May 25, 2013

Cleveland Browns hit reset button on media relations

May 25, 2013 by 2 Comments

Banner and Haslam

Chuck Klosterman’s Grantland expose was just the tip of the iceberg. For years, perhaps shrouded by arrogance and pomp, the Cleveland Browns – yes, that awful football team – have nearly been just as awful at media relations.

For one, maybe it wasn’t the true fault of Neal Gulkis. I want to give any person the benefit of the doubt. And I certainly never enjoy cheering for any person losing their job. But with the Browns announcing on Friday that they’re letting go of Gulkis, maybe, just maybe, this new era, this new front office and this new team can truly begin their regional makeover. [Read more...]

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Joe Banner sounds good but will have to prove it for Browns fans

May 24, 2013 by 19 Comments

Banner and HaslamLike him, trust him, or not, Joe Banner has said all the right things so far as CEO of the Cleveland Browns. His Q&A with Clark Judge of CBS yesterday was just more proof of Banner’s self-confidence and willingness to espouse the Cleveland Browns as a defining project in his career and life. I can remember a time when an interview like that would have had the Cleveland Browns fan base absolutely giddy. I don’t get the sense that Browns fans have that in them anymore.

Joe Banner’s even been perfect in not asking for the full faith and support of Cleveland Browns fans. He’s preferred to fill in any voids that used to be filled with pleas for patience with statements about accountability. That’s really the best answer anyway. Any fans who’ve put their “faith” in a football team in Cleveland since 1999 have been disappointed.

Plus, if we’ve learned nothing in Cleveland since 1999 it’s to put our sports and entertainment choices in proper perspective. This isn’t life, death, family, job or our deity of choice, so proof is far more valuable than faith. Where patience and faith used to go hand-in-hand for many Browns fans, if there’s any patience left it’s constantly being tamped down by paranoia and a now-raging demand for results. And Banner isn’t shying away from any of it. [Read more...]

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In 2013 the Browns are betting on defense and hoping for offense

May 14, 2013 by 18 Comments

Kruger jerseyThe off-season isn’t over, but it’s not time to look at what the Browns have put together to try and figure out how they’re going to compete in 2013. When you’re caught up in all the details of free agency and the draft it’s much more difficult to get the overall picture, but now more than ever it seems readily apparent what the Browns are trying to do. It’s also apparent what this team could look like in 2013 as they look to improve on their 5-11 season with a whole new coaching staff and brand new looks on offense and defense.

It starts with the defense. The Browns spent almost all of their resources in free agency and the draft on defense. The combination of switching schemes and the defensive performance in 2012 demanded some serious attention. The Browns were second-worst in the NFL in terms of number of offensive plays that opposing teams ran against them. The Browns allowed opposing teams to run 1095 plays showing an inability to get off the field. They gave up the fifth-most number of first downs and the 14th most points. The Browns were truly middle of the road in terms of pressuring the quarterback with their 38 sacks and 6.0% sack rate. 1

So take that group of defenders, put them with an aggressive coordinator, add Desmond Bryant, Paul Kruger, Quentin Groves and sixth overall pick Barkevious Mingo and all of a sudden I think we’ve seen pretty much exactly where the Browns hope to be able to compete in 2013. [Read more...]

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  1. Sack rate is the number of sacks divided by pass attempts + sacks [back]

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Michael Lombardi: Two different interviews, one set of answers

May 1, 2013 by 29 Comments

Michael_LombardiMichael Lombardi used the official launch day of the new Cleveland Browns radio homes to reach out to both 92.3 the Fan and ESPN 850 WKNR. He called in to The Fan’s “Kiley and Booms” first and later called KNR’s “The Really Big Show,” with Tony Rizzo and Aaron Goldhammer. I listened to both interviews because I wanted to hear some insight into what the Browns did this draft, and maybe what the mindset was regarding certain decisions. Now that it has all sunken in over the course of the day, it is absolutely amazing how different the two shows ran their interviews to basically arrive with the same, minuscule amounts of information.

Kiley and Booms (conspiuously named after the show’s hosts, Kevin Kiley and Chuck Booms) seemed to operate like attorneys complete with Kiley injecting a “Can I finish?” when Lombardi started to speak too soon. Booms followed it up by listing all the players that the Browns had in for visits that they didn’t end up drafting, insinuating that because they were brought in for a visit that the team had interest in acquiring their services. The two hosts seemed more interested in reading their questions 1 than what Lombardi would provide as an answer. Contrast that with Tony Rizzo who asked questions and then shut his mouth and let Lombardi talk. 

[Read more...]

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  1. Booms started the segment prior to the interview by saying he had his “list” ready but didn’t want to “tip” Lombardi on the questioning in the event he was already listening. [back]

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Browns’ unexciting draft low on fun, but high on strategy

April 28, 2013 by 69 Comments

Joe BannerSometimes punchlines are just too easy. The low-hanging fruit dangling mere inches from the blades of grass. The Browns traded two straight draft picks and you would have thought they’d done this as a part of their M.O. for decades and decades. “The Browns are on the clock… you know to trade another pick!”

Hilarious.

Yes, the Browns have traded in the draft in recent years from Mangini’s masterful trade down and awful second round to Tom Heckert’s Julio Jones trade out with the Falcons with results that are still up for debate depending on Brandon Weeden and others. Make no mistake, though, this draft executed by Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi and Rob Chudzinski was very different than either of those. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting…Getting to know 7th round pick Garrett Gilkey

April 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

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“There was a small crater in the turf where the 314-pound Gilkey tried to dig in his cleats and stop the charge of John Jenkins, a 359-pound defensive tackle from the University of Georgia. Gilkey is an offensive lineman from Chadron State, an outpost in northwest Nebraska, and NFL scouts were gathered around to see if the player from a small Division II school could block a player from a Goliath of college football, a school from the mighty Southeastern Conference.
Jenkins thrust his powerful claws straight into Gilkey’s chest and it was an instant mismatch. Big beat little, for the moment.

It was a one-on-one drill at a practice for the Senior Bowl, a college football all-star game, which is the next step in the 2013 NFL draft process. Gilkey was shoved back by Jenkins and left standing on a white towel, which was the imaginary quarterback Gilkey was supposed to protect. This would have been a sack in a real game, the quarterback in a heap at the feet of Jenkins, and Gilkey humiliated. Gilkey, a small-college nobody, did not pick up that white towel and start waving it as a flag of surrender.He wasn’t going to be defined by one stinking play.” [Glier/CNN] [Read more...]

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NFL Draft: Browns trade 5th round pick to Colts for 4th rounder in 2014

April 27, 2013 by 29 Comments

The Browns have traded away a pick for the second time in the 2013 draft, sending their 2013 5th rounder to Indianapolis in exchange for the Colts’ 4th round pick in 2013. The Browns now have traded out of the 2013 draft twice in favor of adding a higher valued pick in 2014. Cleveland also tradrf their 4th round selection for Pittsburgh’s 3rd rounder next year.

This is frustrating for Browns fans who see lots of holes on the team’s roster and want them filled immediately.Through five rounds Cleveland has only added three players, the two selections of Barkevious Mingo and Leon McFadden, and Davone Bess through a trade with Miami.

Seattle traded up two picks ahead of Cleveland at 139 to give them both picks 137 and 138, selecting DT Jesse Williams out of Alabama and CB Tharold Simon out of LSU. Simon, a teammate of Browns’ first round selection Barkevious Mingo at LSU was thought to be a possible target of Cleveland who despite drafting Leon McFadden in the 3rd round is still weak at cornerback.

[Related: Browns add Bess and McFadden, pass on Honey Badger]

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Joe Banner and Rob Chudzinski on first round draft pick Barkevious Mingo

April 26, 2013 by 15 Comments

Following Cleveland’s selection of LSU LB/DE Barkevious Mingo, team CEO Joe Banner and head coach Rob Chudzinski talked with the media about the pick.

Joe Banner spoke about Mingo’s character:

“He is very high character, very hard working, extraordinarily competitive naturally, this guy. We’ve talked about bringing in aggressive players to play an aggressive scheme. He fits that very well. This was the outcome we were hoping for. We’re very excited.”

Rob Chudzinski on the characteristics that made them choose Barkevious:

“His athleticism speaks for itself. He’s an extremely gifted athlete, explosive, great speed off the edge and a developing player. Obviously, he’s been battle tested in the SEC. He has played a lot. He still has plenty of room for growth. But, we really see him as an outstanding pass rusher and somebody that is going to be able to bring that to our team.”

Banner spoke about adding Mingo to a group that now includes Paul Kruger, Jabaal Sheard and Quentin Groves as edge rushers:

“It really started with our coaching search, and Chud’s philosophy which was part of the reason he got the job frankly by playing aggressive attacking defense, making life uncomfortable for quarterbacks. Being on the attack even when the other team has the ball and I think you can see it in the moves we’ve made that our philosophies are consistent whether it was the free agent moves, what you’ve seen so far in the draft. It fit the plan from the coach to the coordinator through to the players we’re adding.”

To which Rob Chudzinski added:

“Like Joe was talking about, it has been a priority for us. We want a strong front and guys that can run, hit, who are relentless. Affecting the quarterback in this league is a key to winning games and a key to playing great defense. So as we went through the process looking at guys who could do that, obviously, we found some guys in free agency that could do that and fit that bill. Going forward in the draft, we felt the same way about Kiki. It happened that he was available there and we’re happy to have him.”

There will be a press conference Friday at 2:00pm to introduce Barkevious to Cleveland.

[Related: The Browns and the first round- Barkevious Mingo]

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NFL News: Dee Milliner claims he won’t miss training camp

April 24, 2013 by 5 Comments

A storyline that seems to have appeared almost out of nowhere in the last week or so was questions surrounding the health of one of the top corners in the 2013 NFL draft, Dee Milliner. It seems that a story like this comes out every year, and it’s always a bit suspect to try and figure out where it came from and what agenda it might be serving to potentially push a pick down the board a bit. According to a report by Clark Judge at CBS, Milliner is telling anyone who will listen that he’s fine.

“I’m doing great, and I didn’t miss any time with the injuries,” he said. “All of them are minor. I don’t even how all this got started, but I’m not really worried about it. Whatever teams takes a chance and picks me, I’ll go out there play for them and play on. (What teams should know is that) I’ve been fine, I had minor surgeries and I missed no games.”

We don’t know if Milliner is truly the top corner on the Cleveland Browns’ official draft board, but we do know with a high level of certainty that corner has to be up there in terms of draft need. We also know that if they happen to pick as high as number six without trading down, Dee Milliner could and should seemingly be a potential candidate for the team to pick there. As Clark Judge points out, Milliner is a popular match for the Cleveland Browns in mock drafts all over the Internet.

So we’ll see if the injury news or subsequent rebuttals have any impact on the Browns’ draft thinking tomorrow. When our own TD wrote about it, it was a consideration that represented a 30% swing in likelihood that he thought the Browns would consider Milliner.

We have heard his stock had been dropping over the past week, but these injuries could potentially add to his slide. NFL teams however, have had access to this information for a while now. The Browns still need a corner desperately and Milliner is still the best on the board.

If asked for a percentage of whether the Browns will take Milliner at six, I originally gave it 65% chance. After these latest injury reports, I would lower it to 35%.

 

[Related: The Browns and the First Round: Dee Milliner]

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Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal talks about being a beat writer and the Browns draft – WFNY Podcast – 2013-04-23

April 23, 2013 by Leave a Comment

WFNY Podcast LogoNate Ulrich’s first appearance on the podcast was a good one. We talk about what it’s like to be a beat writer, and also some more specifics about what to expect from the Browns on Thursday.

  • Covering the Browns and how it’s been over the last four years

  • Jimmy Haslam’s approval at the ownership group

  • Pilot Flying J scandal

  • The layers of management in Berea

  • Fan negativity and paranoia and distancing yourself from it in the professional capacity

  • Solving pass rush or corner first?

  • Trading down

  • Rob Chudzinski and the read option

  • What does Nate have in his provisions for the marathon draft weekend beat?

Check out this episode

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The Browns and the First Round: Dion Jordan

April 22, 2013 by 9 Comments

We are less than a week from the NFL Draft, also known as the most important day of the year for your Cleveland Browns. With (another) new regime taking over the reigns and new schemes in place on both sides of the ball, it is crucial that Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi, Ray Farmer, Rob Chudzinski and the crew nail these three days. It all starts Thursday night with the primetime First Round. 

The Browns currently hold the sixth pick. Will they go with a defensive back? Could they turn to a pass rusher? Would they possible fortify the offensive line? Could they shock everyone and take an additional offensive weapon? Or maybe, just maybe, would they trade the pick to a team that wants to move up and snag one of those top offensive tackles?

From now until Thursday’s first round, a different member of the WFNY staff will take their look at one player in particular and tell you why the Browns, should they choose to, would go in this direction. 


Dion-JordanThe Player: 

Name: Dion Jordan
Position: Linebacker
School: Oregon
Height: 6-6
Weight: 248 lbs.
40-yard dash: 4.60 seconds

Whom he would replace: 

Jabaal Sheard?

[Read more...]

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Browns’ Joe Banner, Michael Lombardi hold pre-draft press conference

April 18, 2013 by 17 Comments

The Browns held a pre-draft press conference today in Berea to answer questions about the Browns plan heading into the NFL Draft which starts next Thursday.

As expected, CEO Joe Banner and GM Mike Lombardi spoke mostly in generalities and were careful not to divulge any strategy. Perhaps the biggest take away from the press conference is who will be in the “war room” for the Browns during the draft. The draft team will be Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi, Rob Chudzinski, Ray Horton and Jimmy Haslam.

Joe Banner said the decisions made will be a “collective effort” and that they will seek a unanimous opinion on the player the want to take. If they don’t all agree on a player, Banner says they will likely move on to the next guy.

One person notably not in that war room group is offensive coordinator Norv Turner.

They did say that they would consider any trade “that makes our team better”, but they won’t ‘chase a second round pick’ for fear of over paying. Banner also mentioned that any trade that happens would like take place while the team is on the clock, not before.

When pressed about the starting QB and the potential of drafting one, Banner and Lombardi said they approach the draft with the idea that Brandon Weeden is the starter.

[Related: NFL Draft Rumor: Browns a wild card for Geno Smith]

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Tom Reed talks NFL draft, Byron Scott, the Colt McCoy trade and the GOasis – WFNY Podcast – 2013-04-11

April 11, 2013 by 1 Comment

WFNY Podcast LogoTom Reed makes his first appearance on the WFNY Podcast to talk to me about his journey to the Plain Dealer.

  • Commuting from Columbus to Cleveland
  • The underwhelming NFL draft
  • The Colt McCoy trade
  • Joe Banner and accountability
  • Mike Lombardi’s hiring
  • The Cleveland Cavaliers’ abysmal defense
  • The silence from Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert
  • Byron Scott’s future
  • Hiring a defensive coordinator for the Cavs

[Read more...]

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Win Cavs tickets by listening to this podcast – WFNY Podcast – 2013-03-28

March 29, 2013 by 2 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoScott and I talked about the Cavs and the Browns and all their new moves in the media. We talked about Joe Banner and the rest too. Most importantly, we’re trying to give away tickets to a Cavs game. In order to win those tickets, you need to email craig at waitingfornextyear.com with the subject line contest and tell me what my favorite color and number are. Those two things are revealed in the podcast, so listen to our lovely conversation and then take down the info and email me for a chance to win. You have until Sunday night to email me the answer.

The prize is two Cavaliers tickets against the Knicks on Friday April 12th in section 204. They will be emailed via FlashSeats to a random winner selected from what we expect to be a pretty exclusive list of entrants compared to, say, a Haiku contest.

So good luck and thanks for listening.

Listen at Stitcher

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Jason Campbell’s contract for two years $3.75 million

March 28, 2013 by 4 Comments

The cost of taking a chance on Jason Campbell is now known. Many outlets have reported that the Browns’ two-year deal with Campbell is worth $3.75 million. According to Sportrac, the deal is for $1.5 million in 2013 and $2.25 million in 2014.

Far be it for me to call millions of dollars a “cheap deal,” but that’s exactly what this is. Campbell’s previous deal with the Chicago Bears was for one year and $3.5 million. He made $3.1 million in 2010 and $4.5 million in 2011. The Bears reportedly wanted Campbell back and he is rumored to have left a bit of cash on the table in order to choose the Browns and a chance to unseat the current #1 quarterback.

No juicy contract details to break down here like we’ve had an opportunity to do with other Joe Banner deals thus far. Campbell is a guy who needed an opportunity and the Browns presumably told him he’d have a chance to compete for the job. If he wins the job and plays well, it will be an amazingly efficient signing for the Browns at two years and $3.75 million.

[Related: Fun with Numbers: New Browns Edition]

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Joe Banner says Colt McCoy won’t be cut

March 28, 2013 by 24 Comments

(Note: an earlier headline said “will compete for starting QB job” and that was speculation based on what Joe Banner said. I’ve updated the headline as such.)

Despite the fact that the Cleveland Browns signed Jason Campbell, the Browns will seemingly not cut loose Colt McCoy, at least not yet. Brandon Weeden will start the off-season at the top of the depth chart, but the Browns are saying right now that the best players will play. If Colt McCoy is the best quarterback, he’ll be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. At least that’s the message of Browns CEO Joe Banner as he makes the rounds on both ESPNCleveland and 92.3 The Fan this morning.

That’s a pretty good stance on a quarterback – even one with a suspect future – who makes less than $3 million like Colt McCoy. Despite the fact that many Browns fans continue to tell me Colt McCoy has no trade value, as long as he has a chance to put some pre-season performances together, there’s always a chance.

Or maybe Colt McCoy pulls off a miraculous feat and wins the starting quarterback job. Not at all likely, and the Browns aren’t likely to give McCoy much better a chance to win the job than Pat Shurmur and company did a year ago as they anointed Brandon Weeden.

Now about Jason Campbell…

[Related: Cleveland Browns current cap space $28.7 million]

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What the Browns should have said about Phil Dawson

March 22, 2013 by 49 Comments

1 Phil Dawson - Kicking from Reggie Hodges hold - BEST PHIL PICAs I sometimes like to do, I like to help the Browns communicate with the fans. Sometimes I get chided for caring so much about what the Browns say because all that really matters to a lot of you is “what they do.” Usually that means all they have to do is win more football games. While that may be kind of true, I am of the belief that winning on the field and perfection in fan communication aren’t mutually exclusive. That being said, here’s what I think the Browns could have said about Phil Dawson’s departure.

I’ll start with what the Browns did say, which was a nice start.

“We want to thank Phil for all of his years of service to the Cleveland Browns. He accomplished a great deal in his time here on the field, as a team leader and in the community. We know how much Phil meant to our organization and our fans, and he will always hold a special place in our franchise’s history and with the city of Cleveland. We want to wish Phil and his family the best of success in San Francisco.”

Then when someone got a chance to talk to Joe Banner he could have said something like this. [Read more...]

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The Browns are right to lay low with Lombardi

March 19, 2013 by 27 Comments

Screen Shot 2013-03-18 at 9.18.12 PMThere’s no getting around the fact that Michael Lombardi was a controversial hire for the Cleveland Browns. Lombardi’s previous history in Cleveland as well as his presumed track record – including a very long stint off of any team payrolls – is plenty of reason to give the fan-base and the Cleveland media pause at minimum. Even those who support the Cleveland Browns’ hire of Michael Lombardi have to admit that he has a lot to prove. With all that in mind, I couldn’t help but support the Browns’ decision to have Lombardi lay low for a while.

I said from the first moment that Lombardi appeared to be absent that it might make a lot of sense with so much tape out there of Lombardi commenting on teams, players, future draft picks and everything else that a media talking head might find himself (or herself) commenting on.

And boy did Lombardi comment. Even before he could cash his first check from Haslam enterprises in Berea, he found himself referencing comments he’d made about the most important battery in the Cleveland Browns offense of Brandon Weeden and Josh Gordon. The media was right to ask him those questions and now the Browns are right to let Lombardi do his work as GM and let Joe Banner handle the spokesperson duties while the expiration dates on his commentary approach and eventually pass.

[Read more...]

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5-4-5-5-4 and the Browns free agent strategy

March 18, 2013 by 39 Comments
Joe Banner will have some decisions to make in Cleveland

Joe Banner will have some decisions to make in Cleveland

5-4-5-5-4

That’s the Browns win totals in each of the last five seasons from 2012 going back to 2008. 1 Yes, they are preceded by a 10-win season from 2007, but that is over half a decade ago at this point. 5-4-5-5-4 is the most important thing to fans of the Cleveland Browns and they’re mighty sick of the cycle not being broken in five whole years across two head coaches and two leadership groups. 2 5-4-5-5-4 is what Joe Banner and his entire cast of chosen staff members are forced to contend with even though they didn’t create any of it. They must remember this at all times. It explains why they’ve largely had a good start to free agency, and yet for many Browns fans the pressure has barely lifted.

[Read more...]

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  1. You could reverse that if that’s how you like to look at the world, but I’ll choose newest to oldest, personally. [back]
  2. Maybe one and a half leadership groups considering the Kokinis false start. [back]

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Potential Browns’ targets Jennings, Cason, and Schwartz sign elsewhere

March 16, 2013 by 4 Comments

With Joe Banner stating the Browns are done making big moves in free agency Browns fans will most likely have to get used to sitting back in the recliner and watching potential free agents fly off the board (Not that this is anything new). In the last 24 hours three names the Browns have been linked to have signed their names to the dotted line elsewhere. Former Green Bay wide receiver Greg Jennings followed the path of another Packers’ legend, Brett Favre, migrating 300 miles west, agreeing to a deal with Minnesota.

With Jennings now out of the picture, the list of free agent wide receivers is starting to look awfully thin. Scout.com top remaining free agents at the wide receiver position are Victor Cruz (RFA), Domenik Hixon, Danario Alexander, Emmanuel Sanders, and Julien Edelman. Not much farther down that list is Mohammed Massaquoi, which gives a good idea of the kind of talent available after those four.

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The brother of Browns’ offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz, Geoff Schwartz agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday. The former Vikings and Panthers guard was Scout.com’s sixth best free agent guard this off season. Top names remaining in the guard market are Brandon Moore, previously of the Jets, and Kevin Boothe, previously of the Giantts.

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Add another cornerback to the list of names that will not be suiting up in orange and brown next year. Antoine Cason has agreed to terms with Arizona. Cason is far from a top end corner, but the Browns are starved for help in the secondary and the free agent cupboard for corners is starting to run bare. The top corner unsigned is Packer Sam Shields who received a second round tender from Green Bay on Friday. Captain Munnerlyn of the Panthers is another name the Browns are linked to as well as Mike Jenkins of Dallas. Jenkins is ranked below Browns’ free agent Sheldon Brown on Scout.com’s list of free agent corners.

[Related:The best defensive free agents available for the Browns]

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