With the NFL draft a mere month away, the league has been abuzz with activity. The Cleveland Browns stole the limelight when they completed a blockbuster deal to secure Odell Beckham Jr. from the New York Giants. But there are countless more questions about the state of the team. The who’s, why’s and what’s have been addressed by general manager John Dorsey, including a primetime matchup with the New England Patriots, Beckham, a backup for Baker Mayfield, cap space and draft prospects.
Cleveland Browns Talk: Primetime Matchup With the New England Patriots, OBJ and Baker’s Backup
The Patriots are hosting a Sunday night opening game, and the Browns will be travelling to Foxboro sometime this year. With the amount of star power in the team, they are now a candidate for that primetime matchup.
The Browns can play a maximum of five primetime games this season, and with high-caliber players like Beckham and Mayfield, we can expect a lot more eyes on this team.
There’s no question as to whether it’s unfair to throw new head coach Freddie Kitchens into the deep end. Dorsey says “You’re gonna play what the schedule makers deem. Browns fans deserve that… yes it’s his first time going through this as head coach but he’s been through it. He’s been part of good teams.”
Browns Aren’t Giving Up Their Number 17 Pick
As Browns reporter Mary Kay Cabot said, there had been talk about the franchise giving up their no. 17 pick to the Giants because they didn’t see any true first-rounders after that. “No, I think this is a really good draft class,’’ Dorsey said. “I’m perfectly happy with the number of first-round players we have evaluated on our board right now. And it’s more than 15.”
Expectations Are High Now That OBJ Is a Brown
Dorsey hasn’t met Beckham in person, but having spoken to him, can tell “there’s a genuine excitement there… everything I’ve heard about the person, he sounds very, very competitive, really good teammate.”
The acquisition of Beckham was somewhat unconventional, as Dorsey revealed. They traveled outside of Berea to carry out Beckham’s physical. It’s just another sign that Dorsey and the entire organization will do whatever they can to make something work. “It shows you what the Cleveland Browns organization is and how they care… I thought that was a way for us to expedite this whole thing.”
Meanwhile, there’ve been whispers of a Browns Super Bowl, simply because Beckham is a Brown. It would be ridiculous to assume sudden success on a large scale just because of one star quarterback and one star receiver. “It takes 53 guys to play the game of football,’’ Dorsey said. “This is a total team sport…. you have to earn it through everybody working for the same goal, and that starts in OTAs, goes through training camp and then you come together as one and then you begin to win games in the fall.”
The Browns Are in the Bottom Third of Cap Space in 2020
Because of his existing contracts, signing Beckham undoubtedly took up a great chunk of the available salary. With limited cap space, the Browns will be more practical in their choice of talent. “You’re at a point right now in terms of this free agency period where you have to very selective,” Dorsey said. “By no means do you want to diminish the skill set… But you also have to be cognizant of ’20 and ’21.” Dorsey is being a responsible general manager and making sure he doesn’t drain the organization.
Dorsey Wants a Real Guy at Quarterback
The Browns quarterback pool is shallow, and that’s unsettling. A quarterback behind Mayfield and Drew Stanton is much needed. But Dorsey will not rush into signing just anyone, even if it means waiting till OTAs have already taken place. “We all know the importance of that position,” Dorsey said. “You don’t want to just add somebody to add somebody… You want to actually get real guys in here. And that’s what we’ll attempt to do.”
Many of the questions floating around have been adequately addressed by Dorsey. Now, following the joys of 2018, it’s perfectly reasonable to envision the Browns having an even better season this year.
