Craig Sager is the real NBA MVP: While We’re Waiting…
May 11, 2016Ball Played: Bauer at home in Houston
May 11, 2016It can’t be denied that the Cleveland Browns’ offseason got off to a tumultuous, oftentimes painful start. On the first day of free agency, several of the Browns’ key, talented players left town, this just days after Sashi Brown, the team’s new VP of Football Operations, stated that his goal was to retain said players. The team undoubtedly got worse, but then the story continued to unfold. Draft picks were traded, more draft picks were traded, 14 players were drafted, and 11 more were signed after the completion. Though a ton of dust was dumped upon Berea in March, with things clearing out in May, things may not be looking so bleak.
According to ESPN.com’s Bill Barnwell, not only did the Browns’ entire offseason rank as an A-, the new-look front office orchestrated the best maneuvering out of any front office in the AFC North. While Barnwell still questions the team’s approach during the first day of free agency, he absolutely loved what the front office did in the way of its draft capital, not just this season, but for years to come.
Here’s Barnwell via ESPN.com:
The cumulative return they got for their moves, then, was pretty staggering. Even after making the Wentz deal before the draft, they traded down four different times during the draft weekend, taking advantage of teams that felt like they were smarter than the rest of the league. Five times! They ended up making 14 selections, including eight picks across the fourth and fifth rounds, and have a staggering amount of capital set up in the years to come. In 2017, they’ll have an extra first-round pick (from the Eagles), second-round pick (Titans), third-round pick (Eagles) and as many as three fourth-round picks as compensation for losing free agents. They’re down their own fourth-round pick from the Wentz trade and have essentially swapped seventh-round picks with the Colts, but otherwise, they still have their own 2017 picks to work with and a 2018 second-rounder coming from Philadelphia, too. …
Per the Chase Stuart draft chart, by even a conservative estimate, the Browns added 32 points of draft capital to their coffers with their trades. To put that in context, the expected return from the No. 1 pick in a typical draft is 34.6 points. Throw in the expected value of the four compensatory picks the Browns will receive after losing free agents, and they’re up to 43.9 points of added draft capital this offseason. That’s as aggressive of a game plan as any one organization has executed in a single offseason in recent memory.
Think about that. The Browns added what equates to the first-overall pick if they’re being valued conservatively. A ton of early mock drafts have the Browns with two top-five picks next season as the Philadelphia Eagles are projected to still be a mess. The four second-round picks in the next two seasons is just added sweetener.
Barnwell quickly bagged any notion that what the Browns did will fail strictly because they’re the Browns. That basis may make for great fodder, but he compared it to maxing out one’s 401K—the market may go down, but it’s still the right move. He also appreciated the low-risk addition of Robert Griffin III. Whether the Browns will turn to Cody Kessler or draft a quarterback in 2017, that Griffin has no guaranteed money beyond this season bodes well for their financial situation. If he surprises, great—it costs the team nothing beyond what’s already paid out. If he struggles, the team is that much closer to the top pick in next year’s draft.
Another interesting mark against the Browns, however, was not trading offensive tackle Joe Thomas. A Hall of Fame player still playing at an elite level is a good thing to have, but not capitalizing on his value when he won’t be at that level come potential contention time was the basis for a faint, red X.
Barnwell doesn’t think the Browns are done as they still have plenty of holes to fill with $30 million in cap space remaining. The talent pool is depleted, but there may still be some upgrades to be had. Upgrade, after all, is a relative term.
80 Comments
Hopefully, it was strategy for future negotiations.
“This deal is good until the UFA period opens at which point we will pull it just as we did with Mitchell Schwartz in 2016. Sign now or assume full risk of finding a better offer.”
Yep. Speed doesn’t last forever, but the next 10 years of Coleman dominating will be fun.
(that IS what you meant, right?)
That scenario would make sense, and in this case it definitely sets a nice precedent. Agents better know their clients’ worth on the market if they don’t want to be fired.
I know Sashi gave a flat statement saying the Browns never pulled their offer, but could be a matter of semantics. See Bode’s scenario… the offer would have “expired” but wouldn’t necessarily be “pulled”.
Sounds like someone is repressing memories of their own loss, never reconciled.
(Is that Coleman’s jersey #? Interesting.)
I suppose, but I’m still cynical. Seems to me that a player that is fed up with an organization but wants to look like the good guy going out can easily make an allegation like that.
Team Conspiracy.
With kids, its all about the gear. Ok, adults too.
In recent years, teams tell the players they have very small windows to sign so their offers do not get shopped around. THe agent would have tried to censure the Browns with the NFL and NFLPA had they done anything they weren’t forthcoming about
There’s a cautionary tale of Peter Rabbit trying to overeat in Farmer (Sashi) Brown’s garden and being chased off. Something like that. Also Farmer Brown wields an axe, so it’s very disturbing for a 4 y/o, be warned!
Watership Down game me nightmares for weeks. Whoever heard of carnivorous rabbits? How is that a thing for a cartoon?
(Last night was the first good night’s rest I’ve had in that time.)
I prefer the no wigs, clearly 🙂
Thank you! Benjamin will float around every few years and never be more than the “oh, he was an okay pick up” free agent. He is Donte Stallworth, Torey Smith, Devin Hester, Ted Ginn, etc.
And frankly, he’s probably not as good as some of those guys.
The only FA loss that bothered me was Schwartz. But, after some time…you can probably replace him for cheaper with a 2nd or 3rd round draft pick. He was good, yes, but not great. He was a perfectly adequate NFL right tackle…if those are very hard to find, the NFL has problems.
Good comparisons. Frankly, I’d take all 4 of those guys at the prime of their careers over Benjamin, who’s currently in his prime. He was fun to watch, occasionally, on a really crap team, but the Browns won’t even notice his absence.
Seriously. Carnivorous rabbits are basically rats…a species which even me typing their name, gives me the heebies.
It’s their tails.
http://img.pandawhale.com/84085-Seinfeld-shudder-cringe-gif-Im-ZGOa.gif
Exactly what I have thought. A player and agent “knowing” the team is so desperate that they can fish for better and still return. A new GM with authority to change negotiation practices and data suggesting that the Schwartz team was overplaying its hand. I’ve thought that Schwartz is pretty pedestrian, but if right tackle turns into a perennial trouble spot Sashi will look stupid, given Schwartz’s age and how much cap room they have.
“…so , we were not getting to get a good grade in free-agency to begin with…”
Not to mention almost every team, every year that the “experts” grade highly in FA rarely seem to follow that high grade with a highly graded season.
I would guess that from a strategic POV JT would be worth a lot more (draft pick, player, both?) at the trade deadline to a desperate team sniffing the playoffs than he would have been during the draft. 14 picks was plenty for year one (TWO DRAFTS!); makes more strategic sense to add to years two and three especially if a QBOTF is in play.
So, you are saying we upgraded from Benjamin Bunny to Peter Rabbit? I’m on board and I think I can sell it that way to him.
good post SAM … not blowing the entire thing up , keeping thomas & bringing in RGIII tells me that they’re at least trying to win some games now.
and #TeamAlwaysSunny , of which i am the only member , thinks the browns will be better than most around here think.
Yes, Coleman is going with it to help us all forget the last years of an old player who had long ago lost his best.
Talking Miles Austin of course.
I’m almost there with #TeamMostlySunny.
Shon Coleman will get his shot, and who knows, he may very well be a decent option. Kid could certainly maul at the college level.
i like it …
Upgraded to the Easter Bunny. Unless you’re Jewish that ought to do the trick.
As opposed to me, on #TeamEclipse.
he was my favorite pick of the draft.
The Browns rescinded their (allegedly generous) offer to Schwartz once he took it and told KC to beat it. He had no intention of staying in Cleveland… Nothing we could do about that.
Not only do the draftniks get their picks wrong every year, they also are terrible at forecasting who will end up playing in the nfl. The draft is fun, but people get way into it, especially non-players.
I love reading these guys predict who is going to succeed and then never see it play out that way. The sports writers are generally terrible at that.