DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum 2022 Browns/NFL Free Agency Signings/News

I don't get why there seems to be no interest in Jarvis, Clowney, or Harrison.

Now. Before you just said Wilson. We did trade Mac Wilson. At least the way I read it was you were trying to somehow bring him in to the Watson trade.

At any rate, I like the trade and don't think we paid more than necessary no matter if you were a bit unclear or I was confused when reading your comment..

I think Jarvis wants to be paid like a top 7 WR. In his mind he is difference maker on the field
But he is really nothing more than a possesion WR good for a gadget play once in awhile

Clowney I think is overvaluing his worth.he wants to be paid like a DE that can get.you
12-sacks a year.

Harrison is a bit surprising though.

I don’t know either, but I’m glad. I’d like all three back at a cost efficient price. Completely forgot about Harrison until you just said it

Seems like teams might be waiting until after the draft at this point in free agency.

As far as Clowney goes, I'd expect him to wait and sign with a team after OTAs and mini-camps are over.

You are on point. I think there is interest, but at this point all the focus is on the draft, and it is that way for all teams.
first, they want to concentrate their attention on that.

Second, the draft might impact their need for a FA signing. And free agency is all about needs. Teams don't go out and sign the best free agent available like they often draft the best player available..

I'd be curious to know if the Baker decision is holding up possible moves, especially if they have to eat some of his contract this year. It might alter how the FO would prefer to allocate money annually on multi-year deals?

That as well, but maybe not all that much. Something tells me Berry and crew are expecting to pay Baker and are working the plan with the dollars available.

When that clear up, bonus money!

The longer he sits the lower his value becomes. If they end up paying Baker this entire season they lose him after this season and got nothing in return. That's a lose/lose proposition and every FO in the NFL knows it. They should just swallow their pride, realize it was themselves who put them in this position and nobody else. Take what they can get before they end up getting nothing.

It pretty much has no other way of being than to be a factor; until/unless he is traded.
He is on the books this year whether he sits or gets cut, unless another team trades for him. That is a large amount of cap tied up right now.

There is the $9.5M in cap space coming free on June 1 from the Hooper release, though. That, with what we currently have, should be enough to take care of Clowney if he's up for returning here.

Same as last year, though, I don't expect him to do anything too quickly. He seems to like to take his time and not sign later in the spring/summer.

We only won 2 games by multiple TDs last season. It's easier to hunt sacks when the other team has to pass. Clowney still had 9 sacks, and had the 4th highest pass rush win rate in the league. link I don't think a 12 sack season is out of the question here, especially with Myles on the opposite side. With the cap going up, he's likely to have substantial offers from some teams, if short term. Maxx Crosby only had 8 sacks last season, with a lower pass rush win rate, and got a 4 year, $93M extension.

If you were Clowney, how would you price yourself? Hopefully, the having Myles on the other side and having a solid secondary behind him factor in to his decision.

Clowney wants to go someplace nice and warm and get paid.

I can't see Clowney getting a deal near what Crosby received. Crosby is also nearly 5 years younger. I think Clowney gets a one or two year deal. I would not want to sign Clowney for more than two years, another one year would be ideal.

2021 PFF Grades:

Maxx Crosby

Overall: 91.4
Run Defense: 76.7
Pass Rush: 91.8

Jadaveon Clowney

Overall: 66.5
Run Defense: 62.8
Pass Rush: 69.1

Clowney’s injury history is likely what is causing him to be unsigned. My guess is he just plays on one year deals the rest of his career.

I am not surprised about not having Clowney signed. Clowney is meticulous in his choices...and he usually waits things out...Maybe he wants to see what we do on the DT front...which I think is hurting more than the DE spot...I think we are probably still near the top of his list, but he also thinks he should be paid more.... similar to money he was looking for when signing with Tennessee...That is my guess...

I think Both Jarvis and the Browns would like to work something out. It just may take some time to do so. Personally, I hope they do. I like his lockeroom presence and I think Watson would help with his production numbers...

And yes, I also agree with the Draft aspect of this...most teams are in Draft mode and will look to reevaluate FA after the draft...

Highly doubt we did anything remotely close to breaking the bank, so this is a big win for us.

I like that we brought him back. We need a 3rd safety and he knows his role. I like the way he plays with emotion. I was told that he led the league in penalties so that needs to be cleaned up.

I thought Harrison was a goner for sure. Bringing him back on a one year deal is pretty great for everyone involved.

MJ Stewart was better.

I thought Stewart played real well down the stretch as a safety. Thought he was horrible playing corner. I'm surprised he only got a one year 3 mil deal from Houston.

YUCK

As a 3rd QB for the off-season I'm okay with it. I bet come September he will be on the PS or gone.

Probably replaced with a mid to late round pick?

I like Harrison Glad He Is Back

I was just thinking about Harrison .......... lol

Good to know we have a wildcat QB for those situations where Stef doesn't want to run a "regular" gadget play rather than handoff to Chubb on 3rd-and-short. Yippy-ki-yay.

camp arm

Meh...

I think it precludes us from having to make that pick. I like Josh Dobbs. He is a perfect 3rd guy and I wouldn't be surprised if we use him in other ways.

Actually, this solves a potential problem the Browns could potentially face if Watson is suspended.

If Watson is not available for say 6 games and the Browns would go to their #2 Brissett...but who would back up Brissett.? That is the question the Browns were facing. So they went out and got a QB to be the backup to the backup based on the Watson situation.

Obviously the Browns feel that Mayfield does not intend to be a participant in such a plan, to cover for Watson's off the field issues, so they were forced to fix the potential problem. Also, since teams are playing a waiting game to see if the Browns will just release Mayfield, the Browns are determined to find a way to reap some value for Mayfield by trade.

One last comment..Dobbs is smart..an aerospace engineer major, wonderlic 29... athletic/excellent mobility...the knock on him is his arm.

He fills a need and has some value...

Browns Free Agency Slog Could Continue Another Two Months
Pete Smith - Yesterday 9:27 AM

No team has operated at a slower pace than the Cleveland Browns have this offseason and it could continue into June.

The Cleveland Browns have been patient this offseason. Patient to the point where someone can both marvel at their temperament in negotiations and want them to hurry up and fill out their roster already, but this process is likely to drag out until June.

Trading Baker Mayfield is certainly a priority for the Browns. The Browns appear inclined to rollover Mayfield's $18.8 million salary into 2023 for the sake of cap flexibility, so they can wait until July or August to trade him if necessary.

The Browns still need to fill out the rest of their roster, which could include three defensive linemen, another receiver and another safety, enabling them. Currently, the Browns have approximately $20 million in cap space with another $7.5 million coming courtesy of designating Austin Hooper a post June 1st release.

This helps explains the patience from the Browns, operating largely out of necessity. Yes, they have some money, but it needs to stretch to address their roster deficiencies. As a result, the Browns have put offers out to players who are likely hoping for more, resulting in the stagnation. As players continue to get signed by other teams, the Browns might represent their best offers, increasing the likelihood deals get done.

The Browns can continue to use void years to sign one-year deals for free agents, but any dead money they must pay in 2023 should be balanced against cap space they intend to rollover. Ideally, they would rollover more cap space than than they have dead money in 2023 as it would increase their overall pool of money to operate. If the Browns plan to roll over all of the money from Mayfield after he's traded as well as the money they will get for Hooper, that would give them a little over $26.3 million to rollover. That should represent the red line for potential dead money.

The Browns are already scheduled to pay a total of $19.622 million in 2023 for four players who will not be with the team. $7.5 million to Austin Hooper, now a member of the Tennessee Titans, plus $6 million to offensive tackle Jack Conklin, $3.75 million to corner Troy Hill and $2.372 million for linebacker Anthony Walker, all scheduled to be free agents after this season.

Subtracting the $19.622 million of dead money from the $26.3 million figure they might want to rollover, that would leave the Browns with a little over $6.6 million to use in void years before they cross that red line, which then reduces the amount of money they'd have to use in 2023.

Every dollar they spend this year is a dollar they cannot rollover and use to payoff dead money next year.

Should the Browns fail to attract Campbell and Hicks, they might have some money to spend at receiver, but the cost would be substantial. Heading into the third season in a row with an undermanned defensive interior would be a major disappointment. This year's NFL Draft doesn't have much to offer in terms of immediate help, adding urgency for the Browns to address it in free agency.

In the event these free agent options force the Browns to wait until this summer, they can't really afford to make a big move at another position. Save for acquiring Watson and Amari Cooper, the Browns have signed players to deals to relatively low figures. Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been the biggest signing of free agency to this point, set to earn $4.65 million this season, accounting for 2.1 percent of the salary cap.

Maybe there the Browns have worked out some deals with a wink and a nod, perhaps even a handshake that are set to come to fruition in June. Until they sign the contract, both sides could change their minds. That could have an impact on the way they approach the NFL Draft at the end of the month.

Andrew Berry has said he approaches the offseason like an expansion team, trying to maximize opportunities and find good investments. That would suggest they would like to select what they feel are the best football players available. Should the Browns go into the draft with a bunch of holes on the roster, it will be a test of his mettle, whether he's able to stick to that philosophy and avoid chasing needs that might force him to sacrifice value.

The draft does put some pressure on receivers to sign because the talent and supply available is consistently high at a cheap rate. Beckham isn't likely to be impacted much given his recovery from his ACL, though he doesn't appear to be a realistic option for the Browns anyway. Meanwhile, Landry and Fuller might feel pressure to get deals done, avoiding the possibility of facing an even bleaker market in May and June, perhaps waiting until July to sign a deal.

That should embolden the Browns to stick to their numbers. They may want to see what happens in the draft before they sign another veteran to the receiver room, getting a look at them at in rookie and team minicamps before determining if they need additional help. If they feel good about a rookie they draft, they might be inclined to use that money elsewhere on the roster or roll it into next year. If Fuller or Landry wants to sign at their number, it further strengthens the receiver room, giving them another weapon.

The pace of the Browns offseason has been slow, first dictated by their pursuit of Deshaun Watson, now by their available cap space after acquiring him. The return to a normal offseason could further extend what is already an insufferably long process before getting meaningful resolutions for the remaining holes on the roster.

I agree. We don't want the back-up to be a rookie.

Not only that, both Dobbs and Brissett are on 1 year deals. This way we can look at both to decide on which we may want on a longer term deal to be the back-up. It also gives us some leverage in the event one of them wants more than we are willing to pay for a back-up.

As I said, I like Dobbs. I think it's a good move for a lot of reasons.

With almost 100M in cap tied up with 4 players in 2023 - Garrett, Watson, Chubb, & Cooper - all of which already have prorated bonuses in their cap number - cap management is at a critical stage. With the projected 2023 cap number being somewhere between 220M and 225M, the 4 players above with the current dead money at 19.662M gives the Browns approximately 120M tied up or a minimum of 52.33% of the total cap before any rollover. Of course, this doesn't include Ward, Njoku, Hunt, Greedy Williams, D. Johnson and others who become FA's in 2023.

It's even uglier in 2024 where Garrett 32.130M, Watson 54.993M, Bitonio 19.6M, Chubb 16.2M, Cooper 23.776M, and Teller, 13.926M (6 players) are going to account for 160.625M of the cap before any dead cap or contracts signed in 2023. All these players (and most likely any signed in 2023) are already sitting on prorated bonuses.

CURRENT PRORATED BONUSES
2022 - 62.056M - 41 players (avg. 1.514M per player)
2023 - 51.832M - 29 players (avg. 1.787M per player)
2024 - 48.070M - 19 players (avg. 2.109M per player)

Good news about Harrison. I didnt expect him back AT ALL. And he wasn’t good last year .. but he CAN be a viable piece. Good signing

Damn...RIP Dwayne.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/04/09/dwayne-haskins-struck-by-car-and-killed/

OMG. That's terrible!