DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Free Agents out there

Arps, expect a bunch of cuss words, and he's gonna send you his address so you can fight him.

Not Arps. Wrong poster.

Can we get back to free agents?

Lauranitis intrigues me as a fine fit; I think it might be great chemistry with the new HC and locker room.

Not sure how much is left, but I like the mental & motor sides of him.

Agrred. I am trying.

Is Forte available? I think we need one more back. Like a successful one.

Not for nothing, but the Broncos just signed Phil Taylor

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...man-phil-taylor

Another D lineman becoming a Brownco LOL

LOL, what? Im too old to be fighting. I am good at cuss words though if you want to send some.

I would like to know the reasoning behind not signing Gipson. It doesn't make much sense on the surface? I guess it's possible that he's asking for too much money.

Either way, if I were a free agent, I'd always want to hit the open market.

That's my guess. He wants too much and the Browns are willing to let him test the market after a down year.

They might think there is another safety on the market that is comparable for less money.

You don't think they're going to throw a boatload of money at Eric Berry?

I let gipson test the market and then look to resign him but he sucked last year. Anyway, I would also look to moving Gilbert to FS. hell of an athlete but he may be one of those kids that just cant translate to corner at this level but he his athleticism over the top could produce plays.

I'm personally happy for Big Phil. Hopefully the man's knee has some life in it still and can allow him to have a burst, and maybe even stay healthy. Maybe.

They label it as a "low risk/high reward" but I wonder if they're aware of all the injuries since his stellar 2011 season when he was a rookie?

Low risk, low reward IMO.

I think KC is gonna tag Berry.

OH I think it's safe to say they are totally aware of his injury history.

That's an interesting idea about moving Gilbert to safety. Normally I would disagree, but if he's still not working out at the end of this season with the new coaching staff, you gotta do something.

Rand Getlin ‏@Rand_Getlin 14m14 minutes ago
Contract discussions between WR Travis Benjamin and the #Browns have broken down, per his agent @NewButler1. Benjamin will hit the market.

tab, Free Safeties are important. They are also hard to find.

You get more safeties in the mode of Whit, Ward, Elam, etc. They are good players who are better against the run and not very good at covering receivers, and in some cases, not even TEs and backs. Additionally, w/the emphasis on passing in today's ever evolving NFL, a safety who can cover ground is very valuable.

Not sure if you remember this, but Gipson played corner in that last game against the Steelers. He even went up against Antonio Brown on many occasions. He did better than T. Williams did. It's rare to find a guy that has that much agility, hip flexibility, and footwork to be able to pull off what Gipson did.

Finally, every coach that has been here---from Juraun to Horton to Pet has loved Gipson. The Browns need to stop getting rid of good players who are relatively young and bringing in older guys who are in search of that one last contract. A great example of that is not paying Skrine and then giving money to Williams last year or not paying Sheard and paying Starks at a similar position.

I am not saying any of these guys are AWESOME, but they are some of our better players and it's hurtful to keep parting ways w/your homegrown talent and replacing them w/guys who are older and not as good.

Thanks Bard.

Forte is available, but I don't think the Browns will pursue him. He has some miles on him and RBs don't last as long as other positions. They get the crap knocked out of them all game long, whether it be running or blocking huge defenders. Plus, there are so many good ones to be found elsewhere.

I think Forte will end up w/a team that is competing for the Super Bowl and can use a 3-down back to complete their roster.

Might as well move Mingo to Strong Safety while we are at it..

Signing aging players to expensive contracts will hamper the long term future of the team.

Please stop stating opinions as fact.

Here, let me try your style:

Drafting Goff would set this franchise back years.

Drafting west coast players would hinder the long term future of the Browns because they are soft.

Signing bums instead of quality players will help the Browns.

So you're saying signing aging players to expensive contracts is not a bad thing?

No, I am saying that you try to end conversations by making qualitative statements that really are not quantitative. Please stop putting unnecessary qualifiers on statements that kill discussion.

For instance, the Browns could sign a guy like Laurenatis to a contract that allows them to opt out in a shorter period of time. There is NOTHING written in stone that the Browns HAVE to sign him to an expensive long-term contract.

Correct. But what type of contract do you think the former Rams linebacker will want from a non-contender like us?

Paying for the decline years of players is not smart.

I guess that will be answered when teams assess his market value. I would think it best to keep an open mind at this point rather than just automatically dismiss the idea. If he proves to be too expensive and/or wants a long term deal w/out opt out closes, than you pass. However, if the demand is not great and he can provide stability for a few years and you can draft players at other positions rather than ILBer for a couple of years, one should consider making an offer for him.

Again, I am not saying it's a given. I am saying one should keep an open mind and not dismiss ideas out of hand due to some nonsensical qualifying statements.

If we get the guy who used to play linebacker in St. Louis signed to a one year deal, then I agree it will be a good signing.

In general, there is no such thing as a bad one year contract.

j/c..

Hopefully, the Tri-Lambs know what they're doing with all of the soon to be FA's currently on the roster.

Chalk up another.....

Rand Getlin Verified account
@Rand_Getlin
Contract discussions between WR Travis Benjamin and the #Browns have broken down, per his agent @NewButler1. Benjamin will hit the market.

Rand Getlin Verified account
@Rand_Getlin
Benjamin and the #Browns discussed a contract extension for an extended period of time, but ultimately the sides couldn't agree to terms.


Rand Getlin Verified account
@Rand_Getlin
Benjamin's agent @NewButler1 told me he and his client look forward to speaking with interested teams at the appropriate time.

Tweet 1

Tweet 2

Tweet 3

I would like to be able to keep Gibson and Benjamin. As someone posted earlier, as a FA you would want to test the market. But as they say, don't ask a question you do not want to hear the answer to. I think Benji will benefit more from testing the waters than Gibson.

Getting back to Long and Laurinaitis, both of whom would be upgrades to the team, can we negotiate with them now? They were released from their contracts so its not quite like a regular free agent. I should know this.

I/m pretty sure Long and Laurenitis can negotiate with anybody they want right now. One of the "perks" of getting released early.

Couple this with the Gipson news and I think this means one thing:

More focus is on Schwartz than the other two. And they're hoping something can be done with Mack as well. That's the priority, IMO, and more $$ will be allocated there first.

Is this a sign of ego syndrome going on on Travis part? He had one good year playing at WR. Most of his plays weren't even the designed/called plays, it was break down plays where he mode himself available.

I want keep Travis, but if he's thinking he's top 5 WR and expecting a big pay day, then let the kid walk. He's never going to be that WR who'll cross into the middle or wherever heavy traffic is and win that battle. Never. He's always one hit away from staying on the ground.

Wouldn't shock me if we're just being cheap. As crazy as it sounds, it's not always the athlete being greedy.

If this is the case, then I'd agree..let him walk. However, if his comments were true about being close to 80% done with a contract, I'd assume that wasn't the case. My guess is that it's the guaranteed $ that is the separation factor and/or the added 'value' as punt returner?

I hope so. That's where I've wanted it to be, at least with Schwartz. I figured Mack gone was a done deal, but if there's a realistic shot they can keep him, then by all means keep him.

True.

In the end, I would rather use the money Benji was wanting and throw it plus some to keep Schwartz or Mack.

Yup. Benji is a solid role player, but he has to realize that is what he is - a role player. Heck, his value to us comes in well behind that of Barnidge.... which basically means he's worth Backup TE money.

He stood out in a WR corps that had nobody else, and yes he is valuable to us, especially in a WR corps that should be adding some more firepower that will give him more 1-on-1 looks in the slot, but he's still eminently replaceable.

ANd then target a MArvin Davis or Sanu in free agency

Those guys would be a band-aide. The Browns need to draft a big-time WR.