DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Who realistically can the Browns land in Free Agency?

I just think he will be too expensive for the level of production he delivers.

(Side note: We run a lot of sets with four down linemen.)

I would love a 4-3 lineup..

LDE: Sheard
DT: Taylor
DT: Suh
RDE: Bryant

OLB: Kruger
MLB: Dansby
OLB: Mingo

You'd then have Rubin, Kirksey, Roberston, Winn, and Hughes to rotate in..

You'd be able to play any Defense at any time.. moving from 4-3 to 3-4 seamlessly..

But.. I wouldn't spend that much money on Suh.

Supposedly Suh is almost certain to stay in Detroit. It was on the crawl on either ESPN or NFL Network the other day.

For those hoping, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high regarding the possibility of signing him.

Me wanting a 4-3 isn't contingent on signing Suh..

Hell I'd bring back Sheard and sign JPP.

JPP's production has gone way down.

I think people are going off of memory than what has happened.

Sheard isn't coming back.

I was really disappointed. I thought for sure that he would slide into the OLB role and be a star. I thought that he would be a double digit sack guy playing OLB in this defense, but he really didn't do much at all. 44 tackles was the lowest of any year in which he played all 16 games. 2 sacks was well below even his career low, which was 5.5 sacks in 13 games. Someone mentioned that he could not set the edge at all, and that is very true. He got caught up in the wash far too often, and was caught trying to chase down plays from behind. I really thought that he was a natural to transition to a 3-4 OLB. Man was I wrong.

His production has gone down, as has any other talent along that D Line..

He's the only one there.. So his stats are going to go down.. He's only ganna be 27... missed 5 games last year, then had 12.5 sacks this year..

What do people think of Dan Williams as a potential replacement for Rubin? He is a ginormous man who was pretty successful last year in a defense that is somewhat similar to ours.

Based on our head coach's comment and our roster I would say that it is pretty clear that we are going to be a running first team (ideally). Jerome Felton and Henry Hynoski are two of the better fullbacks in the league and both are available in free agency. I would love to get one of those guys.

I liked Williams coming out of college. Haven't followed him in the pros.

How has he done? Any information would be appreciated?

Yeah, guilty here too. I really was pimping him up. Really only effect he made to me was on 3rd and 4th downs on those few run plays .

I was positive that he would be a force... I too wrong.

Yeah, I thought he would blossom in the 3-4. I thought his skill set was better suited to a 3-4 than a 4-3.

Williams started out slow, but he was pretty good in 2014 (from what I have read).

Kenrick Ellis will probably be cheaper and I don't think there'd be anotable drop off.

But we do have a lot of cap space so I wouldn't be opposed to it

Williams was borderline pro-bowl level this year. He really took his game to a new level. Conveniently on a contract year.

I haven't had time to check through the thread but I;ve been hearing the Cards can't afford to bring Houston back. I still believe the DL we have if healthy can be sufficient if not better. But a stud OLB would be phenomenal.

Thanks for the information.

Vers, he got TWO sacks at outside linebacker in a 3-4 defense. TWO. And he sucked against the run. I don't care who drafted him. I care about production and his wasn't anywhere NEAR good enough, especially for how high we drafted him. He was supposed to be an elite pass rusher. He isn't. Not even CLOSE. So he can't get to the QB and he can't set the edge. But he's an awesome OLB? In what way? If we are going to continue to run a 3-4 then we need linebackers. Sheard isn't one. He's MUCH better suited to play in a 4-3 at DE. Mingo isn't one. I don't know where he is best suited to play, but OLB isn't it. Mingo is not a guy you can build a linebacking corp around. The NPD we ran last year won't get it done. 31 sacks WON'T get it done. Unless Mingo wakes up and starts playing like the guy he was SUPPOSED to be. An ELITE pass rusher? Then he's a bust. Big time. And that is true no matter who drafted him.

Who realistically can the Browns land in Free Agency?

The real question is...
WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO COME HERE AS A FREE AGENT?????

lol bro, come on, surely somebody would be willing to come here. maybe a DL?

$$$

Maybe a free agent water boy?........

No no one wants to come here... we never land any FA signings.

All Fa's to winning programs only.

Haslam was on record of saying that we won't be big players in FA this year ... I'd assume that we won't look at any WRs or DBs, but I think we'll be looking hard at DT/DE/LB combos

While Suh is a great player, I don't think even his level of production is going to be worth what someone is going to have to pay him..

You could overpay 3 other people for the price you're going to pay him..

I don't think the Browns will be much active this free agency period. Haslam even hinted to that.

This draft will be very important and excluding any picks being taken away for Textgate, we got a lot of ammo to bring in important positions. Obviously d-line, oline and WR are big. As always, Qb is huge.

Suh I don't think is feasible. Doubt he'll wanna play here and the amount of money required to persuade him to consider this place, IMO, would be borderline insane. If something not so "insane" could be worked out, then Hell yeah! But I highly doubt that outcome would ever be tangible.

My top target would be Justin Houston. There are plenty of good DL options in the draft this year but not a lot of good pass rushers. JMO.

j/c

What do people think about Pernell McPhee?

He's played in a 34. Lined up at multiple places, including DL, and is a pretty good pass rusher.

Where are you going to play him? DE? I don't believe he would come here if you want him as a NT...

Jerome Felton.

Just a heads up, Brandon Spikes first year with Buffalo was last year.

I also don't see how he fits. We have Dansby, Kirksey, and Robertson in the middle. Spikes cannot be on the field for passing downs.

j/c

I like Suh. I just don't like him at the money he might command.

I'd rather have a guy who is still ascending and likely to have his best years in the league ahead of him. The guy I covet the most is Parnell McPhee. Especially in a draft that's weak at OLB.

j/c:

So I've seen reports ranging from $40-$50M available for the Browns to use in salary. Although I don't agree that 'no one will want to come to Cleveland', I do think we'll have to overpay moreso than some other teams because of team history, recent rumblings in the FO, and we don't have a QB. Still, I think the Browns can sign one, maybe two big name guys. If they go with two, I hope that ends it and the rest of the players signings are either depth related or our own guys offered extensions. Speaking of our own guys....

1. I'd offer Gipson a long-term deal now. Long-term doesn't have to mean a exorbitant contract but I would encourage the Browns to exploit the Cleveland Indians model of signing players-- Get 'em locked in now cheaper (even if the sample size is not large enough to limit risk) instead of waiting a year and their value may go up even more.

2. Use any 'tag' on Cameron if a deal cannot be reached. People are concerned about Cameron because of the concussions, and I get that, but he is talented receiver at a position where we desperately need it. You can mask his sub-par blocking, can line him up almost anywhere, and is a mismatch most of the time. Not too mention he has pretty good hands. Like cfrs said, if the Browns want him to stay, they can make that happen-- at least for 2015.

3. Let Sheard walk. Sorry, he just doesn't fit the scheme. Best of luck.

4. Sign Skrine for #3CB money only...maybe slightly higher. Pettine values the CB position greatly so I can see a contract at least offered to Skrine. It not that he plays bad, he is just limited physically and will give you 2 PI at the most crucial times in the game. However, he seems to work really hard out there and has come a long way since being drafted. Again, I'd like to have him back, just at the right price.

5. Bring back Paul McQuiston......j/k.

-----------------------------------

Here are some FAs I'd like the Browns to consider:

1. Jared Odrick- 27 yrs old- DE, Miami.

2. Pernell McPhee, 26 yrs old- OLB/DE, Baltimore.

3. Cecil Shorts, 27 yrs old- WR, Jacksonville

4. Dan Williams, 27 yrs old- NT, Arizona

5. Justin Houston, 26 yrs old- OLB, Kansas City

The common theme here is they're young, heading into their second contract, & defensively have been playing in a 3-4 scheme. Cecil Shorts would be a nice addition with Cleveland ties but I would not think he would be an answer to getting a #1 WR.