DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum CB EJ Gaines Signs with the Browns

Mike Garafolo
‏
Verified account

@MikeGarafolo

CB EJ Gaines headed to the Browns, source says. Reunited with defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who coached him with the Rams.

https://twitter.com/MikeGarafolo/status/977237672178733056

Mike Garafolo
‏
Verified account

@MikeGarafolo
Following Following @MikeGarafolo
More Mike Garafolo Retweeted Russell
Gaines has been a good player when healthy, yes. Did some things last year to start cutting down on soft-tissue injuries. Believes he’s started to figure out how to avoid them. If so, good signing by the Browns.

j/c

I just want to see that we have actually signed him before I get too excited about this.

Great add!! Now with Carrie, Gaines, Taylor, Body-Calhoun (maybe Howard) I think we have a pretty good group of corners. Not elite, but with an improved pass rush, I think they can do a good job! It eliminates the pressing need to draft a corner. I think we still could/will draft one, but it is definitely less of a dire need now.

Browns continue to bolster secondary with signing of E.J. Gaines
Posted 7 minutes ago


Andrew Gribble
Senior Staff Writer
@Andrew_Gribble

Former 6th-round pick comes to Cleveland after successful year in Buffalo


The Browns added their fourth new face to a new-look secondary Friday.


Cleveland signed E.J. Gaines, a former sixth-round pick out of Missouri, who is coming off an impressive one-year stint with the Buffalo Bills. He’s the latest addition to a defensive backfield that has been already bolstered by the acquisition of Damarious Randallvia trade with Green Bay and the signings of T.J. Carrie and Terrance Mitchell.

Gaines (5-10, 191) began his career with the St. Louis Rams, where he emerged as an immediate starter in a defense coordinated by Gregg Williams, who now fills the same role in Cleveland. He posted a team-best 14 passes defensed and intercepted two passes during a season in which he started 15 games. He was the NFL’s only rookie cornerback to start the first 15 games of 2014.

Gaines was sidelined for all of 2015 because of a foot injury. He started 10 of the 11 games in which he played in 2016 and was sent to Buffalo, along with a second-round pick, in a 2017 preseason trade that netted the Rams wide receiver Sammy Watkins.

Gaines started 11 games and finished his fourth season with 59 tackles, nine passes defensed, three forced fumbles and an interception.

Gaines, who hails from Independence, Missouri, is the Browns eighth unrestricted free agent signing and 11th new addition to the roster since the start of the league year.

http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/arti...medium=referral

Good pick up. I'm interested to see the contract terms.

Nice signing. Hopefully he can stay healthy.

I suspect Jamar Taylor's days are numbered in Cleveland.

Pro Football Focus Verified account
@PFF
E.J. Gaines' overall grade skyrocketed from 2016 to 2017



Tweet

He was the 13th rated CB in 2017 according to PFF.

Carrie was 21st, Boddy Calhoun 24th, Jamar Taylor 71st and Donovan Mitchell 94th.

I disagree with Taylor needing to be cut. Let us just go into training camp with a plethora of players at the position and let the best players make the team. What is the obsession with cutting "good" players when a better player is signed. You keep them for depth!

This is a quality player. The front office has done a great job of filling in needs with above average NFL players on cheapish contracts.

I agree, particularly with the "cheapish contract" point. I'll go back and look but I feel like the Currie one was a little bigger than I thought it would be. But overall, rather safe and not blowing the bank for big time, overpaid FAs.

Very excited about this signing! I remember this kid when he was a rookie with STL under Williams and he was a really solid player then. Injuries have kinda held him back but I'm really excited to see how he can do in this defense now that he's seasoned. He was a solid player for Buffalo and this just makes our Defensive backfield all the more formidable.

And he's a young guy. I was disappointed to lose out of Trumaine Johnson but this kid can be just as good.

Great job, Dorsey!

Carrie's contract is basically a two year deal.

https://overthecap.com/player/tj-carrie/3158/

Excellent. Great competition at corner come this camp.

Another quality addition.
I feel like we can totally just let the draft come to us and take bpa after qb1

That's certainly the goal every team is trying to achieve during the off season. I wouldn't say we're exactly there but it's a lot closer than we've been in a very long time.

While not a great strength, I feel like our secondary has improved to an average to above level unit.

That is a massive upgrade over last year, when they were a well below unit.

Agreed, I expect DE and DT early. I do expect we draft a FS, but CB might depend on what they think of Wilson and his recovery.

Well it appears Gregg Williams is getting enough pieces to actually mount a functioning secondary this year. It's shaking out to be an interesting group!
Gaines has been w/ him before so knows the drill. That should help down the road.

I love this signing

Jamar taylor should pay to dress, like a PSL in my opinion.

Solid signing for the Browns IMO.

Don’t worry Pastor there’s a very good chance they still take a corner, Dorsey likes to draft corners/DBs.

I am a believer that you shouldn't draft for need. This makes it a better possibility.


That isn't to say that no DB will be worthy of the #4 pick.


I think the top 2 picks will be Darnold and Chubb. Allen might edge out Darnold.


I also read where the Giants only QB choice would be Darnold. Looks like Barkley might be their choice.

All these FA CBs will allow Gregg to play the FS within the 44114 zip code this year.

it'll be interesting to see what they do with Peppers

Add salt.

j/c:

I said on another thread that I always liked Gaines and even stated that I hoped we would draft him when he came out of Mizzou.

Good signing. We are finally getting some guys who can play.

I see you Buffalo, game peep game

That is my feeling. I keep remembering something Williams preached last year....something about not getting beat over the top, quickly.

That is why our corners played off and our safety was 30 yards deep. He wasn't going to get beat over the top.

With the guys we have added, and will probably draft a corner or two in the draft, we should be able to press cover more and bring Peppers up near the LOS where he can have a bigger impact. Adding Chubb would also be a move that would have a positive impact on corner play.

Also, don't forget that adding Randall to the FS spot should help as well.

Right, and we have Wilson back from a injured season.

Williams is going to have some parts to work with.

Yeah, perhaps he felt last year we were just too restricted in the secondary

No doubt. I am not as down on Sashi and crew as some, but trading Haden at the midnight hour was a big miss. That changed a lot to the worse.

With the 1st pick of the 2nd round the Cleveland Browns select Darrius Guice, running back LSU.

If he is there at 33 then yes, but pretty sure he will be taken in the 1st round. I like Jones and Penny too.

Vers, I don't know this position much. What do you/did you see in him that makes you think he is a great signing.

Also, in your opinion are we getting faster, fast enough to cover better? Like maybe we can challenge and press enough to play Peppers in the same time zone as the rest of the guys?

I hope he can help and stay healthy.

I'm good with Darnold, Chubb, and Guice

I like him for a couple of reasons:

1. He plays long. He's 5'11," which is plenty tall, but he seems to have long arms and times his jumps well. In college, I really didn't see guys catching the ball over the top of him.

2. He had a very good break on the ball. Pretty exposive first step when breaking.

3. Dude made plays in college. He always seemed to come up w/flash plays that impacted the game.

I haven't followed him in the pros, but that is what I saw in college.

Oh..........I forgot to add that we appear to be better in the secondary, but I still think we have a ways to go. It won't be as bad as last year, but we're not going to scare anyone. I also think Peppers will not be playing FS. He'll probably be in competition w/Kindred for the starting SS spot and both will play in some nickel and dime defenses. Peppers better improve in a few areas because this is a new regime. He was bad last year.