + 5c3) Vonn Bell, S Ohio State
4) Denver Kirkland, OT Arkansas (though I'd like to see more of Doughty and of Brisset as possibilities here)
5) Cassanova McKinzy, ILB Auburn
5c2) Chris Jones, DL Miss St
6) Trevon Stewart, DB Houston
7) Tyrone Holmes, OLB Montana
7c) Jake McGee, TE Florida

Farmer Draft:
SD) Laremy Tunsil, OT Ole Miss
BAL) Joey Bosa, OLB/DE Ohio State
1) Connor Cook, QB Michigan State
2) Carl Nassib, DE Penn State
3 + 5c1 + 7c) Jeremy Cash, S Duke
4 + 5c2) Kareem Hunt, RB Toledo
5) Cooper Kupp, WR Eastern Washington
5c3) Devonte Fields, OLB Louisville
6) Ken Crawley, CB Colorado
7) Nick Kwiatkowski, ILB West Virginia

Fowler was drafted by Tennessee in the 4th round last year.

At FB, I like the big guy from Arkansas.

I noticed both your picks at WR, Yet you have Farmer taking someone different at WR

Putting aside speculation. How do you base the Farmer pick ? Are you going by his last drafts ?

Ouch! thanks for letting me know. Also it's really crazy how close we were on the money we were willing to pay these guys. That's one of the hardest things for me to figure out. I try to do the same as you and look for comparable players.

I really like your Doctson pick in the 2nd round and wouldn't mind Mike Williams from Clemson at that spot either.

Doughty might still be there in the 4th, but I think Brissett is probably gone. I do like your pick of Kirkland at that spot though.

That was just more of a game at cfrs' suggestion.. that anyone posting a mock should include one they think Farmer would do, too.

I picked Kupp because it was day three with a ton of production that won't translate to the NFL. I originally had Higgins but then I couldn't take a RB in the third round.

I really like Mike Williams as well but would be very surprised if he came out this year after being hurt all season. He's got Watson at QB and could have a huge year next year. I think he's got top 12-15 talent.

I agree, but hopefully he gets greedy.

Great thread. Thanks.

I think we have more talent than what the sum of all the parts in 2015 is showing. Before the season kicked off the defense was widely predicted to be a top 10 D in the NFL. That was based in the previous year and only appearing to be a couple pieces away from being able to scheme the way we wanted. The reality is so far from that - it's depressing. But - does that mean the talent that was there in 2014 has completely gone? Or is there much better to come with some relatively minor tweaks/additions? I agree LB is the biggest single need. Dansby, Whitner - both older and less effective to be sure. But I think more than serviceable if the D is playing better overall. Haden - I think he can go one of two ways: bounce back and become a top CB in the NFL again, or he drops off the map.

The other big ? for me is how to run the ball - running plays at the moment are seemingly worse than we had McGhee in the backfield picking up 2.2 yards a carry! Scheme? OL? Physicality? Or a combination? - I think Crow and Duke are good enough to be the backs - but they have to have somewhere to run to/thru.

At WR - I tend to agree what we miss is a true #1. Gordon has to be a long shot - just because it's so hard to take so much time off (essentially 2 years) - but his raw talent is certainly special enough that if by some miracle his head is straight and he stays clean, it's not an impossible thought. Long odds for sure - but not impossible.

QB situation has too many dynamics to know what and where we stand. Personally I feel sure we see JM back in as the starter before the end of the year. But even if he plays lights out - after all the distraction he is a risk. Lets hope whoever we take in the draft and in whatever round, turns into gold and not pewter.

In other words, we're so far under the cap - even at the current projection of $150MM - that saving money doesn't matter one bit, nor does taking a hit for getting rid of players that don't fit.

Spend what it takes to get what is going to work.

Like most things, it all depends. 1 franchise QB could take that entire $20 mil if we go that route. If other teams have plenty of cap money then players will be more expensive. Spending money is great as long as we spend it wisely and don't waste it and put ourself in cap trouble in future years.



I think Pass rush was a huge issue this year. I think our DB's are good enough.

Crowell should be that North/South runner we want, but I have only seen him do it in one game and we went away from the run in the second half of that game.

I too think we are closer than it looks. A good offseason should make a big difference.

Part 5 - Putting it all together

Okay I have laid out a framework for next year, now to come up with game-plan.

What I'd try to do from here...

1) Eliminate Dead weight on roster in a cap friendly way.
2) Do what you can to limit cap risk.
3) Upgrade in Free Agency where possible.
4) Target what you can't find in the draft in Free Agency.
5) Make every draft choice count.






Contracts the Patriot Way

You are going to notice a theme here. Voidable years added to the end of contracts. When you void years rather than cut players, you can get a compensatory pick for them when they sign elsewhere. If you do this with all your highly paid players, chances are you will get higher comp picks as well.




























Now The FA's from other teams:











Another benefit of having the voidable years is that we pump up the total contract to look much larger than what we are actually committed to. This will help other players take notice that the Browns are making an effort to sign the best players as well. This is important when we get to the secondary free agent market.

This part has already become much longer than I thought, so I'm going to stop here and continue later.

I have more dead weight to get rid of. I have to show that I can fit all of these guys under the cap. And then I have to start talking about the draft.

More to come.

I don't have enough brain cells to understand all this..So you better get rid of me...

Great posts, thanks !

those contracts are unprecedented. There is one player in the NFL with an 8 year contract and he is 24. There are six players in the NFL with 7 year contracts. BTW, you can only pro-rate the signing bonus over 5 years of the deal.

So you want to pay big time money to Benjamin, a part time player who until this year never even had 20 catches in a season?

You expect Josh Gordon who is a RFA to sign a 10 year deal and make less per year then Benjamin? If he is reinstated and stays clean and has a big year he'll probably get more then that as a FA the following year.

You also want to sign Weddle who is 6 months older then Whitner to a big contract when he's not having that great a year? and to cut Whitner?

You want to sign Trevathan who is basically the same type of player as Robertson and Kirksey are yet pay him twice the money?

Okay, continuation of the last thread.

Anyone that understands basic math should be scratching their head and wondering how in the world I am going to fit all of this under the cap.

Well two things.
1) I am assuming not everyone signs.
2) I left out a few things in the prior posts that will make a big difference.


First, I haven't talked about Cap carryover yet. When I said the salary cap was going to be $150 mil to $155 mil that is just the base cap. Every team that has money left from the previous year has that money carry over to the next. For instance, the base cap for 2015 was $143,280,000. The Browns' cap was $159,059,670. With carryover next year our cap should be around $174,160,044 if the base is $155 mil.

Next I am assuming Mack, Gipson, and Benjamin are gone. I made each of them offers, but I think other teams will make them bigger offers then I would be willing to pay. I don't think Gordon will take his extension offer either, but it's all I'm offering a guy that's one toke away and hasn't done Jack for us for 2 years

After cutting Bowe, I have $119,892,266 committed to a $174,160,044 cap or a total of $54,267,778 to spend.

If I resign all of our FA's other than the four mentioned above, I have spent $15 mil of that which leaves $39,267,778 for other teams FA's.


$39,267,778 - $ 7 mil if Trevathan signs= $32,267,778
I would then cut Dansby and save $3.5 mil = $35,767,778
$35,767,778 - $7 mil if Daniels signs = $28,767,778
I would then cut Bryant and save $5 mil = $33,767,778
$33,767,778 - $10 mil if Weddle signs = $23,767,778
$23,767,778 - $12.5 mil if Jefferey signs = $11,267,778

So I have $11,267,778

If Mack didn't opt out I'd only have $3,267,778 left and would need to make more minor cuts to sign draft picks.

If Gipson signed I could get by just by cutting Whitner and would still have enough to sign draft picks.

If Benjamin or Gordon signed I could cut Hartline and still sign draft picks.

If two of the 4 signed it is still easily doable and if 3 or 4 signed then I would need to cut Kruger and/or Starks but it is still doable. The odds are that all 3 are gone though and Gordon is gone in 2017.


So in FA I locked up my own free agents with cap friendly contracts. I removed WR from my list of biggest needs. I upgraded safety, DE, and ILB. I also improved my chances for comp picks later.

So now on to the draft. This is pretty much worthless as player rankings will change so much from now to make it so, but I want to at least show how I would fill in the blanks.

I'm going to assume that we pick 4th because I think we beat Baltimore this week.

Round 1
San Diego - Laremy Tunsil, OT, Ole Miss
Tennessee - Vernon Hargreaves, CB, Florida
Baltimore - Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State

We take a QB here if we think a franchise QB is out there. I do not. Somebody does though. Bosa would have been my next choice, but he is gone. I would trade down here and think the Rams would trade up for a QB. I'd take a 1st and 3rd this year and a 1st next year.

1)With the 11th pick, the Browns take DeForest Buckner, DE/DT, Oregon

2) Myles Jack, LB, UCLA I'm not sure he falls this far, but it should be close to this after a season ending knee injury

3a) Jordan Jenkins, DE/OLB, Georgia

3b) Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss will play the F TE role for us.

4) Denver Kirkland, OT Arkansas I liked this pick by CleveSteve

5A) Derek Watt, FB, Wisconsin, JJ Watt's younger Brother. Plowed the way for Gordon.

5B) Devon Johnson, FB/RB, Marshall, I'm getting a FB out of one of these 2 guys. "Rockhead" Has played TE and RB and is an excellent receiver and blocker.

5C) Devon Cajuste, WR, Stanford, Has the size to take the risk here.

5D) Kevin Hogan, QB, Stanford, Until you have a QB, you draft a QB somewhere in every draft and hope you get lucky.

6) Jonathan Williams, RB, Arkansas Would have been drafted much higher if he didn't lose his last season with a foot injury.

7) Ka'Imi Fairbairn, K, UCLA 20-22 one of the missed was over 50 yards and he hit one from 60.

Again take the draft choices with a grain of salt and as more of a guide. Things will change a ton before the draft.

Yes and don't expect many of them to go the length either. That is by design. Players will be traded or contracts will be voided before they are up in most cases. I'll either get something I want in a trade with another team or get a comp pick from most of these guys by using those voidable years.

As for signing bonuses, These contracts don't use them. They just guarantee salary. I could cut most of these guys after 2 years with little or no dead money.

Josh can risk another year off if he wants, but we hold all the cards. He can't have a ton of money saved up at this point. He also has to be reinstated, stay clean another year and have a big year. 3 big if's! He looked like crap when he came back last time.

Weddle has been nursing a groin injury this year, but in my opinion he is the best safety in football and would be the best player on our defense if we signed him. He is also very versatile and can play SS, FS, and CB. With 2 voidable years, The contract is essentially a 3 year $30 mil contract with only 2 years guaranteed. If he was healthy this year, he'd be getting $12 mil - $13 mil in 2016.

Trevathan has what amounts to 6 year $42 mil contract with only the first 3 years guaranteed. While I think Trevathan is a big step above both Robertson and Kirksey, I do admit that this contract is bit high. There are a couple of reasons for this. 1) I don't plan on paying the full contract and I am looking at just the first 3 years. 2) The FA market is tight for ILB's and the bidding will be tough. This contract values him at about the same pay as Sean Lee for the Cowboys and less than:

Luke Kuechly
Bobby Wagner
Lawrence Timmons
NaVorro Bowman
Brian Cushing
James Laurinaitis
Daryl Washington
Donald Butler
Jerod Mayo
Mychal Kendricks
David Harris

He upgrades the spot for 3 years and after the 3rd year if I can't find a buyer for him, I can cut him and owe him absolutely nothing.

How is this front office gonna sell this team to upcoming
Free agents in 2016?
Why would free agents from playoff teams want to play for
The Browns?
Just being honest?