CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Now that the sometimes annual or sometimes biannual January coaching and GM changes have been completed, it’s time for the new Browns’ brass to really get to work.
The clock is ticking.
The NFL Combine is less than four weeks away, free agency and the new league year is seven and the NFL Draft is 13.
That’s not a lot of time.
Andrew Berry’s first official transaction as the new executive vice president of football operations and general manager was to sign a fullback – former Vikings undrafted free agent Johnny Stanton to the reserve/futures list.
Can you say, alignment?
Stanton likely won’t be the last fullback Berry adds this offseason, but it is a start after head coach Kevin Stefanski said he would bring back the fullback and incorporate it into his offense and there goes Berry getting right to work brining in a player familiar to Stefanski. Who knows if Stanton can actually play – he spent his rookie season in injured reserve and last year on Minnesota’s practice squad – but Berry is already making moves to put a smile on Stefanski’s face.
Stefanski has already been studying the film, taking notes and evaluating the roster from the 6-10 disaster that was the 2019 season.
It’s time for Berry to catch up.
The good news is that Berry was only away for 11 months or so and he should be well versed on the personnel acquired by and the reasoning behind the decisions made by former general manager John Dorsey the last 24 months.
The needs – be it in the draft or free agency – are transparent.
Offensive line is an absolute priority.
Center JC Tretter and left guard Joel Bitonio are as solid as they come but both tackles and right guard are in desperate need of an upgrade to keep the franchise, AKA Baker Mayfield, in one piece and to give him peace of mind in the pocket.
Depth at receiver, tight end and possibly running back also needs a look, and likely an upgrade too.
Defensively, upgrades are needed just about everywhere – defensive line, linebacker, safety and corner – to deepen and improve the roster on that side of the ball.
Now to the business decisions that await this offseason.
Berry will have to decide on restricted free agent running back Kareem Hunt, who did himself no favors with his little run-in with Rocky River police last week. While the speeding violation is no big deal, the dashcam video was damning for Hunt, who sounded distressed and admitted to the officer that he would fail an NFL drug test should one be administered after small amounts of marijuana were found in the vehicle he was driving. Hunt has Pro Bowl, if not Hall of Fame football talent. The problem is, with him, the phone can ring at any given time with unsavory news from law enforcement or the league office complicating whatever business decision Berry makes. The juice here just might not be worth the squeeze, especially when you’re trying to flip an awful culture into a winning one.
The other headache on the roster also has Hall of Fame football talent – Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham’s behavior in New Orleans during LSU’s championship celebration is alarming. Once again, bigger trouble was avoided. The receiver is under contract for four more years but Berry and Stefanski will need to decide if the off-the-field and non-football related attention he garners is worth the amount of Tylenol they’ll be consuming.
Do they offer linebacker Joe Schobert, drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, a new contract? Schobert, who will be an unrestricted free agent in March, made the Pro Bowl in 2017 and was a second alternate after another strong 2019 season. Regarded as one of the smartest players on the team, keeping Schobert would make sense, depending on the cost.
Linebacker Christian Kirksey has a $1 million roster bonus due in each of the final two years remaining on his contract, giving Berry an opportunity to move on instead of paying out $8.75 million this year and another $9.25 million in 2021 for a player who finished the last two seasons on injured reserve and missed 23 games.
Safety Damarious Randall will also be an unrestricted free agent. He likely played his way out of Cleveland last season – being left home for their trip to Pittsburgh greased the skids – but a new GM, head coach and defensive coordinator could open the door for a return. But the big payday Randall, who missed four games due to a concussion and hamstring injury, was expecting won’t be there from the Browns.
Receiver Rashard Higgins, drafted in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, will be a free agent in March. Higgins was once one of Mayfield’s favorite targets in 2018 but fell out of favor last season under Freddie Kitchens. Could Berry re-sign him?
Dorsey’s trade for defensive end Olivier Vernon did not produce the results expected that come with a player that was paid $15.5 million last season and is scheduled to make another $15.5 million in 2020, the final year remaining on his deal. Berry could easily move on without the Browns taking a salary cap hit.
The futures of assistant general manager Eliot Wolf and vice president of player personnel Alonzo Highsmith are also undetermined. Berry worked with both for a year under Dorsey and any changes made likely shouldn’t come until after the draft. Wolf and Highsmith have been keeping the offseason business rolling, including preparations for free agency as well as the 2020 draft. Would they want to stay under Berry and does Berry want them to?
Time will tell.
But the clock is ticking.