Browns Restore Hope, But First There Are More Lumps to be Taken
Team-By-Team Offseason Roundup
Cleveland Browns
Players Released:
Daylon McCutcheon, CB
Terrelle Smith, FB
Joe Andruzzi, G
Free Agents Lost:
Dennis Northcutt, WR
Brian Russell, S
Alvin McKinley, DT
Nick Eason, DE
Traded:
Reuben Droughns, RB
Traded For:
Tim Carter, WR
Free Agents Re-Signed:
Lennie Friedman, C/G
Free Agents Added:
Eric Steinbach, G
Antwan Peek, LB
Kenny Wright, CB
Jamal Lewis, RB
Seth McKinney, G/C
Robaire Smith, DT
Shaun Smith, DT
Mike Adams, S
Alan Ricard, FB
Ryan Krause, TE
Draft:
Rd. 1 (No. 3 overall) Joe Thomas, T, Wisconsin
1 (22) Brady Quinn, QB, Notre Dame
2 (53) Eric Wright, CB, UNLV
5 (140) Brandon McDonald, CB, Memphis
6 (200) Melila Purcell, DE, Hawaii
7 (213) Chase Pittman, DE, LSU
7 (234) Syndric Steptoe, WR, Arizona
Analysis:
There is reason for the Cleveland Browns to hope again.
Coach Romeo Crennel and General Manager Phil Savage accomplished that--and perhaps bought themselves some time--in the first round of the draft by getting the best available left tackle, Joe Thomas of Wisconsin, with the third overall selection and then trading back up into the first round to get the second-best quarterback, Brady Quinn of Notre Dame, 22nd overall. They emerged with two of the top half-dozen prospects in the draft, and gave the embattled franchise a bright future once more.
That future probably is not now. Quinn must unseat fellow young quarterbacks Charlie Frye and Derek Anderson, and once he earns playing time there will be some lumps to be taken with a rookie quarterback and a rookie left tackle. But they will be lumps worth taking.
The moves made earlier by the Browns in free agency were more short-term fixes. They paid big money for guard Eric Steinbach, and they picked up tailback Jamal Lewis after he was released by the Baltimore Ravens. Lewis certainly isn't the player that he once was, but maybe he has a productive season or two left in him. Signing Lewis enabled the Browns to trade tailback Reuben Droughns to the New York Giants for wide receiver Tim Carter, who demonstrated while playing with quarterback Eli Manning in New York that he has the speed to get open but doesn't necessarily have the hands for it to matter. The Browns also got some potentially useful veterans by adding linebacker Antwan Peek, cornerback Kenny Wright and defensive tackles Robaire Smith and Shaun Smith as free agents. Shaun Smith came via restricted free agency from the Cincinnati Bengals.
This isn't a quick turnaround. The moves made by the Browns in free agency should make them better. But they would be wise to put Thomas in the lineup immediately and get Quinn on the field soon thereafter. The quicker they can learn their NFL lessons and become the sort of players at those key positions that you can win with, the sooner the Browns will be able to approach contender status.
By Mark Maske |
May 10, 2007; 1:59 PM ET
| Category:
Browns
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Posted by: Frank | May 10, 2007 3:23 PM
brady quinn = bust
if, for nothing else, how annoying he is
Posted by: pack4life | May 10, 2007 4:49 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
This offseason has been a huge step in the right direction. Phil made some bold moves and his legacy with the Browns will be shaped largely these events. I would prefer to take my lumps with Frye or Anderson for a season rather than rush Quinn in (though I'm sure Romeo has his own thoughts on this). There is much more to be done but this is as solid a base as there has been since 1999 on which to build. My biggest question now relates to coaching and whether or not Romeo will survive the season.