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FA WR market is weak by the looks of it.

We might have to do something similar to what we did last year with Landry.

And that'd be alright. Trade and sign

If the Giants take trade offers for Odell Beckham the Browns should be very interested.

I'm not sure Odell is the type of teammate we want on this team.


He's ridiculously talented, but he also sells out his teammates/coaches after receiving a huge contract.

Chris Conley, maybe? He has Dorsey ties and some size. Though I'm not sure we really need one if Perriman comes back.

That guy Moncrieff is a FA. From Jacksonville. He's a decent 3rd or 4th option.

But those are the kinds of guys we'll be looking at, unless we want to pay big bucks to Randall Cobb. But at his age, and his down year this year, probably doesn't make much sense

If you're not resigning Boddy-Calhoun then please tell me how you would address the #2 FS position? Sign some other free agent or rely on a rookie? Going the free agent route seems like circuitous logic from where I'm sitting. Signing an unproven rookie needs no counter argument. He represents the kind of depth we need across the entire roster.

I think that most of the free agent decisions are going to rely on who we hire as head coach, and the coordinators.

It is weak. So is the draft. There are some decent receivers in FA and decent prospects in the draft, but even the best would be more second tier guys.


Just because they are the best in this class doesn't mean you draft them early or pay them a boatload of money to sign here.

Agreed. Although, if we re-sign Higgins and Perrimen, are any of these other mediocre receivers worth bringing here anyway?


Now, if we can do some sort of trade move for someone. That isn't bad. I mean, we got Jarvis for a 4th and a 7th. I think we have a 4th and a 7th again from the Patriots from Danny Shelton and that DB from Rutgers (EDIT: Jason McCourty!).

Amazing how i was struggling to come up with those guy's names

Bring back Derrick Willies, Baker always makes him look better than I expected.

There's going to be a run on DB's ....

If you take a look at the young Qb's in this league, from Wentz, to the #2 guy in Philly who is better, to, the guy in Minnesota,

and then, Goff, and Trubisky, and Mahommes in Kc, and all 4 guys take this past year, Buffalo, ARiz, Jets, and Cleveland,

and then Deshaun Watson, and allll these young QB's , when people have to play against new young QB's they go out and draft DB's high,

Db's are going to be sought after (super fast, in 2019,) and I think there is a 2nd whole unrelated reason there will be a run on db's in the 2019 offseason that I'm forgetting.

either way, I'm just saying,, I remember an NFL draft whrere something like a boatload, 12ish dbs went in about 16ish picks late in the first round or early in the 2nd round

and some of those weren't even , even top prospects, But!!

If you need it you need it, so what I was trying to say is, if you go looking at a DB, better snatch em up quick,
quicker even than you thought, because chances are,

there's going to be a run on DB's this offseason league wide, (I'm double bullish on the position)

OH, the 2nd reason, (didn't the team play multiple teams with multiple injuries at db again, for the 2nd straight year, another reason teams are going to be stocking up).

The only free agent I want is Gostkowski.

Resign Higgins Perriman and Robinson before we look elsewhere for any other position ...

NFL free agency: 4 targets if the Browns are looking to spend

By Dan Labbe, cleveland.com | Posted January 17, 2019 at 03:45 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns enter the 2019 offseason with something teams envy -- players on rookie contracts and tons of cap space to add pieces around them.

GM John Dorsey isn't likely to blow up this team's payroll this offseason. Just because you can spend doesn't mean you have to spend, and the bills will come due on their young talent eventually. There are already players like Damarious Randall and Joe Schobert in line for extensions.

Dorsey's approach last year was simple: add a layer of veterans above the young players on affordable contracts with outs after one or two years. It took pressure off those young players and allowed the Browns to compete in 2018, making them a destination for players who see a sudden combination of money and potential to win.

Cleveland.com's Matt Goul's Top 50 potential free agents.

I don't expect Dorsey to go on a giant spending spree, just handing out big contracts. The Browns have so many pieces already in place and it's more likely Dorsey would acquire pieces via trade using the draft assets at his disposal, much like he did with Jarvis Landry and Randall an offseason ago.

These are four of the top free agents worth considering, if they actually hit the market, plus one to keep an eye on.

Grady Jarrett, DT, Falcons

Throwing resources at the defensive line is always a good idea, especially because the Browns could use more. Jarrett next to Larry Ogunjobi would provide real pressure up the middle.

Jarrett turns 26 in April and had six sacks, eight tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits in 2018. He had four sacks and 15 tackles for loss in 2017. Grading website ProFootballFocus.com rated him as their fifth-best interior defender in 2018.

So it's going to cost. We're not talking Aaron Donald money here, but it's going to be pricey. Geno Atkins signed a 4-year, $65 million extension with Cincinnati that guaranteed $25 million last August. In 2017, Kawann Short signed a five-year deal in Carolina worth $80.5 million and $35 million guaranteed.

The Falcons' shaky defense can't afford to lose a piece like Jarrett, but if March 11 rolls around and he's available, the Browns would be wise to make that call.

Tyrell Williams, WR, Chargers

Williams came to Cleveland in October and caught three passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in the Chargers' 38-14 win. Williams is a big target at 6-4, 205 pounds. He's actually coming off his worst season statistically in three years, but still caught 41 passes for 653 yards and five scores. Over the last three seasons, he has caught 16 touchdown passes and averaged 15.9 yards per reception.

Wide receiver is a position seeing a boom in contract numbers. The Browns played a role in that last spring when they signed Jarvis Landry to a 5-year, $75 million contract extension. Sammy Watkins signed with the Chiefs for $48 million over three years with $30 million guaranteed last offseason and Allen Robinson went for three years and $42 million to the Bears with a shade over $25 million guaranteed.

The Browns could stay out of that market if they want to, especially if they see what Breshad Perriman did in the season's final month as sustainable. If they're looking to follow the model of spending big to add weapons around a young quarterback on a cheap(ish) deal, though, Williams should be on the list.

Dee Ford, LB, Chiefs

A former Dorsey draft pick could hit the market at just the right time. Picked No. 23 overall in 2014 -- we all know who went No. 22 -- Ford was graded as the No. 6 edge defender by PFF in 2018 and registered a career-high 13 sacks this season.

Here's the reality: The Chiefs defense can't afford to lose a player like Ford and he appears open to playing on the franchise tag. If he does hit the open market, he'll command elite pass rusher money, which could put him close to the $20 million per year range, speculates Joel Corry of CBS Sports.

If there's a team that can afford to spend that much, it's the Browns. They might not get an opportunity to make that pitch, though.

Not a big name, but...: Shaquil Barrett, LB, Broncos

Barrett is one of the more interesting free agents. He lost playing time last season after the Broncos drafted Bradley Chubb and played just 276 snaps. One year earlier, Barrett was a productive pass rusher. ProFootballFocus.com credited him with 43 pressures in 2017.

It's hard to ballpark a cost for Barrett, considering he would get paid on potential upside more than anything. He played on a restricted free agent tender last year worth $2.9 million. Outside linebacker isn't a premium position and the Browns already have Genard Avery to work in that hybrid linebacker/edge rush role.

Should the Browns decide to move on from Jamie Collins this offseason, Barrett might be worth a flyer.

Keep an eye on: Gerald McCoy, DT, Buccaneers

Rumors started to surface this week that the Bucs could move on from McCoy, who is expensive and might not fit in their new scheme under Todd Bowles. McCoy turns 31 in February, so his age doesn't quite fit with where Dorsey might want to spend. He also isn't the same player as during a four-year run between 2013-16 when he collected 33.5 sacks in 59 games. But if the Browns could land him on a reasonable, short contract, he would help a bunch inside.

As good as our line was perceived with robinson, I don't think our starting LT for next year is on the team. For FA, i'd like Mccoy or Jarrett, I don't think Ford gets to market

Why even dream on players when you know they aren’t going to reach the market?

He's definitely on my short list. I'd love to get Demarcus Lawrence and KJ Wright too, but I understand why people would be against signing both of them.

Lawrence will be franchised. Is Wright better than Kirksey? That’s my criteria for upgrading at linebacker this off-season. If it’s even close then the player should not be brought in because of Kirksey’s contract.

Here are the players I would look at:

WR

Randall Cobb
Rashard Higgins Resign
Breshad Perriman Resign

TE

Maxx Williams

Tyler Kroft

OL

Trent Brown

GREG ROBINSON Resign

DE

Demarcus Lawrence

Trey Flowers

Brandon Graham

DT

Grady Jarrett

Malcom Brown

Brandon Mebane

LB

Dee Ford

C.J. Mosley

Anthony Barr

CB

Bradley Roby

BRIEAN BODDY-CALHOUN Resign

EJ GAINES Resign


S

Tyrann Mathieu

Lamarcus Joyner

Landon Collins

Tre Boston

ST

Stephen Gostkowski

Phil Dawson

I'm sure Lawrence will be. That will likely be the case of the top 5 or 6 DL free agents.

I think Wright is one of the better 4-3 OLB in the league (and most underrated). He's super in run D and well above average in coverage IMHO. He can play either side, so I was thinking Collins actually. Him turning 30 this year is my only real concern. Seattle has some cap room financially - but they have both guards, Frank Clark, Earl Thomas, etc... all hitting FA, he may be the next Legion of Boom defender to "have to" leave. I suspect they'll make him an offer, but the market's offer will be larger

I would be shocked if we play three linebackers and Peppers for the majority of the snaps. I would say we play two linebackers (at this point Schobert and Kirksey) with two safeties (Randall and BBC) and whatever position Peppers is for most of the snaps. If we sign/draft a starting linebacker that player better be better than Kirksey.

100% agree.

I don't expect us to draft a LB very high either, unless we get good value.

Kirksey isn't going anywhere this year because of his contract. No one wants to trade for that kind of money and it's pretty much all guaranteed.

We've already got a runstopping LB in Genard Avery.

I just don't see it likely that we'll pick up a LB in FA or early in the draft unless there's huge value. Which, basically would mean the draft.

Not in today's NFL. And not with Jabril Peppers on the team. Just doesn't make sense.

Biggest move in FA is to either sign Robbie Gould or Stephen Gostkowski. Tampering be damned, let them know that whoever signs with us would be the highest paid kicker in the league

Top 25 NFL free agents of 2019: Defenders dominate rankings

By Gregg Rosenthal
Around The NFL Editor
NFL.com
Published: Jan. 16, 2019 at 12:47 p.m.
Updated: Jan. 17, 2019 at 01:07 p.m.

The most interesting expected free agent this offseason isn't on the list below. Nick Foles has a mutual option in his contract that makes it exceedingly likely he will be set free by the Eagles, especially after they declared Monday that Carson Wentz is their quarterback and will remain their quarterback.

Foles would top a group of available quarterbacks, including Teddy Bridgewater, that is likely to grow as teams begin to prune their salary cap before the March spending spree. That's something to keep in mind when looking at my way-too-early list of the top 25 free agents in 2019. A lot of names will be added to the market because of cuts, and plenty of high-profile players (like Jadeveon Clowney) are unlikely to ever make it to free agency, because their current teams will use the franchise tag to keep them or strike a long-term deal.

That makes this initial list fun to consider, albeit a work in progress. It's a free-agent crop that is heavy on pass rushers and safeties while light on offensive linemen, wide receivers and cornerbacks. Chris Wesseling and I will publish our complete Top 101 Free Agents list in February. In the meantime, feel free to irrationally believe your team is going to sign all the players below and solve all of their problems.


1 DeMarcus Lawrence DE Cowboys
Don't worry about his sack number dropping to 10.5. Lawrence backed up his breakout 2017 (14.5 sacks) with another season as a top-five pass rusher, solidifying his place as one of the league's best players.

2 Le'Veon Bell RB Steelers
This ranking isn't a prediction of how much guaranteed money Bell will earn. It's a reflection of his status as one of the transcendent players this century at his position -- and the fact that he's still just 26 years old.

3 Jadeveon Clowney OLB Texans
Using the franchise tag to retain Clowney makes too much sense for Houston, even if Clowney won't be thrilled about it.

4 Grady Jarrett DT Falcons
A 25-year-old game-wrecker from the interior who has improved every year. There's little chance the Falcons will let Jarrett get away.

5 Trey Flowers DE Patriots
While Flowers isn't a prototypical pure pass rusher from the outside, he can do everything well from a variety of positions, the perfect Swiss Army Knife for a modern defense. And he's already been the most disruptive presence on a Super Bowl championship team.

6 Earl Thomas S Seahawks
Thomas would be even higher on this list if not for two of his previous three seasons being marred by injury. He has maintained his high level of play as a potential future Hall of Famer and isn't yet 30 years old.

7 Dee Ford OLB Chiefs
At a position where speed kills, Ford's first step is among the best in football. The Chiefs might use the franchise tag on him to make sure his monster breakout season can be repeated.

8 Frank Clark DE Seahawks
In many years, Clark would be the best pass rusher available. He isn't as complete a player as the guys above, but 32 sacks and 66 QB hits over the last three years speaks for itself.

9 Landon Collins S Giants
Collins received some Defensive Player of the Year consideration in 2016, but his hard-hitting style has made less of an impact lately. And his 2018 campaign ended after Week 13, when he hit IR and underwent shoulder surgery.

10 C.J. Mosley LB Ravens
Inside linebackers don't get paid in free agency, although Mosley could be an exception. A four-time Pro Bowler, Mosley is known for his smarts and his leadership.

11 Anthony Barr LB Vikings
The skill set and splash plays didn't always add up to excellent overall production, although his contract year went well. It's a bit of a concern that a great defensive coach like Mike Zimmer didn't consistently get more out of him.

12 Sheldon Richardson DT Vikings
Richardson started out his season like a man on fire before settling into another campaign that made his employers probably want just a little bit more. He's been stuck on the "prove-it contract" cycle for years.

13 Ronald Darby CB Eagles
A torn ACL will hurt Darby's value, but he's still the class of a soft cornerback crop of free agents.

14 Tyrann Mathieu S Texans
It's unclear why safeties like Honey Badger didn't get paid well last offseason. There's an even better crop of free agents at the position this time around.

15 Lamarcus Joyner S Rams
The Rams valued Joyner enough to use the franchise tag on him last year. There just aren't enough tough, versatile safeties who can cover slot receivers around.

16 Teddy Bridgewater QB Saints
Teddy's underwhelming Week 17 start was more about a rag-tag backup Saints offensive line that didn't protect Bridgewater than it was about anything else. He showed enough in the 2018 preseason to compete for a starting job somewhere.

17 Preston Smith LB Redskins
If everyone thinks Smith is underrated, is he still underrated? Pro Football Focus' No. 8-ranked 3-4 outside linebacker in 2018 should get the contract of someone rated quite highly.

18 Ndamukong Suh DT Rams
If he plays another game or two like the one he did in the Divisional Round, Suh's price tag could skyrocket.

19 K.J. Wright LB Seahawks
Instinctive as a run-stopper and excellent in coverage, Wright looked good late in the season after missing 11 games with a lingering knee injury.

20 Za'Darius Smith OLB Ravens
PFF credited Smith with 10 sacks, 17 QB hits and 33 hurries in the regular season, which is monster production for someone with 690 snaps. He plays with laudable fury.

21 Ezekiel Ansah DE Lions
One of the toughest players to evaluate in free agency. The Lions spent hefty franchise-tag money on a guy with just 662 snaps combined over the last two years.

22 Daryl Williams OT Panthers
Good tackles are so hard to find in free agency that Williams, a second-team All Pro in 2017, should still inspire plenty of interest despite missing nearly all of this season with a knee injury.

23 Ha Ha Clinton-Dix S Redskins
The Packers' opinion of Clinton-Dix and his so-so time in Washington after being traded there by Green Bay this season might have him pegged as just an above-average starting safety, but that should be worth something on the open market.

24 Brandon Graham DE Eagles
This ranking may look disrespectful for a player of Graham's caliber, but the track record of betting on soon-to-be 31-year-old pass rushers in free agency is rough.

25 Matt Paradis C Broncos
He's consistently been one of the highest-graded centers in football since the Broncos selected him in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He missed the last seven games of 2018 with a broken right fibula.

Notable omissions (in alphabetical order):

Kwon Alexander, LB, Buccaneers
Randall Cobb, WR, Packers
Tevin Coleman, RB, Falcons
Stephen Gostkowski, K, Patriots
Jordan Hicks, LB, Eagles
Mark Ingram, RB, Saints
Kareem Jackson, CB, Texans
Ja'Wuan James, OT, Dolphins
Eric Reid, S, Panthers
Bradley Roby, CB, Broncos
Rodger Saffold, OG, Rams
Terrell Suggs, OLB, Ravens
Golden Tate, WR, Eagles


http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001...minate-rankings

From the list above, it looks like we could find some help at S and LB. I like Jarrett at DT, but the author says Atlanta won't let him get away. I like LBs Mosley and Z Smith, plus we would weaken the hated Baltimore scavenger birds. Impressive group of Safetys here, too. This FA class seems pretty weak at WR, CB, and DT, the 3 positions I think should define our draft strategy, especially CB & DT. Luckily, it appears to be a good draft class for DTs. Not sure about CB depth in this draft, so maybe you go that direction early.

Phil Dawson, I don't care what it takes.

Phil Dawson made only 62% of his kicks last year. He also can’t handle kickoffs.

In Arizona. With perfect weather.

Let's give him $20 million guaranteed!

Respect to Phil for his contributions here, and his great career .... but he certainly seems to be close to the end. Not a shocker at 43.

The guy we had last year had a better season than Phil.

Get Gostkowski.

This. x 1000.

There is none better.

As has been done in the past with certain players, when he hangs up his cleats, I would like to see him sign a one day deal and officially retire as a Brown. Highly doubtful that will happen but it would be nice to see.

Again. Phil Dawson is not good anymore. And he is old. And he doesn’t do kickoffs.

Age doesn't always matter with Kickers ... George Blanda was 48 ???

So he’s not good, old, and injured?

I don’t think George Blanda is available. . .

(He was the 15th most accurate kicker when he was 48.)

Brilliant idea! Phil is part of The Land. He is remembered as a Brown. Hang your helmet on when you were good. Still kick in the cold and the crosswinds.