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I think that would probably be a much better scenario. But at that point, they would also know he is the one and only option we would have. Still not negotiating from a position of strength.

I guess the only way we would have any leverage at all would be this scenario.......

To begin with, I do not share the view of some who think there are "three or four guys" worthy of the #10 pick in the draft at the LT position. There may be two but only one I'm actually sold on. If and when Thomas comes off the board, that would be the time to talk to the Redskins.

While they know we would prefer Trent to any other player left on the board, they would fully understand we would have the option of picking another LT at #10. So with them knowing Trent isn't our only option takes away some of their leverage.

Where do you propose we take a project like Becton? #10? At #10 you should be getting a top talent at their position who is plug and play.

I think Okudah is also a top 9 pick, so that's another one.

I agree.

j/c:



FWIW.

.

I think your missing the negatives on Becton, he weighs 364 lbs at age 20 and is considered a future LT not a plug and play. Every GM will have to seriously look at Becton's weight because he will have to seriously be disciplined through out his career with weight management. Keep in mind, a 15 lb weight gain puts him at 379 lbs and that would eliminate the LT position for him because guys like Garrett will eat him for lunch.

2 of the other 3 are RT's. Wills played RT every game in his career at Alabama and Wirfs played 29 of 31 games at RT for Iowa. Thinking that you can just convert a guy to the 3rd most valued position on the team and not have a weak spot on your line is just wishful thinking. That leaves Thomas as the only bonafide option at LT of the four. Now none of this is secret and every GM has the same information that I have. How they feel about each player could be different but if the team is in need of a true LT my guess is Thomas is at the top of each of their lists. If they are just looking at a tackle then it's a different story. The Browns are looking for a LT, PERIOD.

Waiting until the draft to trade for Williams after you see if Thomas is gone or if Simmons falls to the Browns. Here's the drawback to that thought process. First, the Browns only have 15 minutes between picks to make those decisions. The Redskins as well as every other GM in the league knows the Browns need a LT. Not saying that it cannot be done but if Thomas goes at #4 to the Giants lets say and then we call Washington you can bet the price for Williams will instantly go higher. That's not even taking into consideration that Simmons might go anywhere in those next 5 picks in front of us that creates another issue to deal with before #10.

Trading for Williams pre draft gets us the fairest deal because the Skins want pick(s) and will need to address their own issues at LT with Williams gone. Waiting gives the Skins uncertainty and they will want more when we come calling. Having Williams pre draft would 1) address our LT position where we wouldn't be forced into a selection or for heaven sakes reach for a LT or draft a RT hoping he can play LT because of dire need. 2) It gives us options at #10. If Thomas is gone which wouldn't matter if we had Williams our focus could be on Simmons. However, if Simmons is gone we could trade out of the #10 pick for a later first round pick and a second depending on who's trading up. A team like Las Vegas that's looking for a top WR could be an option. These talks could even take place Pre draft so that the Browns have options in place going into the draft. Getting more picks especially if your guy isn't there is a smart move especially considering picking up an additional 2nd round pick. It's like putting out feelers on who might want to trade up and what they are offering. Just an option - don't bite my head off! LOL

I still believe that Williams could be gotten for a 3rd round pick and a player. I originally thought Vernon was the bait to use but his 15.5 million dollar contract is a huge stumbling block (I still think the Browns are going to part ways with Vernon one way or another). A better player option to include with that 3rd round pick would be Njoku. The Skins depth chart right now shows Sprinkle as the starter and the Skins are looking to upgrade at the position after releasing Jordan Reed. I don't think you wait until draft day to pull off a trade after your guy is gone. Even a novice like myself is going to demand more because your desperate or you wouldn't be calling. Make the deal now, eliminate the need, and focus on what you need to focus on which is the best player available.

Two of these are from before the draft. Since then Clowney has performed on the field. Again, I have concerns, they are more about injuries than performance.

j/c:

This!

I agree completely with this. I hope the FO does due diligence and investigates this by end of next week

I was showing you that it's not just "on this board." You can choose to ignore them. That's your right. I was just pointing out that your claim was inaccurate.

Btw-------I typed in Clowney's work ethic and those were the first three on the page. It's not hard to find these articles.

Exactly .. hes someone who would put our defense at another level and with Lamar in the division, thats key

I seriously doubt he will be there at #10.

Will have to move up to #3 possibly and that will require significant capital.

It’s strange .. cuz i agree with you, but I’ve seen more mocks with him falling to us over the past week or so

what does "kinda think" and "kinda know" mean and how does it relate to this topic? this topic?

Reading is hard.

Noob policing threads and calling you out for nonsense? Somebody has a second account...

Simmons might be the target but if Williams is under contract to the Browns prior to the draft - the Browns then select the best player available at #10 or trade out of the slot for a later first round pick and pick up a 2nd or 3rd rounder as an add on.

For the first time in recent memory, the Browns would have the luxury of trading out or just selecting the best player available. On the defensive side of the ball, the Browns could select any position (with the exception of maybe cornerback) and it would add to the defense. DT, DE, LB, either S would be a plus for the team at this point. Same for the second and 3rd rounds where the later picks could all be based on depth instead of hoping to find a diamond in the ruff.

This could be the start of a new era for the Browns where the draft is getting the best players available instead of drafting for need. Each draft the Browns are drafting depth and/or future starters instead reaching for players of need. For example drafting a guard in the 2nd round because you know that your current RG has 2-years left on his deal and is 33.

re: Becton's weight...

I don't think gaining 15 lbs, especially on someone that's already so heavy, would automatically preclude him from LT (or shouldn't, imo). I think it goes back to his overall skill, technique, attitude/work ethic and athleticism... as they are right now. I don't think it's impossible to play the position at just about any weight so long as you have other traits that balance that out. Joe Thomas was never the fastest, strongest, biggest guy out there, but his mixture of physical traits, technique and skill made him what he is.

I'm less concerned about Becton's weight than I am his technique and the fact that if he doesn't pancake his guy he's prone to not winning the block.

J/c

Well in terms of glaring weaknesses ... we do have two at the moment: LT and LB

I'm not advocating for or against Becton. I'm just saying that gaining weight shouldn't be the determining factor.

Yes, teams should draft with an eye on the future.

Although...

Bill Belichick has been drafting for need for years, only he showed us how to accomplish this by positioning themselves in a position to take said players where their value (BPA) was determined by trading and maneuvering to position the team to take said players where their value is concerned within a given class respective of their peers.

Note that this is not reaching for need, but positioning to draft for need.

Well the Browns are not the NEP and haven't been close. What you didn't include was the fact the NEP & Belichick have been masters at getting veteran FA's to plug critical roles that allowed them to draft the best available player. Now that might be directed at a particular area like WR on offense or DL on defense but most likely never at saying we have to have a particular position no matter what. Last year they drafted WR Harry. He was a need but not a must have position. In 2018 they drafted RB Michel (passing on Chubb) with a barn already filled with RB's that they run in and out like crazy. I wouldn't call that a need as much as an opportunity to bolster the position.

In any case, the point was the Browns actually have an opportunity to move into that type of drafting by trading for Williams solving the LT issue for 3-4 years and start this year by drafting the best player available at #10 or trading back to get more picks. Again, Simmons could be the target but if gone not all is lost if the Browns take the best player available for the defense that could be a DT, Edge rusher, LB, S or even CB. It would be a great position to be in rather than going into the draft with the idea they have to have a LT no matter what and draft a guy who played basically nothing but RT in college, or could have weight issues, or reaching for a player that is rated to go in the 2nd or 3rd round due to a self inflicted need.

To be honest, the Browns have done an excellent job so far this off season in FA. They've made some great upgrades and respectable depth. Rumors of talks to get Williams is definitely a step in the right direction. Rumors about Clowney confirms that the Browns consider Vernon a position of concern. On the scale of vital position importance to a team, LT is rated #3 and the offside Edge Rusher is #8. The Browns already have 17-million planned investment in the DE position with Vernon. Getting Clowney would require a higher commitment over a longer term. I'm not saying that's wrong, I'm saying that's just the facts. At the #3 position LT the Browns basically have zero dollars invested in the position at this point today. I also think you have to look at what the FO has done with the offense. They drafted the franchise QB at #1 overall. They traded for 2 Pro Bowl WR's. They went out and signed a TE to one of the highest contracts at the position. They went out and signed a veteran to upgrade the RT position. They resigned their center and have one of the guard positions set for the next 2-years. Thinking that after all these moves, upgrades, and veteran presence that they'd put a rookie at the #3 valued position that might not have even played LT before would be mind boggling. It's also mind boggling to think that the Browns would look at the off side edge rusher, the #8 valued position, and invest somewhere around 78-million long term deal when you currently have nothing at the #3 valued position and going into a draft that really has only 1 LT that meets your immediate needs that must be under no circumstance be a plug and play player at such a vital position.

It just seems to be crazy to think that the Browns have spent multi millions building an offense with what could be considered very few if any weak points only to put all their eggs in one basket in a hope to get a plug and play LT at the #3 valued position in the draft when there's a 7-time Pro Bowl LT available that would cost you less than the #8 valued edge rusher your contemplating signing. All things considered equal, what does Cleveland have a better opportunity of successfully addressing through the draft - an off side edge rusher or LT?

There are even thoughts through this post that keeping Vernon and adding Clowney would make the defense so much better being able to rotate the players in and out. That may be but I'm dumbfounded as to why anyone would think that having approx. 36 million invested in the #8 edge rusher position this year (even though you would say they are interchangeable throughout the DL) is a great move when you have no money invested in the #3 LT position and are hedging on the cost of signing a 31-year old 7-time Pro Bowl LT.

The Browns have 17-million invested in the off side DE right now. It is also a position they are seriously considering upgrading that will cost more than the 17-million already invested. They have zero dollars invested in the LT position.
Trading for Williams would seem to be a no brainer - will the Browns FO pull the trigger though?

Williams hasn't played in a year, and reportedly wants $20 million/yr. So he isn't going to be cheaper than Clowney. And while I agree that a lot of his problem with the Redskins are legit, I also feel like he's a little bit of a head case and also has a pretty extensive injury history. And it depends on what the Redskins want for him.

For the sake of accuracy I never said that every pick of NE was for need. Also WR was a need for them heading into last years draft after trades. The fact remains that BB has a history of doing just that.

That's all I was saying.

I agree that they should have taken Chubb of Sony, but happy they didn't as he was my favorite player that year.

j/c:

Where’d Carrie end up going?

Colts

Thanks ... so they released Desir for Carrie

It appears that way on the surface.

JADEVEON CLOWNEY
DL, UNSIGNED FREE AGENT

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports free agent Jadeveon Clowney is willing to sign a 1-2 year contract.

Clowney has already been forced to lower his asking price. Now he seems to be trending toward a one-year, "prove it" type deal. Fowler reports the Browns may have come the closest to signing Clowney to this point, but that nothing is imminent.

SOURCE: Jeremy Fowler on Twitter
Apr 9, 2020, 2:06 PM ET

1 Year, i'm in

It shouldn’t even be a question at one or two years.

Pending some sort of physical, I would agree.

1 year yes please!

One year, keep Vernon. Rotate them regularly. Get the Comp Picks for both expiring contracts on starter quality DE's when their contracts expire next year