Now that the Super Bowl has been played and free agency is approaching in a few weeks, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be looking at the top three needs for each team. Today, the Cleveland Browns are the focus. The Browns have the second pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and a few key players will hit the free agency market this year, most notably safety Tashaun Gipson, tackle Mitchell Schwartz, and wide receiver Travis Benjamin.
Cleveland Browns 2016 Off-Season – Top 3 Needs
Quarterback
You probably don’t need us to tell you the history of the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks. You also probably don’t need us to tell you about the off-field life of Johnny Manziel, the 22nd selection in the 2014 NFL draft. Manziel will be cut this off-season which gives the Browns the familiar situation of needing a quarterback within two years of drafting one in the first round. What is big for the Browns right now is that Josh McCown is signed for the next two years, and when he was healty, he typically wasnt the biggest thing holding the Browns back. At age 36 McCown has no future, but he can start next year and give the Browns the leeway to draft a quarterback and not expect him to start right away. It seems the debate is on between Carson Wentz and Jared Goff for the Browns second overall pick, but with that leeway they may even hold off as they still have pick 32 in this draft. Either way at least one quarterback should be drafted, and patience should be preached in the developement of him.
Defensive End
The Browns drafted Danny Shelton in the first round last year and he is a classic 3-4 nose tackle. With that, they need to start to build a front of the defesne around him. Randy Starks had an unisnpired year in Cleveland and just recently was a cap casualty. Desmond Bryant at age 30 had six sacks, and is signed for the next two years, but behind him is a list of replacement level players. The team struggled creating a pass rush, ranking 28th in the league in sacks. The Browns have a rookie in Nate Orchard who had a strong year at outside linebacker. They also are paying Paul Kruger handsomely at the position, and have Armanty Bryant and Barkevious Mingo currently tied up at that position. Therefore, it makes sense that to build the pass rush they should start on the line, and see if the line backers can improve behind it.
Cutting Starks cleared some money in which they could jump into the market and find one in free agency, but that may not be their best solution. Most free agents are looking for franchises closer to success than the Browns, and for them to attract players, they have to over pay and potentially settle on their plan B or C. That player usually just sees a big pay check, and little expectation given Cleveland’s resume and that is a bad storm. That is essentially what got them a guy like Starks in the first place. Therefore, it would be best to address this via the draft. While quarterback is the bigger need, at pick number two they could be eyeing Deforest Buckner from Oregon, who projects to be a 3-4 defensive end. It would but two powerful young lineman between him and Shelton on a developmental track together, and gives you time to evaluate the rest of the defense.
Linebacker
As mentioned, outisde linebacker is currently invested in, but it still is overall lack luster. Bryant has off field issues and Kruger may be one of the guys they over paid to get less production than expected. However, Mingo is the biggest bust of the three being a former top ten draft pick that didnt even record a sack in a healthy 2015 season. It makes outside linebacker a need, but less pressing since their is some upside still there. On the inside however, they need just as much help. They may be losing Craig Robertson and Tank Carder to free agency. That would leave just Christain Kirksey, who has some promise, and Karlos Dansby, who is on the back end of his career. This is a spot where they could try to resign Robertson, or they could try to go on the market and find a vetran. A guy like James Laurinitis might fit the bill here. Laurinitis went to Ohio State, which is what landed them Donte Whitner in 2014. He also could bring leadership as a guy who never seems to miss games or even snaps, which would be a good lesson for the young players on the line, and the rest of the line backer core that may just need a spark to ignite.
