DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Browns Weigh Who Will Run the Ball

lincoln

Browns weigh who'll run ball

Droughns is due bonus; Peterson looms in draft
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Free agency starts at midnight tonight, but one of the Browns' more interesting offseason decisions takes place in 15 days.

That's when a roster bonus due to running back Reuben Droughns is either paid or isn't.

If Droughns is paid the bonus, he stays with the Browns.

If Droughns is not paid the bonus, he becomes a free agent.

The rub with the money: It's $1.75 million, not a small amount. (The Browns would not confirm the figure).

That's a sum high enough that it will at least prompt discussion in Berea.

If Droughns is let go, it would probably signal the Browns' strong interest in drafting running back Adrian Peterson with their No. 3 pick. The Browns very well could decide that paying Peterson is better than paying Droughns.

Then again, not paying the bonus brings many questions.

Such as what is plan B if Peterson goes with the draft's first or second pick?

The running backs on the roster other than Droughns are Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison. Neither has proven himself a full-time NFL back.

The Browns do not want to discuss the bonus issue, and Droughns could not be reached for comment.

General Manager Phil Savage and coach Romeo Crennel have assessed Droughns' season in the past weeks. Crennel said the team was concerned that Droughns did ``regress'' in 2006, when he gained 758 yards and his per-carry average was 3.4 yards (compared with 4.5 and 4.0 in the previous two seasons).

``But I think that he has shown us that he does have the ability, that he can be a productive runner for us,'' Crennel said. ``I expect him to get back to that form that he had. That 1,200-yard form.

``That's what I'm looking for, and that's what I'm going to hope for.''

Savage said he thinks Droughns can bounce back.

``If we went into next year as it stands right now, if Reuben is one of our ball carriers, I think we'll be better in some other areas'' of the team, Savage said. ``So I'm not going to just throw my arms up, throw my hands up, and say he can't play. I won't do that with any of our players.

``We're not going to fix every single thing (this offseason), so there are areas where we have to get the most out of what we do have.''

Droughns signed a new four-year, $13.1 million contract a year ago. The contract followed consecutive 1,200-yard seasons (one with the Denver Broncos and one with the Browns).

The deal included a $2.5 million signing bonus, roster bonuses of $1.25 million in 2006 and $1.75 million this year, and salaries of $1.2 million, $1.25 million, $1.75 million and $2.75 million.

Droughns' first roster bonus gave him $3.7 million in guaranteed money last year. The Browns were not going to pass on paying the roster bonus after having paid the signing bonus.

The contract was written so that the bonus this year would either reward Droughns for a good 2006 or allow the Browns to decide whether the remainder of his contract is too hefty for their liking.

The keep-Droughns argument states that he was hampered early in the season by a shoulder injury that affected his running style. Droughns took a serious shot from Cincinnati Bengals defensive end David Pollack in the second game and ran with pain for some time afterward.

Late in the season, a sprained foot hampered Droughns, and when he returned after missing the 24-20 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, he shared time with Wright.

Too, the Browns' offensive line struggled mightily in 2006, and it's hard to envision any back gaining a lot of yards.

The Browns obviously envisioned Droughns as their lead back when they gave him the contract a year ago. Is it fair to him to abandon that plan after the entire team -- not just Droughns -- had a miserable season?

The argument to let Droughns go is that his production did drop, and, at times, he did not seem to run as well or as hard. Droughns never will be a speed back, so many of his yards come from hard work. If he's off his game a bit, it can affect his total.

The other argument is that Peterson really is the next great back in the league. He wowed scouts by running a 4.38-second 40-yard dash last week at the NFL Scouting Combine.

If the Browns think Peterson is their man -- and Savage clearly likes University of Oklahoma players -- the $1.75 million that's due to Droughns could be better spent upgrading the line in front of Peterson.

That being said... if Droughns is let go and another team swings a trade with the Oakland Raiders or the Detroit Lions for one of the two top picks and takes Peterson, the Browns would be left without a top back -- unless Wright or Harrison grew into the role.

One thing that won't affect the team's thinking is the salary cap. Savage said the Browns will start free agency about $30 million under the $109 million salary cap.

The decision on Droughns will come down to football and value. As in: Is Droughns a good enough player to receive the money he is due?


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patrick McManamon can be reached at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com

I say we pay Droughns the dough. And then draft Peterson.

The reason why is because alot of successful offenses have a 2 RB system. (New Orleans, Indy, Jacksonville) And I would love to see AP and Reuben share the ball. Not excluding Wright here as Wright is a decent receiving RB, but I really think that's what we need. In order to keep Droughns or Peterson to keep from running out of gas close to the end of the season...

If there are any "reports" that Jamal Lewis may be interested in becoming a Brown.. that I check that out..

If those reports are not there, then I say keep Droughns, but trade him for another pick... We have a FB in Vickers.. Vickers can get those yards in goalline situations.. thats why we drafted him..

Wright has a year extension, and Harrision or Barclay will be on this team (both picked up last year).. There is no need to keep Droughns.. no need at all.. not with the drafting of Peterson..

Reuben isnt worth that kind of money and it was foolish to give him that much of a raise. The one reason he might stay is his leadership. I think he was the only thing that kept the team from killing Edwards.

Let him walk....he isn't worth it

"I think he was the only thing that kept the team from killing Edwards. "

I'm sure he's regretting that decision,and we shouldn't hold that against him.
In my feel good dream world this AM,I can only hope that paying,or not paying,the bonus tells us how the GM values the player,and not reflective of some future plan.

I think this will depend on how much we upgrade the OL in FA. Savage knows what Reuben can do if he has holes to run through. He'd still be a servicable compliment to AP especially to take the load off during his rookie year. I think we'd be foolish to let Droughns go and make AP carry the workload in his rookie year, especially given his injury history. I think Droughns will get paid with the hopes that our OL will be significantly better in September. It's by far less of a gamble than letting him go and putting all our eggs in one basket.

Quote:

---

I think this will depend on how much we upgrade the OL in FA.

---

RD is due the roster bonus at midnight.
We can't even improve our line before he is legally entitled the money.
The decision has to be made before we know for sure that we will improve our line with free agent signings.

Quote:

---

Droughns signed a new four-year, $13.1 million contract a year ago. The contract followed consecutive 1,200-yard seasons (one with the Denver Broncos and one with the Browns).

The deal included a $2.5 million signing bonus, roster bonuses of $1.25 million in 2006 and $1.75 million this year, and salaries of $1.2 million, $1.25 million, $1.75 million and $2.75 million.

Droughns' first roster bonus gave him $3.7 million in guaranteed money last year. The Browns were not going to pass on paying the roster bonus after having paid the signing bonus.

---

JEZZZZUSSSSS....Does it ever stop???

Damn...Droughns a 3.575M Cap Hit if we Pay em'...Possibly MORE cause there's 700K missing from those numbers...

3.575M Hit or 1.875M Hit if we DON'T pay the RB...

Looking at it Mour it ain't that high with the Cap goin' crazy over 100M...

Now u bring in Peterson at #3???...hmmmmmmmmm...

How much of Droughns was the ankle and shoulder???...The off season maley domestically???...

Get BALLZY Savage...DON'T pay it and go sign Lewis for 2 yrs...

Sorry- somehow that part didn't register when I read it.

Sometimes ( Many times ) I don't understand posters on this board " Dang " ?? At what point last year can anyone confirm that we had anything that resembled an " OL " ... I mean we had one of the worst in the entire league .. Jim Brown in his prime couldn't run behind the crap we put on the field ... Ruben was hurt , really hurt , but tried to play through it
Leadership on the " O " side of the ball , you bet

Peterson , Peterson , Peterson , Thats all I read on this board .. How many NFL. carries has the young man had ? How about injuries ?? And you ( Savage /Lerner ) are going to [censored] & moan over a couple of mil .. how much $$$$ have you got in Edwards ??? Oh yea , I forgot , upside , potential !

Pay the guy the money. It isn't THAT much and, even if we end up with Peterson, we'll still need two guys who can carry the load. Peterson will have to prove he can carry the load at this level without missing time to injury. He couldn't do it in college and I won't believe he can until he gets through an NFL season. Until then, we need a guy like Droughns who CAN carry the load (if given the chance to do so -- which is a different issue altogether).

I don't know why people keep ragging on Droughns. From my seats, he looked exactly like the guy he was when we first acquired him. Droughns has never had break-away speed, but that's not his game. Droughns is a 25-30+ carry guy who keeps banging away at defenses until he starts ripping off bigger and bigger chunks of yardage. We only used him that way TWICE last season. In those games, he went for 100 yds vs. Oakland and 125 yds and a score vs. the Jets. I'm not claiming he a stud RB, however, he can still be very effective. You just need to know how to use him.

Quote:

---

I don't know why people keep ragging on Droughns. From my seats, he looked exactly like the guy he was when we first acquired him. Droughns has never had break-away speed, but that's not his game.

---

Speed isn't his game...Correct...

Nagging injuries last year MIGHT be part of the problem...

BUT...He was nowhere near his 05 self...He lacked...SERIOUSLY lacked the explosion to get thru what little crease he may have had...It's one of the things that seperate the Good from the bad...

When u have a crease U MUST EXPLODE thru it or u r DONE...

Quote:

---

At what point last year can anyone confirm that we had anything that resembled an " OL " ... I mean we had one of the worst in the entire league .. Jim Brown in his prime couldn't run behind the crap we put on the field ... Ruben was hurt , really hurt , but tried to play through it
Leadership on the " O " side of the ball , you bet

Peterson , Peterson , Peterson , Thats all I read on this board .. How many NFL. carries has the young man had ? How about injuries ?? And you ( Savage /Lerner ) are going to [censored] & moan over a couple of mil .. how much $$$$ have you got in Edwards ??? Oh yea , I forgot , upside , potential !

---

Completely agree with you. I mean come on; we had no real backup and Droughns was playing through an injury. Fact is Wright is a 2nd/3rd RB and Harrison was a rookie. Sometimes i think we as fans look at other players as if the grass is so much greener on the other side. I like Droughns a lot, and i have a hard time believing that he isn't playing hard. We have seen nothing of Adrian Peterson in the NFL either.

Pay the guy and keep him on our team. Has a crappy season and everyone forgets him being our only bright spot the year he first came to our team. You think Arizona's manager wants to cut the Edge? He had a down season last year, may be they should.

It would amaze me if the Browns cut Droughns

.. " It would amaze me if the Browns cut Droughns "

.. Nothing this organization dose ( since it's return in 99 ) Would Amaze me

The Browns need to pay the bonus or sign (less likely scenario) sign a veteran FA at RB. There are numerous holes on the roster. Releasing Droughns would weaken the roster.

The Browns are nowhere near the salary cap. Droughns salary is not a burden. Keep him for another year.

That is a bunch of cash to pay a fading back.

I say let him go. The waiver wire is full of backs who can take Droughns spot.

Wright can gain 800 yds if given the carries...that is 50 yards a game.

Any half ass back can do that.

I agree. Reuben is only getting older. Why not give Harrison a chance. What about the possibility of going after Michael Turner in free agency, I mean even though he has played behind one of the greatest running backs in NFL history he still averages 5 yards a carry. Of course the other possibility is to get Peterson in the draft. I just don't see the logic in giving a guy that is only getting older more money when we can invest it in a younger back. I am just guessing here but if Jerome Harrison had 220 caries like Reuben did last year I bet he could have had more than 800 yards rushing. My whole point is running backs come a dime a dozen and there is no point in over paying an aging back who is only getting slower.

Turner just got tender a very high offer. too much to give up. he is not an option imho.

Harrison only proved that as of last year, he can NOT block. (hope that changes)

I don't want to see wright as our feature back. back up o.k. , though i like better.

Too bad about Turner. Sounds like Harrison would have been a perfect fit then last year because he would have had alot in common with our offensive line. LOL......I hope that can change to.....If Wright is ever our feature back then we might as well just put in the June Jones Run n' Shoot offense.....Like I said though, no point in wasting money on someone that is only getting older and slower.....Just seems to me that giving someone alot of money to run for 800 to 1200 yards a year is not a real sound executive decision. Let's face it 1200 yards is only average, in some cases below average in the NFL today. There's a bunch of guys we could insert in our backfield and if we gave them 200 to 280 carries a year that could run for that much for a LOT less money. JMHO

Quote:

---

Sounds like Harrison would have been a perfect fit then last year because he would have had alot in common with our offensive line. LOL....

---

....... wait a minute , that is too true to be funny

Quote:

---

If there are any "reports" that Jamal Lewis may be interested in becoming a Brown..

---

Hey....why not...he always seems to get about 200 yards a game when we are on the field...LOL

ok joke over