DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum What Now Pt. 2

When it comes to Njoku and Bitonio, I think re-signing them has major benefits for the salary cap. I could easily see Njoku come back and spread out some of that dead cap into future years. I just don't know what that deadline is.. Not sure if he can spend time testing free agency, or if that dead cap can no longer be touched as of I.E. day 1 or 2 of the new league year?

Bitonio, it could easily come down to him hanging up the cleats. He has stated in the past, and almost did last season, he is looking at the next chapter of his life, which is out of football. I could see him retiring this year. If he doesn't retire, it will be because Berry and Monken talk him into another year. He has also stated that he wants to end his career playing for one team, which leads to the coming back to the Browns or retiring. I love Bitonio, but honestly, there are some reasons to push towards retirement the past couple of years, especially 2025. He had next to nothing around him in 2025 after so many injuries decimated an already middling roster.

Right now we are looking at this as the Browns O-line roster:
Jack Conklin still has 2 years on his contract. It is a team friendly deal and no reason to cut/trade him. Health will dictate what he does with the team in 2026. If healthy, a really good RT
RT is wide open, Wyatt Teller is a free agent and we haven't seen anyone step up after his injury filled 2025.
C Ethan Pocic is a free agent and Luke Wypler is on the last year of his rookie deal, but has not shown signs of elevating to a starter level.
LG, we already discussed Bitonio and there isn't anyone in line to replace the possible future HOF.
LT, Cam Robinson was a terrible trade last year, so I would be shocked if he doesn't stay in free agency and end up somewhere else.

The only outlier... Dawand Jones is on the last year of his rookie deal and has shown no signs that he can stay healthy.

So, IF CONKLIN can stay healthy.. you might have one position set for 2026, the other 4 positions are up for grabs.

My suggestion, since there aren't really any big opportunities to improve the WR room in free agency... Go full press on signing Rasheed Walker away from the Packers. He could finally fill the LT vacancy we have had since Joe T left. He is going to be expensive, probably looking at $26-27M/yr, but he is only 25, so it would be a smart signing, if they can get him away from GB.

Packers actually have a worse cap situation than the Browns. The Browns have some offseason work to do, which is what Berry does best and gets little credit for. They are looking at a $20M deficit on the cap right now on the surface, but the mechanisms that Berry has in place (and probably the biggest reason he still has a job that people don't know about) should bring the Browns back to having close to $50-60M in cap space to work with when it is all said and done. Between restructure and insurance from his injury, Watson should garner about $30M in relief on his own. Re-signing Njoku will give them another $10M in cap relief, after paying him to play in 2026. Ironically the same is true for Bitonio, however, as already stated, he might be heading to retirement.

If they could sign Walker, then they could concentrate on interior linemen in the draft, which is where the gold is.

I would love to see them draft two WRs, ideally Carnell Tate or Jordyn Tyson at #6 and Denzel Boston or at #24, then come back at #39 and get a highly touted guard like Emmanuel Pragnon or Gennings Dunker. Then at #70 draft a stud center in either Connor Lew or Jake Slaughter. 4 immediate starters in the top 70 picks. It could transform the offense, like Schwesinger and Mason Graham shored up the defense in 2025. The defense was already well on their way, but these two pushed them into top 5 caliber.

This offense is FOUR linemen away from being a solid unit. It is so bad right now that I don't know if it is possible to get high enough to matter. But, there are interior linemen in this draft that have skillsets to succeed at a high level in the NFL. Tackles, not so much, LT is void of talent altogether. There are many drafts pushing Mauigoa to us at #6, but he is a true RT and I don't know anyone that thinks he is going to transition to the left side at the next level. RT is the only line position we actually have warm bodies for in Conklin and Jones.

We need linemen and WRs a plenty in this draft. If we can find a Njoku replacement for 2027, I wouldn't be opposed.

Free agency is going to be one big name and done. There just isn't the meat in this free agent class to transform a team.

If Watson regains his Houston form, he should be the best QB on this rosters (as it sits today)

If that turns out to be true, does Monken start him? Should Monken Start him?

I have had and continue to have a problem with him, but without that,,, what do they do?

I think extending Watson might just finish me off. Not joking. Not hyperbole. I think I would have to walk

This is a test post because it seems we're missing posts in this thread.

I think the only reason, at this time, that we would extend him would be to lower his cap hit this year.
Short of him "accidentally" getting backed into by a truck and that sending him to IR so that his entire cap hit comes off our books, it might be our only way of getting some cap relief.
Even with the higher cap, I think we're still slated to be $20 million over at the start of free agency.

If our coaching staff thinks DW gives us the best chance of winning, I would play him. We're paying him anyway and I want to see us win.

That's not the first time over the past couple days that a thread would show new posts but clicking to see them merely took me to the top of that page; scrolling to the bottom would not show the new post.

Same here.

I guess JS has delivered his letter of resignation.

Time to move on.

Doesn’t exactly raise your stock by sitting out a year.

Jim Schwartz will not return as Browns DC for 2026 season

Jim Schwartz will not return as Cleveland Browns defensive coordinator for the 2026 season, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported on Friday.

Schwartz is walking away from the franchise where he has served as DC for the past three seasons after the Browns hired former Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken as their new head coach -- for which Schwartz was a finalist.

When Monken was hired, The Insiders reported that Schwartz was visibly upset at being passed over for HC and told coaches he did not plan to remain in Cleveland despite being under contract.

Rapoport, Pelissero and Garafolo reported on Friday that the Browns attempted to convince Schwartz to remain on Monken's staff but it was not to be.

Monken was asked about Scwhartz's status earlier in the week during his introductory news conference.

"I think Jim is an outstanding defensive coordinator, I think we all would agree with that," Monken told reporters on Tuesday. "But I think it's a little inappropriate for me to comment about that at this time."

In his three seasons with the Browns, Schwartz twice helmed a top-four defense in yards allowed. His unit often was the lone bright spot in a dismal 2025 campaign, and Cleveland saw Myles Garrett break the single-season sack record and win Defensive Player of the Year, while linebacker Carson Schwesinger was named Defensive Rookie of the Year on Thursday at NFL Honors.

https://www.nfl.com/news/jim-schwartz-not-returning-as-browns-dc

It may be true that nobody is irreplaceable but it's most certainly true that some people are much harder to replace than others. This is one of those cases.

Well, after the worst possible way of handling things and communications, this is probably the best case scenario. As soon as he told Haslam to go f himself and Monken said he didn’t chip Schwartz, this relationship was dead. There was no coming back from that. I just didn’t want some long drawn out drama or an attempt to shoehorn an angry prideful spurned coach back into the system. Now we can all move on.im just glad it’s over.

And I agree. I think we saw that truth rather dramatically when Callahan left. I don’t know how much they tried to keep his system buuuuut it didn’t work

Browns statement...

My disdain for Haslam knows mo bounds

I am now hoping the Browns promote Jason Tarver Linebackers coach. He knows Schwartz's system really well and his linebackers have been responsible for calling the defensive when the offense audibles. He has been with Browns wince 2020 and has developed players like JOK, Devin Bush, Carson Schweisinger etc... Hoping he is next in line to keep the gang together as much as possible.

I don’t understand how we continuously make these mistakes and look bad. Doesn’t anyone think things out?

There are definitely times when the FO/owners look buffoonish.

I don't know, I pretty much expected this. I actually don't understand what the "mistake" was. I mean, if Schwartz is not your man for the HC position, he was obviously leaving.

The only mistake I've seen was telling prospects keeping Schwartz was "non-negotiable"; if that was, in fact, the case.

I just think Schwartz is being dramatic, there is a good reason that the Browns did not hire Schwartz as head coach and that is because he is not a good head coach

True for the most part, but as a fan, it keeps on getting more and more difficult to stay true to the team. I doubt that I'm going anywhere, but man, it sure can be difficult at times...

We have no idea what the conversations between ownership and Schwarz were leading up to the hiring of the new HC. Claiming "He's not a good HC" is the same thing Tennessee fans said about Vrabel who will be coaching in the SB Sunday. It's the same thing their GM and owner thought too. I know I'm not qualified to say those things about Schwartz and I highly doubt you are either.