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Jed Wills finds a home.

From another thread....

Ummm... 🤨🤣

j/c...

It's headlines like this that make me think about Joel Bitonio. While I selfishly want to see a headline that he is coming back to the Browns for another season.. I not so secretly hope I see a different headline that he has signed a one year deal with; Bills/Rams/Patriots/Seahawks/Chiefs. We continually give players a career worth of gloom. For someone like Joel, for everything he gave Cleveland, I wish he could get a ring. 12 years, with only a few highlights is rough.

I felt the same way for Joe T, but in the end he just gave us loyalty to the Orange and Brown.

WHAT?!?! There's something we don't know, injury or some other facts we don't have yet. He's a legit starting LT who had one marginal year on a $10M "prove it" contract? What did I miss?

He is marginal, but he was definitely the best on the market before Taylor Decker was cut by the Lions.

What I don't understand is marginal guards are getting better contracts.

This one is a head scratcher... Is he his own agent? That's the only thing that would make sense...

AI:

Rasheed Walker's one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, worth up to $10 million (far below the $25 million per season some expected), stems from several performance and market factors.

Performance Weaknesses
His elite pass blocking (top-15 in pass block win rate over three years) couldn't offset consistently poor run blocking grades from PFF (44th, 41st, and 53rd overall among tackles recently). This middling overall profile as a former seventh-round pick deterred big offers despite a thin tackle market.

Short-Term Strategy
Walker signed a prove-it contract to bet on himself at age 25, aiming for a larger payday in 2027 free agency after replacing injured Ikem Ekwonu. It's a low-risk move for Carolina needing immediate stability without long-term commitment.

Market Dynamics
Despite hype as a top available tackle, no bidding war emerged, possibly due to Packers fans' frustration and his unsigned status earlier in free agency. The Panthers capitalized on this for a bargain stopgap.

Teller to the Texans.

Source: Dolphins trade Jaylen Waddle to Broncos for picks
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/48231337/source-dolphins-trade-jaylen-waddle-broncos-picks

The Dolphins got quite a haul for Waddle. That will make any trade the Browns try to make to acquire a Wide Receiver much harder to get done.

Yup.

Let's try something novel. Draft a couple of WR's and actually develop them into viable NFL players!

Half of my excitement for the draft is pinned to the hope we finagle another 1st next year someway or other. Truth is, we're not getting a viable QB any other way and we're likely, in my mind anyway, going to be a bit better next year than last year. If for no other reason than our schedule is softer, 2 of our division rivals will also have new coaches and the OL will at least be serviceable. Meaning, middle of the 1st round and out of the running for the top of the QB-palooza that is supposedly going to be next year's draft. I know you can't predict anything really and anything can happen but I feel very confident in 2 things..1. Franchise ain't on the roster, 2. we ain't getting him thru FA or trade. So I hope they keep eyes on the prize rather than just hope for the best. Do what ya gotta do.

I have never bought into the idea of developing receivers. If they can't catch by the time they are 22, it isn't going to happen. You learn that when you are 10 years old.

You might be able to get them better at running routes, but I find it hard to believe that their coach in the past didn't want them to tighten up their routes. They just didn't.

In many cases, in college they didn't have to. Their athleticism would allow them to win on balls regularly. There aren't a lot of generational WR coaches. Who is the equivalent to Bill Callahan as a WR coach? Too many players don't succeed because they had it too easy in college and they are not developed at 22. If they don't get it within the first 3 years, they are usually discarded for the next big prospect. Those that are good WR coaches, move on to be QB coaches, then OC and then HC. Developing WRs is very important though, just like any other position. It isn't just, they either have it or they don't.

We just disagree.

I agree that you can develop players in some respects, but if you are talking about remedial studies, screw that. If you can't catch, you can't catch. I don't want our coaches trying to teach some clod how to catch. If a guy hasn't learned that a sharp cut works better than a rounded loop, they are just retards who haven't listened.

^ Classic 'Peen post ^ 🤣

(BTW... I agree, although even when we draft a WR with good hands *Braylon Edwards, cough, cough* he'll just develop "polio fingers" after we draft him anyway)

Brian Hartline

LOL, touché

I will agree on this one... might be our last chance to get one his protégé's. If Sanders has any kind of improvement, which he should with an entire off season to prepare, we won't be in position to draft Jeremiah Smith in 2027. Brandon Inniss might become the last in line from Hartline.. I wouldn't be shocked if he went into the portal next off season as a graduate, if he doesn't have a huge year and come out in the draft in 2027. Do you know what his eligibility status is?

Not to distract from Hartline's successes...but I wonder how much involvement he had in recruiting these guys who have turned out to be very good+ My guess is quite a lot of invovlement and he knows what he sees when recruiting these WRs...then he makes the good even better.

AB should hire him as a draft consultant for a couple months.

I've felt that way for years...not necessarily Hartline. Just some outside eyes and ears for a month or two. Someone who knows they are a contracted worker who doesn't care if they fall in with the company line or not. It could be some ex coach or GM, maybe one of the draft gurus.

We have a GM, a scouting staff and coaches. We should be able to form solid opinions of a potential draft pick ourselves. However, if we can't reach a conclusion on a player or players there are myriads of free analysis and opinions out there from all these talking heads and former coaches and players. I agree, and I've posted in the past, that it might be a good idea to hire someone to help with the draft for a few months especially at the QB position but let's face it there are no shortages of information out there on all these players.

He has his hands full. He is now the HC at USF. I'm anxious to see if we get any first or second round WRs in the future drafts. I'm sure it might take a couple years to shift that knowledge, but we should see in the near future how much he really was the catalyst. I'm sure he will be able to recruit off of his success at tOSU. Hopefully this will be a stepping stone for him for a better job in either the Pros or a better college gig.

I would not even look at any of the talking heads evaluations. They have jobs to do to meet deadlines, etc. I am sure they are not evaluating every player. Most of what we see is regurgitated from each other to form "consensus". Then as we get closer to the draft, they start to get a sense of where players are being put as they hear from their sources. We will get a better idea of where everyone falls, especially the WRs about two weeks out from the draft. There is a lot of BS being sent out right now because teams would rather keep everyone off their scent as to which way they are truly thinking. That's why I am pretty sure the Browns are not thinking Monroe Freeling at #6. There is no way that information is out there to let others get their ducks in a row to possibly draft him before them at #6 if that were their true plans.

The scouts are the most important people in the building right now. They are pointing everyone in the right direction, then at the end of the day Berry needs to hear the one shouting the loudest or take into account his own scouting experience and look at each individual that is thrown his way. If someone gives a valid reason to disregard a candidate, I would listen to that, but his job depends on him picking the right players. In reality, it is more important for him to draft pro bowlers or players capable of getting accolades than it is to win games. His job isn't to win, it's to provide the best possible players. If he thinks someone like Caleb Downs will be the most likely to win DRoY, I could see him drafting him at #6 regardless of the needs of the team. He has already rebuilt the O-line, he isn't beholden to over draft a LT just because it is the biggest need outside of QB.

I don’t think anyone has mentioned it but our signing of DE Epensea from the Bills is pretty good for us. Solid player to put opposite Myles.

Epenesa was a little bit of a disappointment according to my Buffalo friends. However I think his size will allow him to kick inside on some passing downs. I never thought he has an array of moves as an edge and Buffalo over drafted him by a round. I think in our system maybe he and Alex Wright are inside and Myles and Isiah on the outside. AJ is legit 6'6 270 and Alex is right about the same. Tall guys shooting gaps while Myles wreaks havoc from wherever we line him up. Very good low profile signing in my opinion.

Just to list what has been done so far:
Key 2026 Browns Signings & Moves

Zion Johnson (G): Agreed to a 3-year, $49.5 million deal, adding a veteran presence to the interior line News 5 Cleveland WEWS.

Elgton Jenkins (C/G): Signed a 2-year, $24 million deal after departing from the Packers, strengthening the center position ESPN

Quincy Williams (LB): Signed a 2-year deal, roughly worth $13 million, to bolster the linebacker group, via ESPN.

A.J. Epenesa (DE): Signed a 1-year, $5 million contract to provide pass-rush depth 247Sports.

Tytus Howard (OT): Acquired from the Houston Texans for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick to solidify the tackle position, with a 3-year extension signed to manage cap space Akron Beacon Journal.

Kalia Davis (DT): Added to the defensive tackle rotation on a 1-year deal, per Akron Beacon Journal.

Jack Stoll (TE): Signed to a one-year deal to provide blocking depth following David Njoku's departure, noted by ESPN Singapore.

Re-signings and Extensions

Julian Okwara (DE): Re-signed to continue contributing to the defensive line rotation.

Teven Jenkins (G): Re-signed for the 2026 season, adding further offensive line depth.

Tre Avery (CB) & D'Angelo Ross (CB): Re-signed to boost the secondary ESPN


I'm not sure why the numbers cut off there, that's weird.

4 Oline. Good start now draft 2 more in our top 3 picks