Category: Front Office

Browns hot start could change approach to the trade deadline

GM Andrew Berry and the Browns could be buyers this year

The Cleveland Browns surprised many around the NFL with an important win over the Dallas Cowboys 49-38 on Sunday. The win makes three in a row for the Browns and marks the first time they have started a season 3-1  since 2001.

The Browns were thought by many to have a good amount of talent on their roster. However, talent alone is not enough to win in the NFL. It takes a combination of talent that fits the team’s identity, coaching that knows how to use that talent effectively, team chemistry, culture, mindset, scheme and still it’s often not enough. So when an organization has the opportunity to compete at the highest level of professional football, it should not be taken lightly.

It is common practice in the NFL for teams to self-scout their own team in search of areas they can improve as the season progresses. One of the best ways teams can improve mid-season is at the trade deadline. This year’s trade deadline is on October 29th, 2020 at 4:00 PM EST.

When looking at what teams will be “sellers” around the deadline, we would look to teams that are out of contention and have salary cap situations.

Things can often get precarious for teams looking to “buy” in these scenarios. Hard internal questions will have to be answered. How long is our winning window? Are we really legitimate Super Bowl contenders? Are we ready to sacrifice our future for a piece needed to win right now?

The Browns aren’t in a one-year window, so they have to engage the deadline with some distinction. They have the most cap space of any team in the NFL with over $32 Million according to Overthecap.com. However, much of that is probably earmarked for extensions needed to keep their core players in Cleveland.

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GM Andrew Berry will need to try and improve his team in the secondary and potentially at linebacker. The key will be acquiring players that can not only help in 2020 but also be a part of the solution moving forward. They are not in position to acquire one-year rentals unless they come across a bargain of sorts.

It’s possible that teams on the decline will be looking to move on from younger players approaching the end of their contract and don’t intend to offer an extension. This could present the Browns with an opportunity to bring in a young cornerback or safety that could help now, be worth looking at as part of their future and wouldn’t tie up any future cap space if they decided against investing in said player.

This will be the first chance we get to see how GM Andrew Berry chooses to handle this scenario, so it’s hard to know to what extent he will be willing to go out and help this year’s team. Certainly, the Browns can apply some pressure by continuing to stack up victories.

Texans fire coach Bill O’Brien after 0-4 start

The Houston Texans have fired coach Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start in his seventh season.

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The Houston Texans have fired coach Bill O’Brien after the team started 0-4 in 2020.

In Monday’s press conference with the media, O’Brien said he had no control when it came to his job security.

“I don’t have any control,” O’Brien said. “All I can control is what I can control, and I’ve got to do a better job with the team. That’s obvious, and we’re going to work hard to do that. Relative to things that I talk about with the team, I just try to keep that between me and the team as best as I can.”

The 0-4 start was the third in franchise history, the first of the O’Brien era. In 2005, Dom Capers, the club’s first ever coach, started 0-4 and was fired after a 2-14 finish. In 2006, coach Gary Kubiak started 0-4 in his third season with the team, but recovered for an 8-8 finish. The Texans would win two division titles, two playoff games, and have three winning season with Kubiak until he was fired with three games to go in the 2013 season, also a 2-14 finish.

Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair said in a statement that the organization sincerely thanked O’Brien for his leadership and impact on the franchise.

“Bill’s leadership moved our organization forward as he guided us to four AFC South division championships, 52 wins and multiple playoff appearances during his tenure. Bill proved himself as a coach and leader in this league. I spoke with him earlier today and told him we are moving forward in a different direction.”

According to McNair, Crennel will serve as the interim coach for the rest of the 2020 season. The last time Crennel was interim coach was in 2011 with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“We have a talented team and I have no doubt our players and staff will rally to make Texans fans proud as we aim to win championships and do great things for the city of Houston.”

Crennel will serve as the second interim coach in franchise history.

Browns voted as NFL team producing the highest level of analytical work

Berry and the Browns fared very well in the ESPN analytics survey

It should come as no surprise that the Cleveland Browns are well-regarded in the NFL analytics community. A recent survey from ESPN shows just how highly GM Andrew Berry and his staff are thought of by their peers.

The survey, conducted by Seth Walder of ESPN, gives a good indication of the respect for Berry and what the Browns are doing with and around the precocious GM.

So we surveyed 26 people who are current NFL analytics staffers or have been in the past year on a variety of topics during this past offseason — including the most and least analytically inclined teams — in what is no longer a niche area of football. (My list of analytics staffers around the league currently includes 85 people.) Some staffers left additional comments, and others were called by ESPN for contextual follow-ups. And all were granted anonymity so they could speak freely.

From those surveyed, the Browns got the most votes for the question, “Which NFL analytics team produces the highest level of work?”. Cleveland captured eight votes, three more than Baltimore.

The Browns finished second to the Ravens in every other category, including which teams are the top five most analytically advanced and which team incorporates analytics the most.

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Browns carry 2nd-most salary cap room into the 2020 season

GM Andrew Berry has the Browns in good shape on the salary cap front

The Cleveland Browns are in one of the best positions in the NFL in terms of salary cap management. New GM Andrew Berry and his team have the Browns in a fiscally responsible and forward-looking state entering Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.

Per Spotrac, the Browns have $34,567,177 in salary cap room as of Tuesday morning. That factors in all the cuts and waiver wire additions and subtractions over the weekend.

Only the New England Patriots have more cap room. The overhauled Patriots have just over $36 million by Spotrac’s calculations. The Jacksonville Jaguars are the only other team with more than $30 million in available cap room entering Week 1. The Saints, Rams and Ravens all have less than $1 million at their disposal.

Having all that cap room doesn’t mean Berry can go sign players willy-nilly. Expect the Browns to carry over a significant portion of the cap room in order to re-sign key players like Myles Garrett and Kareem Hunt, as well as to protect against a possible decline in the total salary cap due to COVID-19 issues.

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Browns roster cutdowns erase many John Dorsey legacies

The Browns roster cutdowns on Saturday erase many more John Dorsey legacies in Cleveland

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The Cleveland Browns roster turnover under new GM Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski continued in earnest on Saturday. The cutdowns to the initial 53-man roster washed away even more of the legacy of ex-GM John Dorsey on the team.

Dorsey’s first Browns draft class, the 2018 edition, is down to just three of the nine selections: Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward and Nick Chubb. That’s still a heck of a draft, but the failure of guys like Austin Corbett (2nd round), Chad Thomas (3rd) and Genard Avery (5th) led to redundant picks and free agent moves almost immediately.

Cutting Thomas and Damion Ratley on Saturday wiped away all the depth from the 2018 draft class. Dumping WR Taywan Taylor and RB Dontrell Hilliard stripped away two other Dorsey guys from that year, too. Dorsey’s final two picks in 2019, OL Drew Forbes (opt-out) and CB Donnie Lewis (cut) are also off the team, though Forbes will return in 2021.

Earlier moves this offseason removed Dorsey acquisitions like OT Greg Robinson, TE Demetrius Harris, OL Eric Kush, S Damarious Randall, CB T.J. Carrie and more.

Dorsey’s best moves remain vital to the core of the team. Berry and Stefanski didn’t just try to whitewash all traces of Dorsey’s influence from the team. The trio left from that ’18 draft, trade acquisitions Jarvis Landry, Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon are all critical starters and top-10 presences on the Browns roster.

Acknowledging that Dorsey and his regime did do some great things is an important step from the new Browns management. Too many times a new regime will just try to erase every vestige of its predecessor. Browns fans know all too well the rush to turn everything over in the name of progress, if only to wash away the bad taste left behind from the old regime. Instead of doing that, Berry and Stefanski merely trimmed a lot of Dorsey-era fat from the roster.

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Browns unite with Cavaliers, Indians to be positive agents of change

The three Cleveland sports teams come together as one to make Northeast Ohio a better place

The three major professional sports teams in Cleveland have united as one in an effort to combat social injustice and promote positive change in Northeast Ohio and beyond. The Browns joined with the Cavaliers from the NBA and the Indians of MLB in a partnership they hope will help improve relations between police and the community, increase voter registration and improve educational opportunities.

From the press statement, which was released via all three teams,

Head Coaches and front office executives representing the city’s three major professional sports teams – the Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians – announced today a sports alliance to develop a sustainable and direct strategy to address social injustice facing the city of Cleveland and all Northeast Ohio communities. The alliance will also focus on improving the relationship between law enforcement and its citizens, encouraging nonpartisan voting activities and increasing the opportunities for quality education for everyone.

Browns GM Andrew Berry offered this quote on his team’s behalf,

“We understand the platform our organization has to make a positive impact on these important issues. When Coach Stefanski and I began discussing how we might be able to elevate and broaden that impact by expanding the dialogue to our counterparts in Cleveland, it quickly became apparent that partnering with the other teams in our city would help our region come together so we can collectively address the problems that we’ve all been working to help solve independently.”

It’s the latest in a growing trend of professional sports teams choosing to try and be more impactful in the greater community than just an avenue for entertainment.

Report: Andre Johnson out as Texans’ special advisor to general manager

Former All-Pro receiver Andre Johnson is out as the special advisor to the general manager. He will still stay on a Houston Texans ambassador.

Andre Johnson is not a part of the daily operations of the Houston Texans again.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Johnson, who had a unique role as a special advisory to the coach, general manager, and scouting department, will be stepping away from the job. However, he will still be a part of the team in a limited capacity that centers around the team’s community outreach.

“Yes, I’m not actually on the staff anymore, but I’ll still be around,” Johnson said. “For me, it just won’t be an everyday thing. I’ll still be around and helping the guys out.”

According to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, Johnson is staying onboard as a Texans Ambassador, a former player, coach, or member of the team who takes part in community appearances.

Last year, Johnson spent time with the receivers.

“Pretty much now, on a day to day basis, I’m just around the receivers a lot,” Johnson said on June 4, 2019. “Helping them out, just giving advice in situations when I see it. Just trying to help out with anything I see and try to help make the team better.”

Johnson feels he can help the team better as an ambassador for community appearances. It doesn’t mean his off-field football career is over or that any bad blood exists between Johnson and the Texans. The inaugural Ring of Honor member will still be around the team and represent the franchise.

Jimmy Haslam: Browns ‘learned a lesson last year on tempering expectations’

The Browns owner acknowledged the need to keep more realistic expectations in 2020

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam showed some introspection and an important grasp of his own shortcomings with the team during a Zoom teleconference with reporters after Sunday’s practice session. Haslam admitted he bought the hype over substance with his own team a year ago.

“I think we probably all of us, including ownership, learned a lesson last year about tempering expectations, and I don’t think we managed that as well as we should have,” Haslam stated with wife, Dee, by his side. “I think you’ve got to be realistic. This team hasn’t been the playoffs since 2002.”

He also acknowledged the need to properly gauge the competition. Haslam is more grounded but still quite optimistic about the team he’s helped assemble in 2020.

“We’re in a tough division. Baltimore and Pittsburgh are arguably two of the best teams and best franchises. So I think you have to be realistic there. We’re still a young team. On the other hand, we feel really good about Andrew [Berry, GM] and [Kevin [Stefanski, head coach], our coaching staff, our personnel group and the talent that we’ve been able to assemble. So we’re excited going into the year but realistic.”

It’s a nice step for Haslam, who was one of the primary drivers of the hype machine in Cleveland at this time last summer. The Browns sputtered and fizzled to a 6-10 record despite a lot of top-end talent, resulting in Haslam firing GM John Dorsey and head coach Freddie Kitchens.

Michael Jackson adds to the growing list of Bob Quinn trades between the Lions and Patriots

Quinn hasn’t gone more than 10 months without making a trade with his former employer since coming to Detroit in January of 2016

My phone alerted me to an email a little after 4 p.m. on Sunday. I only saw a snippet of the subject in the preview.

“Lions trade CB Michael Jackson”

I didn’t see the rest of the subject or the body, but I knew instantly where Jackson was heading. Recent history dictates that if the Lions are going to make a trade, it’s with the New England Patriots. It’s what they do.

Prior to the Jackson trade, which brings back an undisclosed 2022 draft pick for a player the Lions were cutting, the last trade Detroit made was also with New England. That trade back in March brought safety Duron Harmon and the draft pick that became DL Jashon Cornell to Detroit, in exchange for a draft pick that wound up being traded back to Detroit by the Raiders in a package that became OG Logan Stenberg and RB Jason Huntley.

In June of last year, the Lions dealt TE Michael Roberts to the Patriots. That deal fell through when Roberts couldn’t pass a physical.

While Bob Quinn has made trades with other teams as well in his tenure as the team’s GM since 2016, he definitely has a thing for working deals with his former employer in New England.

May 2016 – The Lions sent a conditional 2017 seventh-round draft pick to New England for LB Jon Bostic. Bostic never played for the Lions so the pick remained with Detroit.

October 2016 – Detroit dealt LB Kyle Van Noy to New England along with a 2017 seventh-round pick in return for a 2017 sixth-round pick. The Lions used that pick on QB Brad Kaaya. New England traded the seventh-round pick in a swap of three picks that produced players who were all out of the league by the end of 2018.

April 2017 – A draft-day trade resulted in the Lions sending their third-round pick to the Patriots for a third-rounder and a fourth-rounder. Detroit’s acquired third-round pick became WR Kenny Golladay. The fourth-rounder was used to select LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin. The Patriots traded up to draft OT Antonio Garcia, who never made an NFL roster, not even as a third-round rookie.

Interestingly enough, the Patriots had acquired the pick Detroit used on Golladay from the Browns in a trade for … now-Lions LB Jamie Collins.

September 2017 – The Lions traded CB Johnson Bademosi to New England for a 2019 sixth-round pick. That pick got packaged by the Lions as part of a deal (with Minnesota) to move up in the 2019 draft and select S Will Harris in the third round. Talk about delayed gratification…

April 2018 – During the draft, the Lions dealt a second-round and fourth-round pick to New England to move up and select RB Kerryon Johnson earlier in the second round. New England traded away both the acquired picks, one to Chicago (WR Anthony Miller) and the other to Tampa Bay (S Jordan Whitehead). The Patriots have also since traded the player they draft with the pick they acquired from Tampa Bay, CB Duke Dawson.

April 2018 – Another draft-day deal saw the Lions send a 2019 third-round pick to New England for the Patriots’ fourth-round pick in 2018. The Lions drafted DE Da’Shawn Hand. As is their custom, the Patriots traded away the acquired pick for three other picks, of which they traded two and selected RB Damien Harris with the third.

That’s eight total trades between Quinn and the Patriots since March of 2016. Interestingly enough the Lions have come out net winners on all but one of them.

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Browns still have the most available salary cap room after opt-outs

The cap room could be very valuable to roll over into 2021

The more than 60 players who opted out of playing in 2020 around the NFL changed the salary cap landscape quite a bit. When factoring in the opt-outs, which defers the scheduled 2020 contract to 2021 other than guaranteed bonuses, many teams picked up some extra cap room for this season.

The Browns did that, notably with players like Andrew Billings and Colby Gossett. In doing so, Cleveland remains atop the NFL pack in terms of salary cap room in 2020.

The Browns still have a slight edge over the New England Patriots, who had a league-high eight players opt out due to COVID-19 concerns. Per Spotrac, Cleveland has $38.89 million available. New England sits second at $36.56 million, followed by Denver, Washington and the New York Jets. Tampa Bay has the least, with barely $1 million in available cap room.

Having the cap room doesn’t necessarily equate with spending it. GM Andrew Berry and the Browns could opt to roll over the extra room to 2021, when the league’s salary cap is expected to plunge due to lost revenue. Having those extra cap funds could help the Browns navigate the stormy financial seas in the coming year.

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