Category: Cleveland Browns (Page 63 of 114)

News out of Denver is that former Broncos DE Trevor Pryce is planning to visit the Cleveland Browns Tuesday. The Denver Post reports Pryce, who was recently cut by the Broncos as a cap casualty, will make his first free agent stop in Cleveland and will visit more teams in the next few days. Pryce had a $10.2 million cap number last season.

The Browns would be spending a decent chunk of their free agent money if they were to sign Trevor Pryce but I say it’s definitely worth it. Pryce, 30, is a four-time Pro Bowler who has built a very success career in Denver the last nine seasons. He was part of a Denver defensive line that was one of the best in the league last season. They were second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game, and we all know how poor the Browns’ run defense was. One of the keys of this offseason for the Browns is to strengthen that front line and Pryce could be the man to do that. Our run defense and pass rush are arguably the two weakest aspects of our team and having Pryce on the line would be a huge upgrade. Having Roye and Pryce would be pretty solid.

Granted, there will be several other teams bidding for him, but let’s hope Savage at least attempts to put a good offer out on the table. We’ve got the money to make a serious run at him so let’s sign him because he’s a stud.

The Cleveland Browns organization is showing signs of stability. Yesterday, General Manager Phil Savage announced the signing of running back Rueben Droughns to a long term contract. The contract keeps Droughns with the Browns through 2009.

This move gives Cleveland a solid core of players on offense. Braylon Edwards, Kellen Winslow and Droughns create a starting line up for the Browns that will finally have some versatility and fire power.

The Browns have a good sum of money to sign some free agents before the draft. I believe if they sign a free agent offensive lineman, the draft will focus on defense. The experts are predicting that Cleveland will draft a linebacker. So far, Savage is keeping is keeping with his plan and signing a core of long term contracts for stability.

This should be an interesting offseason for the Browns, with ESPN’s John Clayton reporting that the team is roughly $21.5 million under the $92 million cap.

Of course, who knows how everything’s going to play out at this point? With the NFL’s labor negotiations at a stand still, there’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding this offseason. (Rather than having me regurgitate the info, visit our sister site, The Scores Report, to read all about the ramifications of the stalled labor talks.)

One thing is for sure, though: Only two teams, the Vikings ($24 million) and Cardinals ($21.8), are in a better cap situation than the Browns, and with Phil Savage running things, you’d like to believe that money will be put to good use this year. Especially intriguing is the fact that, because of the labor problems and the cap ramifications that could follow, several teams will be forced to cut talented players in an effort to get back under the cap number:

“In past years, you’d see a lot of guys released who maybe still had some name value but who were really in decline in terms of production,” said one AFC team executive who was working late Tuesday, trying to figure out how to pare down a prohibitively bloated cap figure. “This year? People are going to be stunned — not just by the quantity of players who are cut by Thursday but by the quality, too. It’s going to be ugly. There’s going to be blood in the streets and, compared to past years, it’s going to be from some bluebloods, guys who can still play.”

So let’s see: an abundance of cap space and a surplus of quality talent on the free agent market? Sounds like the perfect storm to me.

The Cleveland Browns are preparing for free agency and this year’s draft. They will concentrate on leadership and experience. If the Browns draft an offensive or defensive lineman, look for them to sign a veteran free agent at wide receiver. This past year, free agents and draft picks played a major role in shaping the team.

I like the way Phil Savage handles himself publicly. He is open and honest when evaluating players and their future with the team (i.e. Antonio Bryant). The fact that we may have Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow back to start the season makes you wonder if concentrating on the defense should be a number one priority in the draft. The Browns have a pretty strong offensive line and durable back in Rueben Droughns. The addition of another top notch free agent would make their O-line very similar to the Pittsburgh Steelers. As an Ohio State Buckeyes fan, I see similarities with Phil Savage and Jim Tressel. Michigan and Pittsburgh are the key opponents, and beating them should be their number one concern.

Phil came to Cleveland and one of the first things he stressed was that you have to “believe you can win”. The Browns and their fans have a long way to go in that category. Savage answered every question asked in a recent conversation, but still didn’t tip his hand on the draft. I believe defense should be our main concern, but that being said I’ve always agreed with taking the “best guy on the board” regardless of the position. Let’s just hope our number one pick can make it through a full season without a major injury.

The Ohio State basketball team can at least share the Big Ten title this year. The best way to do this is win the last 4 games. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, considering they play at Michigan State Wednesday night. OSU is a half game out of first, with Iowa holding the top spot down at 9-4. The Buckeyes showed how strong the conference is by narrowly defeating the Northwestern Wildcats at home yesterday.
Coach Matta’s team needs to finish strong and have a good showing in the Big Ten tournament to secure a high seed in the NCAA tournament. The experts are predicting as many as 7 Big Ten teams making the dance. If the Buckeyes can win at least 3 of 4 to end the season, and win a couple Big Ten tournament games they would be looking at a 4 seed in the tournament. This would be a great spring board for next years recruiting class.