Hmmmmmmm... Bengals getting Burrow a TE that can actually catch. Hopefully they ask him to block a lot.

the weaponizing of the AFC North Continues.

He probably has a decent year or two left, but Henry is definitely on the backside of his career and getting close to being used up. His "used up" will still look better than a lot of younger guys' prime, and I think the Ravens' O will help give him lanes to run in, but I don't expect a lot from him or this move.

He has slowed to the extent that hitting creases and running around the end is much less of a threat. But if you give him a hole to run through he's a load to bring down.

Big signing for PIT and may have an impact on any JOK extension.

Well that sucks. I would have loved for him to go to us instead of them. He would have been a great addition.

Queen is a big signing for them and not news I like hearing.

I agree Pit. We play in a brutal division. I honestly feel that top to bottom the AFC North has the most talent and 4 of the toughest teams in football. We finally caught up with our division opponents.

Queen is the kind of backer we've needed for years..steelers/bal always seem to have dominant linebackers and we get guys like taki taki and walker

I think JOK is well on his way to being a dominant linebacker.

Agreed but he could use some help. We need another talented LB. If there is one there when we pick in the 2nd or third round and we have him rated high I would take him.

Queen has better size for the middle, I agree I think JOK is getting better but he's been around some bad linebackers, get him another good one and I think he can take another step.. He's still kinda small at this level so he relies on speed. Queen is bigger and stronger at the LOS and I'd say Jok is better in space. need both. Bottom line is we still need help at LB

Damn. Got more money than I thought he would.

The Browns are a DL centric defense, and the Steelers are LB focused. We would never have been a player for Queen.

You can never have enough great players on your team, just ask the 49ers. This is a BIG oversight by the Browns. We could have definitely benefited from a talent like Queen, especially snatching him from a team in our own division.

This blows. Let a 26yr old up and comer go for $5m/yr when you’re actively looking for DL…

I'm fine with him leaving. He wasn't that good.

46.6 PFF score if you believe in that sorta thing.

The Texans are going to be a force to reckon with.

They are stacking talent and are well coached. Their future is so bright they gotta wear shades.

True. We already saw that!!

It will be interesting to see what the Chargers do today....

Sucks to see him go but the writing was on the wall with the Pocic extension last offseason and Wypler as the young drafted guy to backup. I think Harris, if given the chance, could be a starter. Good luck.

good luck Nick

I hate to say this but... i'm glad Harrison Bryant is moving on

Losing a lot of our "middle class" guys. Hopefully we can replace them effectively.

Yes please

we don't have the cap for this kind of chaos.

We could make it, but I'm not sure if there would be enough balls to go around. I think we've got plenty of pass catching mouths to feed already. Hard for Tillman to develop if he's got 4 guys in front of him.

Is the Bengals OL gonna be worse than last year?

Reader has been targeted by the Lions

On paper, it looks like a much improved ATL offense.

...I apologize if anyone else about had a heart attack until they realized it wasn't that Nick.

Lolz.

It seems as though the Falcons are being investigated for tampering in the Cousins deal and the Giants are also being investigated over the Barkley deal.....

NFL investigating allegations that Falcons, Eagles tampered with Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley

Two of the most high-profile signings are under investigation

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...ed-with-kirk-cousins-and-saquon-barkley/

They had that money set aside for Ridley burning a hole in their pocket it seems. I'm glad Armstead and Reader didn't end up in the AFC North.

Wonder if they try to move up to one for Caleb Williams. Kliff Kingsbury had a front row seat as he was an offensive analyst for USC last season after getting ousted from the Cardinals.

Will be interesting to see which direction this group goes with QB seeming almost definitely the way they are going now. Defensive HC in Quinn. Adam Peters at GM came from SF where Trey Lance didn't work out. Kingsbury. Brian Johnson comes from the Eagles as the passing game coordinator/assistant HC. Anthony Lynn is the running game coordinator. New owner.

Caleb Williams being a DC Native could also be a factor.

I really like this signing for Buffalo.

Side note: There have been a lot of contacts with the phrase "up to $X amount of dollars". Maybe that's not the case compared to other years but so many reports showing contract details feel like they reference that phrase so much more.

I would have given a 4th for Keenan Allen every day of the week and twice on Sunday.

Great productive player.

I actually thought Devin White would cost more than that. Sounds like the Eagles got a bargain.

That is a bit of a shocker. I guess Pickett thought there would be no qb competition or he was afraid of the competition.

All the bs that came out of Pittsburgh about Pickett being the franchise. My take on Pickett was AJ McCarron.

Now the Steelers want Russ to lead them. So nice to see them in qb hell.

Lol, so he wanted to move on when they signed a starter QB... and they sent him to a place where there's basically no chance he'll see the field.

I have never studied it, but there seems to be a high percentage of first round picks, used on QBs that don't pan out. Just going back 10-20 years, when teams have determined they must have a FQB and hearing the draft experts and how wrong they are, I would be curious to see what positions have been the least likely to have high end success.

Article I read said that Pickett is from Jersey and grew up an Eagles fan, so I'd presume he'd be content for now. OTOH, not a fan of having to face Wilson twice a year, he torched us good last year with an inferior roster, but then again we never played good on the road, especially in Denver

...Torched? ...Wilson went 13/22 for 134 yards against us. (He did have 1 passing [on an initially ruled incomplete pass that got overturned] and 1 rushing TD.) 5 fumbles, with 3 of them lost, killed us. DTR had us hanging around at 12-14 in the 3rd quarter. PJ Walker did not fair as well and took 4 sacks including the safety to close out the scoring.

That's not to say that he couldn't torch us going forward, but I wouldn't call what happened last season that.

Wow. Good trade for the Colts.

Depends on how much they end up paying him, and what the additional pick is.

He was Charlie Fye with a great defense.

The question becomes what will Russ do for the Steelers?

Maybe more of a question is who is Russell Wilson ?

I thought the sideline crap from Sean Payton was BS. However, I don't know the real story there. Certainly there are rumors about Wilson being a Prima Donna..

At the same time Sean Payton has stuck his foot in his mouth as well.

The Steelers are a defensive team that wants to run the ball on offense. Matt Canada was disaster. Russ can still throw the ball.

I have no feel for how it will work in Pittsburgh.

Wow....Bears got barely any return on that deal.

Bargain basement special.

Geez, I thought Fields was worth more than that. He is young. Played for a bad team. Big strong athletic guy.

Steelers made a good move. No matter what happens it was worth the roll of the dice.

Pittsburgh must be soooo stupid. Now they've got a *gasp* QB controversy on their hands! What a bunch of buffoons!

Everybody knows if you have more than 1 QB you don't have any QB's.

Right???

They're running circles around us, like usual.

The difference is that they knew they didn't have a QB, and they are hoping one of these cheap fliers pans out. There is no incumbent. There's no big investment. No in place loyalties to worry about. Can start the vet and see how he goes. If not well, they can see what Fields has towards the end of the season and only give up a 6th to the Bears. Pickett was bad, and they knew it. They "had no QB," and they still might not, but maybe they do.

But they are only cheap for this year. Looking at Russ Wilson's contract-This year was fully guaranteed-Next year would have been guaranteed for 37 million tomorrow. It was not-Would pittsburgh pay Wilson 35-40 million next year or part of a 3 year deal at his age?
As for Fields, he is on the last year of his rookie deal-3.3 million-There is a 5th year option for next year for 25.664 million. Would pittsburgh pick up the option or negotiate a deal if Fields doesn't have a whole lot of playing time.

This to me is a one year band aid, and they will be back to looking for the next QB1 next year.

Personally, I hate this. I think that Fields is a better QB, by far, than Pickett, and they have upgraded thsie QB position a great deal, on the cheap.

We just need Rish to pop in and tell us that we now have the 5th best (worst) QB in the division and we're all set.

we have invested the most capital of any of the division teams at QB with the worst return.. a 6th for fields? we couldn't get in on that? I would say our offseason thus far is sitting at a C-. Dallas is killing it

So clever! Just genius stuff here.

So they’re paying a washed up vet $1.2MM on a one year deal and get a young guy they gave a 4th round pick for on a rookie contract.

If either or neither pans out, minimal long term risk.

Which is pretty much just like us with three 1st rounders and $240MM fully guaranteed committed to one guy with serious PR problems and a 40yr old interception machine who’s cast some absurd Holcomb-esque spell over low wattage browns fans who can’t seem to see the prince for the freakin frog.

Pretty much an exact comparison right there.

Say what you want but today Pittsburgh has two QB's on their roster that are better than any of the three guys they had last year.

I guess it is all how one looks at things.

What side of the fence are you on the Cleveland side or the Pittsburgh side.

I do not envy the Steelers.

DW is still a question mark but IMO he is in a better position to lead his team. He is beginning his third year. He knows the team and his coaches.

Before he was injured he was trending in the right direction.

Wilson and Fields are going to a new team. Both were discarded. Wilson from his last two teams.

There is no starter. That has to be determined. There could be players that see these guys differently and question who should start. Chemistry could be an issue.

DW is our starter. He is not starting over. I don't know how he will play. I want to see him stay healthy and put games together. If he can do that. I think he will do fine.

In Pittsburgh it could go either way. Then once one guy starts if he falters. Fans will be calling for the other guy.

Both could get run out of town and it will take time to figure that all out.

So I would rather be the Browns.

For many years now the common opinion was that just about all personnel moves the Steelers make works out in their favor. However, when you look back, especially over the last 10 years or so a lot of their moves haven't worked out and some, like Kenny Pickett were terrible. Some of their 1st round picks recently haven't been that good. I don't know how these latest QB moves will work out but I would rather have a healthy DW and our QB room.

And that's the way it is if you take an objective look at things. That's not to say that either are great QB's but they won 10 games last season with Pickett as their main starter. I don't see how or why them having an improved QB room wouldn't be concerning to Browns fans.

Exactly. Any time a team in our division makes moves to improve itself we as Browns fans should be concerned. I still like a healthy DW more but Pittsburgh has, at least on paper, a better QB room today than they had a week ago. We are in a talented tough division.

If we get the DW of his last two starts I agree.

Are you confusing me with someone else?

I would take Watson over Wilson and Fields. I am not at all concerned about this Fields news. If he was any good, we’d have seen it. Could he resurrect his career in Pitt? Anything is possible. Does anyone think it’s likely? Would someone put money on it happening? I wouldn’t it. Plus, the team around him isn’t that good.

I’m in the minority that I think Burrow is overrated.

Hands down Lamar is the QB I wish were on the Browns.

I’m not sure about QB but we have the third or fourth best coach in the division depending on what you think of Taylor.

My bad bro.

I could have sworn it was you that said something similar lately. I should have known better as you and I have always been on the same page with Burrow. Sorry about that.

Fixed it for you GM!

Speak of the devil! It was ^ this guy ^ that said Watson was the worst QB in the North.

In fact, he said Burrow was the best... and actually rated Flacco higher than Watson.


Now, Rish, I'm even more sorry than I was a few minutes ago. 🤣

Anyone that thinks Wilson is a good QB isn’t watching enough games. Payton wanted him gone because he couldn’t/wouldn’t throw the ball downfield and on time. Wilson has become a pretty good check down artist, but a check down artist nonetheless. No decent team should fear playing Wilson, and the Browns are a decent team. He took it to them last year because the Browns thought they would sleepwalk through their west coast trip and just show up. But no one checks the ball down more than Wilson. If Payton thought he was any good he’d still be there.

As for Fields I do strongly believe that a lot of rookie QBs are thrown into just the worst of situations that hurt their development greatly. I also strongly believe that even in those situations you can tell if it is the organization or the player that is the main factor in the lack of success. The NFL market pretty much gave the answer. A 5th or 6th round pick? That’s not good.

It is in the Browns best interest that Pitt commits to one of those guys.

"we have the third or fourth best coach in the division depending on what you think of Taylor."

By what measurement?

Did any coach outside of KS win two COY in four years?

I respect all four coaches in the North. I do not believe there is some kind of measuring stick to rank them accurately in 2024.

As it stands today I will take AB and KS over any other combination of head coach and GM in the North.

What am I missing?

Seattle and Denver gave up on Wilson.

Chicago gave up on Fields for a sixth.

And they are running circles around us??

We may not know how DW works out long term. Pickett, and Fields were first rounders and the teams that drafted them gave up on them. Wilson nine time pro bowler and SB winning qb is now on his third team in three years.

And we are in the same position?

I don't think so. DW has played well at times. The issue is consistency because he was suspended and then injured.

He has to stay on the field. Nobody knows for sure what will happen when he does play. However, I do not think the Browns have given up on him. And I see no reason why they should.

Kevin Stefanski has Coached 4 years in Cleveland and produced 2 Coach of the year awards.

Stefanski is 37-30 in those 4 years with the Browns including 2 playoff appearances. He is 1-2 in playoff games all on the road. He is 9-9 in AFC North games. 7-2 at home and 2-7 on the road.

I cannot say whether or not Stefanski is better than Tomlin, Taylor, or Harbaugh the AFC North is brutally tough, but he is easily the best coach on a Browns sidelines since Marty.

You're not asking me, but I'm just giving credit where it's due.

If you're going to cobble together a QB room from the FA scrap heap, Pitt just gave a masterclass on how to do so. Yes, there was a whole bunch of luck involved, but again... credit where it's due.

-They swapped out their QB of the future (Pickett for Fields), and I believe they got more back in the Pickett trade than they gave up for Fields. That's insane.
-They got their bridge QB for peanuts. Many teams have paid far more for far less.


Putting my fandom aside, I'm very curious what sitting for a year in Pittsburgh can do for a QB like Fields.

Like I said.

How can one determine an accurate way to rank the coaches in the North. All have had success and failure.

The whole idea of ranking in many ways is just garbage. Mike Vrabel is a good head coach. He was just fired.

The NFL is all about this year.

I feel better today about the Browns as an organization than I have since Marty.

I sorta understand the criticism of Stefanski. He has done his best work under really tough circumstances (injuries and COVID), but then doesn't seem to deliver when the roster is strong. To be in the discussion with Tomlin and Harbaugh, you gotta deliver when expectations are high.

The flip side is that putting Stefanski near or under Taylor is ridiculous.

Honestly, I'm not sure the Steelers really care about Fields' future as a "QB." I'm not sure he'll sit necessarily. I could definitely see Arty using him in a Taysom Hill-like run heavy package.

Yeah, that NFL coach of the year guy sucks.

I'm not sure "when the roster was strong" that he didn't deliver. Was it the season Baker was playing poorly while injured for most of the season? Or was it the season watson was suspended for 11 games?

Regardless, they have so little invested in this experiment that they can sh-can the whole idea next offseason and not really be any worse for wear (other than a wasted year).

Pickett and Trubisky vs Wilson and Fields.

Yes it is an upgrade.

In the end they look like an 8 to 10 win team that goes nowhere if they make were to make the playoffs.

Both Fields and Wilson do not look like solutions. What it does is prolong being mediocre and does not put you near the top of the draft to find a guy.

It puts you in a spot where somehow you hope to find a gem in a rubble pile.

The Steelers are looking at years before they find an answer.

I've spent the better part of my life thinking and hoping the steelers were done after a mediocre season or two, but they always seem to find a way to bounce back. I think there's a good chance that Justin Fields does pan out for them.

I am afraid of that also. When the Ravens took Lamar Jackson, I thought they would start to be mediocre because of his lack of passing skills, but as he developed his legs has changed the NFL and he has improved as a passer.

They won 10 games last season with Pickett and Trubisky. I wouldn't sell them short with the upgrades. I think people need to be reminded that Fields has improved in passing percentage, TD to Int. ratio, yards passed for as well as QB rating every season.

I was kinda hoping he would go to the Steelers so he could check all 4 AFCN teams off the list

Nice. Was "worried" he would end up in Pittsburgh.

Have the jets done anything to improve their o-line?

If Tyron Smith can stay healthy, yes. (PFF 83.8 Last season)

Edit: Traded for Morgan Moses at RT as well. (PFF 77.6 Last season)

Last year's OTs with the most snaps were 50s and lower via PFF. And they played a handful.

So no

Tomlin did a great job last season.

I don't know about Wilson. I used to think he was damn good. Now there seems to be baggage with him. I wonder how he will fit into the Steelers.

I thought Fields would be worth more than a conditional sixth. You can see talent and athleticism. He is a young guy. He may develop.

However, both are coming to a new situation. How that works out is questionable. First they have to settle on who is the starter.

I see the possibility of friction while the top teams have starters in place inside an existing working culture.

I still see them as an 8 to 10 win team that if they did win a wild card would not advance.

Nothing is in stone and they could put it together. There is potential but that is the way I see it today.

there is no baggage with wilson. Denver tried to screw him over and not pay him.. The issue was Payton not wilson. 3k yard-26/8 last year.. I'd take him over anything we have on our roster right now. And they finished 10-7 last year with some of the worse QB/OC in the last 50 years. They will be fine. In fact I think as of right now they are ahead of us. We still have alot of question marks ourselves.. Is chubb going to return to form, is watson? we have question on OL depth and Linebackers, coaching staff is completely different. I'd say we have more to overcome they they do.

and Hank gets himself another great o-lineman

not a bad deal for spending a spent pick (2023 3rd)

Clearly, there are some issues wherever Diggs goes. Lots of WR mouths to feed in HOU. That may make it the same old song and dance for a disgruntled Diggs.

Boo. Definitely going to have to re-think Tank Dell as one of my fantasy football keepers.

Who all does Buffalo have at WR now?

Gabe Davis and Diggs gone now.

So, Shakir and Curtis Samuel? Who am I forgetting?

Curtis Samuel
Khalil Shakir
Mack Hollins.

Both their TEs (Kincaid and Knox) are versatile and can be used outside, but they have their work cut out for them addressing the WR position.

Texans are loading up

They have a long window. Stroud is a STUD.

This feels so much like the 2019 Browns.

AB also got Jeudy for a song.

It still has to prove out because we traded a second for Moore.

Berry is revamping the receiver room.

In fairness, we traded a second (#42) for Moore and a 3rd. (#74)

Only the Browns didn't have C.J. Stroud at QB.

Yea, unfortunately CJ looks legit to my untrained eye. He doesn’t look like a 1 year flash to me. I can’t explain it but certain QBs that are touted never strike fear in me. Josh Allen is a good example. They don’t seem to be able to will their whole team over another team. Stroud looks like he can exert his will on a game similar to Mahomes. Too early to say of course but that’s what my eye sees right now.

He has certainly outperformed anyone the Browns have had in the position for many years.

A lot of OSU colored glasses being worn in this thread.

Baker not only was really good his rookie year, there were several media types hyping up year 2 Baker and picking the Browns to go to the Super Bowl. The Browns were also making all kinds of moves to put them in a position to do that.

This is pretty much a carbon copy going on. Whether Stroud is better than Baker at the same stages of their career is debatable. What I don’t think is debatable is that QBs first years being a predictor of future success is a slippery slope.

Most QB's don't accomplish that until year three. OSU haters are no better.

I don’t like this move for Houston, I think Diggs is a malcontent, when things dont go his way he pouts, and I don’t think that is good for a young team.

Good move for Buffalo, maybe we can trade Moore to them for a 4th.

A lot of great WR's were prima donnas and malcontents. There's a very long list of them. As per usual we don't have any idea of what was going on behind closed doors in Buffalo. Ill let this play out before drawing an opinion. I know he's a damned good WR. I know fans drew the very same conclusion about OBJ when he was here and there's been nothing but praise about him as a team mate since he left Cleveland. One thing is for sure. People don't know what they don't know.

I agree.

Athletic senior writer from Buffalo, Tim Graham:

“For the past couple seasons, there was turbulence. After the Cincinnati Bengals bounced the Bills from the 2022-23 playoffs, an emotional game in which a gesticulating Diggs seemed to wear out Allen and then-quarterbacks coach Joe Brady on the bench, Diggs infamously stormed out of the locker room so fast the pressbox assistant coaches hadn’t gotten inside for McDermott to deliver his postgame speech. Practice squad running back Duke Johnson tracked down Diggs in the Highmark Stadium tunnel and begged him not to leave.”


I can hear it already, the murmur of Diggs' voice in Stroud's ear -- telling him how he 'made' Josh Allen.

Is a 2nd year QB in Stroud mature enough to handle Diggs. Baker was not mature enough to handle OBJ and it broke the offensive room in Cleveland.

So some people claim.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles...ckham-jr-are-good-now-after-browns-drama

It's odd how many people despise and mistrust Baker right up to the point they think it helps them prove a point they are trying to make. But in this case you only thought it did.

You may wish to read that link. Here is what Mayfield actually said..... "might have cost each other millions of dollars," . Nowhere in your link did the blame for their fractured relationship get thrown on the shoulders of OBJ. Mayfield indicated the fracture between the two mas mutual.

Yes, at that time they did not handle it well. That is the point I was making. Stroud is a young QB and possibly more mature than Baker was when he was here but if not, it will be tough to deal with a personality like Diggs. Both Baker and OBJ admit they did not handle it well back then but have grown up now and resolved their issue.

I do think Baker was rather immature. Unlike some I thought he would grow out of it. Stroud seems very cerebral on the field and hard to rattle. Hopefully it will go better for him. I know both the Rams and Ravens seemed happy with OBJ as a team mate by all accounts.

Baker and OBJ's nonsensical feud, not to mention their immaturity, probably did cost them both millions. It also cost the Browns organization and their fans because if the feud never happened maybe our FO wouldn't have looked at DW as an alternative. It remains to be seen how that will all turn out, but it did seem to cause problems within the team. I have nothing against Baker. I wanted him to do well here and wished him the best when he left. Still do. If they both were mature enough to handle things better the situation would be different now.

It may have been. That's something we'll never really know. I just know that it's nothing unusual for a WR to be a prima donna. It is more unusual for it to escalate to that degree.

To be abundantly clear, I’m not an OSU guy at all. And I was a Baker supporter. I’ll be glad to be wrong but I also said it’s very early

Sources: Texans wipe out final three seasons on Stefon Diggs' deal
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/39875292/texans-wipe-final-three-seasons-stefon-diggs-deal

We're making a run this year and know you could become an issue at some point.

And gave him a big raise this year. I'm sure Diggs will be happy to go on the market next year to the highest bidder and getting a raise this year to boot.

Diggs is toast and a super malcontent. Guy is never happy.

The Texans might be good this year. Won’t be because of this trade.

Buffalo has a very relieved Josh Allen right now.

Did you see the video of Mayfield running from cops/ getting tackled---mature and Baker Mayfield??- I don't get it. Mayfield is an over-achiever...some talent, but I'm glad we let him go. Maybe marriage and a few kids will help. He's got good arm, but is short--I don't see him winning anything-- he's a average QB. And he isn't a Brown--- go DW, show your talent this year- finally. To date- I'd rate our trade for DW--poor.

Yep. I've watched as lot of kids do stupid things who grew up to be good people. But I certainly agree I brought that and other things up before he was drafted. But I'm not going to hold what he did in college against him now. I mean it's not like he was in his mid 20's committing sexual assault against women or something.

Kinda surprising.

The owners/management with these reckless contract extensions are killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

Now you have situations like the Broncos paying Russell Wilson almost 40 million to play for the Steelers and ending up with Zach Wilson.

It is going to be weird if/when Zach ends up the better Wilson for the Broncos.

would like to have Hendrikson

Guys, this has been in motion for several years now. Why are you so surprised?

It started with the drafted rookies being placed on a rookie limit. The money has gone to proven players. It has taken away from the mid level player. They now get cut as they go to a 2nd contract.

Difference makers get paid handsomely, the others get cut in favor of rookies. The way it should be unless an 8-8 team is the desire.

That's the reality.

Yeah, it truly seems like the STARS are getting paid and teams kinda just use the draft to plug and replace others

I laughed when someone said that Miami's BIG THREE WR corp would be unstoppable ... IMO, OBJ means nothing

It appears some NFL teams tend to disagree with you.

Good for Scotty. I watched him play a lot at BG....we had season ticks while my son went there. He was one of the few lone bright spots on some horrible teams.