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7 Browns contracts Andrew Berry might want off the books in 2020

CLEVELAND, Ohio – It’s officially salary dumping season in the NFL.

Teams are parting ways with contracts they don’t want on the books in 2020 as they prepare for free agency and the draft.

On Friday, news broke that the Redskins will release cornerback Josh Norman, saving then $12.5 million on the 2020 salary cap. Similarly, the Texans will release cornerback Vernon Hargreaves ($9.9 million savings) and the Ravens will move on from safety Tony Jefferson ($7 million in savings).

As Andrew Berry looks over the Browns contracts he inherited, he could decide to create more salary cap space as well.

The Browns have $49.5 million of cap space to work with in 2020. That puts them in the middle of the pack among NFL teams, which is quite a change from recent years. The Browns were in the top three — and first overall twice — in each of the last five years.

To increase the Browns’ cap space, here are seven players Berry might want to part with in 2020:

1. Olivier Vernon

Vernon’s contract counts $15.5 million against the cap in 2020, the final year of a deal he signed with the Giants in 2016. He’s coming off a disappointing season that was limited to 10 games by injuries. But this has become a trend. Vernon hasn’t played more than 12 games in a season since 2016.

Also, the Browns will question the production they got from Vernon. While he was fourth on the team in pressures (35), he had just four sacks in 10 games, the lowest total since his rookie season, and at least half of his total from the previous four seasons.

While many NFL contracts cost a team at least some salary cap space after a player is released (dead cap space), Vernon’s does not. That could make it even more enticing for the Browns to look elsewhere for Myles Garrett’s running mate on the edge.

2. Christian Kirksey

Kirksey has played nine games over the last two seasons, with a chest injury ending his 2019 season after two games.

He signed a four-year, $38-million contract extension in 2017 that runs through 2021, and the deal has more than $20 million left over the next two seasons. That’s a lot of money for a player that has struggled to stay healthy.

Kirksey is scheduled to count $9.9 million against the cap in 2020, but the Browns would be hit with just $2.4 million in dead cap if they move on.

Of current Browns, only Joel Bitonio has been with the franchise as long as Kirksey, a third-round pick in 2014. But it’s understandable if spending nearly $10 million to see if Kirksey can get back to his form of three years ago is too much for Berry.

3. T.J. Carrie

Carrie played 63 percent of the defensive snaps in 2019, eighth-most on the team. His ability to play in the slot and out wide was important as the defense dealt with injuries in the secondary.

Carrie also finished the season with the worst coverage grade of his career, according to Pro Football Focus, which put him at replacement level (47.7).

Carrie is due to make $8.1 million in 2020, with a dead cap hit of $1.8 million. Moving on from Carrie could make sense, especially if the Browns decide to keep Eric Murray from reaching free agency. Murray, while considered a safety, played 75 percent of his snaps in the slot. And he cost the Browns only $741,000 in 2019.

4. Chris Hubbard

The Browns are expected to seek upgrades at both offensive tackle positions this offseason. While Greg Robinson is headed toward free agency, Hubbard is under contract for three more seasons.

It has been a rough couple seasons for Hubbard on the edge. He led the team in quarterback pressures allowed each season (80 total), and gave up 12 sacks with 11 penalties.

His $7.2 million cap hit in 2020 is too much for a backup. Releasing him would save the Browns almost $5 million in cap space.

5. Adarius Taylor

Taylor is currently the second-highest paid Browns linebacker, behind Kirksey. And yet, he played only 60 defensive snaps in 2019. Instead, he was a workhorse on special teams, with more than 300 snaps.

But his $2.9 million cap hit in 2020 is a lot to pay for a special teams player who doesn’t touch the ball. The Browns could release him and save more than $2 million.

6. Terrance Mitchell

Mitchell went from 2018 starting cornerback to 2019 backup with the arrival of Greedy Williams. He started four games when injuries hit the secondary, but played more than 10 snaps just once in the other 12 games. That included seven games with no defensive snaps.

He’s due to make $3.6 million in 2020, third among Browns cornerbacks (behind Carrie, Denzel Ward). If the Browns want a cheaper alternative at backup corner, releasing Mitchell would only cost them $666,000 in dead cap space.

7. Eric Kush

Kush was signed last offseason by John Dorsey and expected to compete for the right guard spot. He got the job and started the first seven games of the season before being replaced by Wyatt Teller.

Kush’s contract pays him $2.4 million in 2020, but the Browns could save nearly $2 million by releasing him.

https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/02...ks-in-2020.html

All NFL front offices have "analytics guys" but usually they are mid-level staffers, not decision-makers.

and... we have 50 million in cap space available. Based on analytics, I don't see us signing anyone back from FA group.

I'd like to see us sign Randall, Schobert, Burris and possibly Murray.

LT Greg Robinson
QB Drew Stanton
WR Rashard Higgins
FS Damarious Randall
ILB Joe Schobert
FS Eric Murray
CB Justin Burris

RFA
RB Kareem Hunt (RFA) 1st rounder if we want to keep him/2nd if we want the pick
G Justin McCray (RFA) 2nd rounder if we want to keep him
TE Ricky Seals-Jones (RFA) first right
DE Bryan Cox Jr. (RFA) first right
WR Khadarel Hodge (ERFA) minimum
RB Dontrell Hilliard (ERFA) minimum
TE Pharaoh Brown (ERFA) minimum

if we let everyone walk we will have some huge holes to fill. Likely, too many in one year. (hopefully not the case)

Our window of opportunity is closing fast and we need to get our act together. We have about 2-3 more years of top premium talent left against being in a somewhat favorable cap situation. After that, we will have to play the saints and patriots and steelers game.

If we lose everyone
MLB 2 Free Safeties LT RT backup guards. 1 SS Burnett needs to go if he doesn't retire. Achilles injuries take 2 years to heal and he's 31.

2 OT's both need to be replaced
3 Safeties 2 FS and one SS Burnett is toast
1-2 OL Interior offensive line
1 DE (unless we keep Vernon)
2 Linebackers 1 in and 1 out (if we lose Scho)
1-2 Wide receiver 1 for the slot and 1 for the #4
1-2 TE 1 receiving and maybe 1 blocking
1 FB

All in all, we need to replace 10-11 starters if we let everyone walk. that's a lot and far too much to accomplish in one off-season.


side note... 2021 is a complete nightmare.
tons of FA and tons of cap space. (probably why Dorsey got the boot) and not waiting until next year.

Any connection between Kitchens and Wilks probably came through Arizona, But otherwise, Yeah, I think you are right

Dorsey created the hostile environment. He effectively gave a bunch of people still in the building the finger his first day on the job with the "real football players" claim. Let's make things up and blame the analytics guys, though.

Dorsey ignored the analytics guys and blasted them at every opportunity. The analytics guys did their job and provided information. They weren't out to get Dorsey. Dorsey's actions did him in.

If he'd done his job, things like making sure everyone was working together well instead of actively not working with people himself, he might still be here.

But he brought in talent!?!? That's not hard when you've got extra high draft picks and lots of cap space.

It's not guaranteed, as we've seen, but it's not really that unique.

Dorsey waged a one man war, Depo just did his job and reported on it. When you just do your job, the boss often lets you stick around. When you're the primary contributor to a hostile work environment and ignore some of your assigned responsibilities, your boss often has to let you go.

That's surface level anaylsis.

Dorsey and Depo should have never been made to work together.

That's on Haslam.

I don't believe the issue is football guys vs analytics guys. It was not Depodesta vs Dorsey. The problem was I don't think the football guys embraced analytics.

Dorsey made fun of analytics the second he arrived when he said "those guys, that system didn't bring good players," which he later had to backtrack.

Dorsey also hired a coach who didn't use analytics as well. How many times was it said Mayfield's greatest success was from 12 personnel and it didn't seem as though Freddie was listening.

It was as if those guys said "watch how great I am, we don't need to use the numbers." It was never Depo vs Dorsey.

Okie-dokie.

At least it had a basis in actual verifiable events. It wasn't rampant speculation on what Depo did behind closed doors.

Maybe Haslam shouldn't have hired "King John". That is on Haslam. Maybe he should have hired Wolf or someone else not quite so egocentric.

Dorsey seems best suited for a consultant job like his buddy, Scot McCloughan. Something where he doesn't have to work with other people all the time.

At least you used a qualifier. "seems" suited.

The only actual verifiable event is that Haslam is the common denominator. He has created a rotten stinking culture from the top down where nothing survives.

He's the root cause of it all.

And now he's going back to a 1-31 rerun.

#alignment

Is Morgan Burnett not listed because he will want to part with him? If not he should be number one the list.

Tearing down a team is not hard. You let good players walk. You cut other players who are well-paid. You trade away desired draft spots for future draft spots. That's not hard. That is the easy part. The hard part is choosing good players.

And the Analytics guys did a horrible job w/the choices they did make. Myles was a good pick, but there is information out there that the analytics guys preferred Mitchel "Freaking" Trubisky over Myles. They then traded the 12th overall pick when D. Watson was staring them right in the face. Their other high picks were disappointing. They decided to go w/a QB room of Kizer, Kessler, and Hogan. Those three guys did not own one single victory heading into the season. Their top 3 WRs were Kenny Britt [brilliant FA acquisition,] Corey Coleman, and Ricardo Louis.

The roster was universally regarded as the worst in the league by anyone who did not have strong emotional ties to the Browns. Dorsey comes in and the same folks who trashed the Brown's roster were now saying they had one of--if not the most--talented roster in the league.

So what does Haslam do? He almost certainly listens to Depo and fires Dorsey and his crew and replaces them w/the same guys who already proved they sucked.

It's mind-boggling.

Edit: A few posts after yours, someone posted an article about all the guys who might get cut by the "smart guys." LOL..............this is where the analytics group excels.

Don't worry, I doubt we let everyone go.

People keep saying that, but it isn't true. Haslam has said many times that we have a solid core group and are looking to build. We aren't looking to take it to the studs as Depodesta warned was going to be a hard process.

I don't mind you and others not liking the FO, but don't just make things up.

Please explain how other than Stefanski and the coaching staff how the FO is different than it was before Dorsey came to Cleveland?

It's fairly close, but that isn't the point. You keep saying on our way back to 1-31.

Part of that record is on the coach, but a big part was on the FO because that was the plan at the time. Get that through you thick head....I say that with love...

We aren't looking to rip it apart and stay in a constant state of rebuilding.

That doesn't mean we won't let players go. We will. That doesn't mean we might not trade down. We might.

But we aren't in a mode to accumulate picks above winning games.

Seriously Roy, just stop.

The GM is different.

There is all kind of evidence with direct quotes from Dorsey. example link

Haslam enabled the culture, he wasn't the cause of it. He didn't make people run their mouths. He did let guys pull the wool over his eyes. Brash can be inspiring during a hiring interview. It's much less so when you never turn it off and blame other people when you fail to back up the talk.

These are not mutually exclusive.

I would agree with you that enabling a culture and causing it are not mutually exclusive.

I don't understand how anyone can look at the evidence and come to this conclusion.

I agree w/you that Dorsey's group and Depo's group were put in a very uncomfortable situation. Depo's group was probably upset that they didn't get the opportunity to see their plan through and resented Dorsey and his crew. Dorsey was probably looking at the roster and the team's record and thinking you want me to listen to these guys?

That is on Haslam and no one else.

I side w/Dorsey's group. Others may side w/the Analytic group. That's understandable. Folks view things w/different perspectives. Trying to paint one side as all-good or all-bad is not very smart. Excusing what Haslam did is hard for me to understand. He created an adversarial environment and if you look back at the history of his ownership in Cleveland, that scenario has played out time after time after time. Texting plays from upstairs. Trades being called off due to many voices or outright insubordination. A coach pleading to be let out of his contract. Reports of Haslam stopping guys in the hallway and asking about other members of the organization.

I am trying to say that I really don't blame the analytics guys for not liking Dorsey or vice versa. It was a forced marriage that was sure to lead to dissension and even dysfunction. My contention is why even pair both groups? Haslam should have either stuck w/the Analytics guys or kicked them all out of the building. New analytics guys would not be all that hard to find. And it's obvious when there are only 32 teams in the league, that there are a multitude of prospective FO and coaching candidates.

I'm not a fan of Grigson either. I don't know how much influence he has, but it's safe to assume it's far less than when he was in Indy. That's what I choose to focus on regarding him. He's a cog, not 'the guy'.

While I'm not thrilled about canning Dorsey, I get it. You say that the reports about him not working well with others is exaggerated, but I'm not sure. I haven't seen anything that refutes the claim, and the little we do know seems to support it. Story is that he also wanted to keep Freddie. Was then approached with a diminished role (which is warranted if he really did want to keep Freddie) and he turned up his nose. I disagree with the move, and I hate the outcome, but I get it.

Now with the new FO. I'm not really happy with the return of the 1-31 group, but this bunch isn't being headed up by Sashi. I think that's critical. With him not in the picture, and not holding the main decision-making role, this is now a group of really smart football guys. They've been in and around the game and wear both hats ("football guys" and analytics dorks). I think the dynamic of this group is different in that they won't lean so heavily on the analytics.


I don't think they will do as good a job as Dorsey in terms of adding talent, but I also think they'll shed the '1-31' tag. They'll be ok. I'm hoping Stefanski will be enough of an improvement so we don't reboot again in 2 years.

Was it a forced marriage or did Dorsey say he'd work within a certain structure in an interview only to do something completely different once hired?

They got married too soon. Before they tried living with each other.

Did we even actually interview Dorsey? I think he was hired the same day Sashi was let go.

oober, most of the talk about Dorsey not working well w/others is on this board. There was the one article from KC that was mostly speculation. It's been repeated so many times on here and expounded upon that it seems that there are dozens of reports about Dorsey not working well w/others.

I think that depiction is false. In fact, I clearly remember him saying something about treating others decently in the PC where Hue and Haley were fired. He has a good rep in the league where others trust him.

Not asking you to believe w/me or agree w/me. However, I am going to maintain that him being such a jerk is manufactured. I do think that there was a built-in problem w/the marriage of Dorsey's group to Depo's, as I laid out in my last post.

So... without any proof you'll say Sashi Brown was difficult to get along/work with, but "without any proof" you'll say Dorsey wasn't difficult to get along/work with...

Agenda much?

There would be speculation involved with that premise, but it's possible.

This for me sums up my thoughts on Dorsey...




We were heading for disaster, I think it's important that we aborted.


Link

I respect that. I see where you're coming from. Where we disagree is that I think the depiction of Dorsey is probably more accurate than not. I'm sure it's been stretched and twisted artificially into what we "know" today. I just think the basic idea behind it is probably mostly true.
Also, most if not all the info coming out, on both sides of the argument, is mostly rumor and innuendo. Hard to make a definitive statement either way. Hell, we still can't even agree on who was actually making the draft picks from the regime before... how are we supposed to know what KJ was like behind closed doors?

I laid out the sequence of events that makes most sense to me, and KJ being how I think he is fits with that theory and lines up with certain rumors. It's not perfect, but it's the best I've got.

Giving Dorsey less time than Hue indicates something was up. Being let go in KC indicates something was up. The flexing on people, real football player, and numerous other quotes given publicly indicate Dorsey had issues.

Organizations always get rid of the guy that wasn't causing problems.

It does make me question the Grigson addition. He seems to basically be Dorsey without the scouting acumen. That and I don't see any way trading a 1st round pick for a bust RB makes sense at all, let alone with analytics. It would be silly to bring a guy in just to remind Berry what not to do. Unfortunately, that makes the most sense of the possible explanations I've come up with, which is basically saying it doesn't make any sense.

First of all, I don't want to get into it w/you and that group of yours. I will reply this one time, but I would prefer that we not speak again.

I did not say Sashi was exclusively hard to get along with. I was referring to the analytics team in general. Sashi was a part of that group.

I do think there is evidence that they weren't easy to get along with. Not telling Hue who they were going to draft is evidence. Wylie's comments in the Albright tweets is further evidence. While they may have been right, it was still insubordination w/the McCarron deal. Joe Thomas had multiple remarks about how the FO did things to undermine the coaching staff. Osweiler's comment indicates that Sashi was the one who declared that he lost his starting job. The comments from other teams about how trades were undermined because there were too many voices in the room when Sashi was working under Farmer was alarming.

Thus, I think there is plenty of evidence and I am not just making things up because of my "agenda." You can reply back w/your typical insults, but I really don't want to speak w/guys like you and Memphis again. It's better for the board that we don't speak to one another. I hope you guys can at least respect that.

I'm okay w/you not agreeing w/me. I think you are a good dude and valuable poster. It's okay to disagree. I probably am going to continue w/my opinions because I truly believe that firing Dorsey was the worst move the Browns have made since their rebirth.

Fossilized poop doesn't need to be polished and can still be worth $1000's.

Hilarious, isn't it?

Then by your own admission, all they've ever shown us they know how to do is tear a team down to the studs. All they've shown they can do is build a crappy roster. You seem to indicate that doesn't make any difference. I say it does. There's zero evidence that this FO group knows how to build and keep a winning team together. That my friend is what people need to get through their thick heads.

That doesn't mean it's impossible, but if Haslam thought they could do it in the first place, he never would have hired Dorsey. So this is nothing more than Haslam second guessing himself and so far his guesses on this group haven't shown us any reason to believe they have some secret ability they have never shown.



You mean stop questioning a FO group that has shown zero ability to build an actual winning team ever? Why would anyone do that?

Likewise.

While I wouldn't put it quite as dramatically (due to the Freddie Kitchen hire), I am also (at the end of the day) not a fan of canning Dorsey.

You can question all you want. You have to be fair.

Those guys weren't allowed to reap the benefit of the extra picks. We don't know how they would have done.

I am glad Dorsey made many of the picks.

The problem before was Sashi and the collaborative approach. Sashi was only a tie breaker. He wasn't GM. I think we have that fixed now with Berry the final word. Fixed in the sense that we will know who made the picks. When Sashi was here were they collaborative to the point they passed on guys until they all agreed on one? I agree, that isn't the way to draft players.

Someone has to say this is who we are taking, and then live with the decision.

Sure, these guys might fail. Just like Sashi in the lead and John in the lead failed.

I think Berry will do a good job.

Actually I have posted quotes directly from Sashi's moth that he was the GM here. You can slice and dice it any way you wish, but when you have control of the 53 man roster, you are the GM. When you are the tie breaker, you are the one who controls the final decisions.

And you seem to be debating a point that we both agree on. There is zero evidence to indicate whether this will be a success or not.

There is however overwhelming evidence that we have gone back to many of the powers that be that proved to be an utter failure.

And one other point here. IF Haslam felt that he could have simply dismissed Sashi, restructured the other powers that be who were here at that time and find success, why didn't he?

Who has been chewing on his ear that convinced him that going back to those same people would work now when he obviously didn't believe it would work then?