Earlier this week, reports circulated that the Cleveland Browns could be one of the potential suitors for free agent left tackle, Jason Peters. The longtime Philadelphia Eagles standout remains unsigned after the 2020 NFL Draft and Peters’ future is uncertain. The 38-year-old has indicated he still wants to play.
The Browns do make some sense in the connect-the-dots world of ambiguous reports. Jedrick Wills is transitioning from college right tackle to NFL left tackle as the Browns’ first-round pick. Left tackle has been a sore spot for nearly three years in Cleveland, and the problems at the position clearly had a negative impact on young QB Baker Mayfield in 2019. All of that is true, and it makes Peters appealing as the top name available.
Jason Peters is a future Hall-of-Famer. He’s also almost three years older than Browns legend Joe Thomas, who retired over two years ago after the first serious injury of his amazing career. Peters has carried on despite two torn Achilles tendons, back injuries and a knee malady that cost him three games last fall.
With Wills poised to learn from Thomas, as well as widely respected OL coach Bill Callahan, the need for insurance against his play isn’t so dire. The bar for Wills in Cleveland — simply being better than Greg Robinson the last two years — is not a high one.
Peters is the kind of veteran insurance policy the Browns would need only if they’re not confident in Wills’ ability to play right away. That’s not something they can easily discern without seeing Wills practice in person against his new teammates. But the questions about being able to play at a high level in 2020 are also true for Peters in moving to a new scheme and team at his advanced age and lengthy injury history.
Is Peters a better left tackle option in case of a Wills-necessitated emergency than current backup Chris Hubbard? Of course he is. That doesn’t equate to Peters wanting to play that role, however.
Peters indicating he still wants to play means he wants to actually play, not back up some rookie. That’s something noted by Bleeding Green analyst Brandon Lee Gowton, who clearly believes Peters is trying to get more money out of the Eagles and nothing more,
It was said that Peters isn’t in a rush to sign but these recent reports might suggest otherwise. It sure seems like Peters’ camp is trying to emphasize that there’s a competitive market for the veteran’s services. Such an effort could be directed towards pressuring the Eagles to meet JP’s contract demands.
That Peters compared himself to Brady shows you where his mind is at. He’s not accepting a backup role when he feels like he’s still playing at a high level despite his age.
Peters has a much clearer path to playing in 2020 by remaining in Philadelphia, or with the Jets or Broncos — the two other teams the NFL Network mentioned in connection with his future. It’s nice to think about Peters subjugating his ego and will to play to mentor the young Wills in Cleveland, but that’s a wildly unrealistic scenario. Maybe once the season starts and if Peters hasn’t found another suitor, then the Browns make sense. Until then, don’t go ordering any Peters jerseys in the new Browns uniforms. That No. 71 jersey in brown and orange will be starting at left tackle and it will say “Wills” on the back.
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