The 2014 Cleveland Browns
The Offseason Plan of Attack:
Coaching - The Browns have been a losing franchise for a long time now. When taking this team over, the goal was not only to bring great players to this team, but it was also to bring a different culture. The first thing we needed to do with that in mind was to hire a coach who would bring some fresh ideas and a winning attitude, and the guy who we decided to go hard after was Gus Malzahn. We felt Malzahn is one of the brightest minds in all of football and is a guy that has won on every level he's coached at. We truly feel he is a star NFL head coach in the making. With Malzahn on board, and an plan for quarterback in the back of my head that I'll get into later, we looked at a bright young coach that we feel could work under Malzahn to become a good offensive coordinator in Ken Dorsey. Malzahn will call the plays, but Dorsey is coming off of a great job as QB coach in Carolina. For defensive coordinator, we went to the best defensive unit in the NFL and took Legion of Boom, DB coach Kris Richard. His resume speaks for itself obviously and we think he's another guy with a very bright future.
Trades - After locking our coaching staff up, it was time to be aggressive in the trade market in order to bring in big time talent and winners to this roster. The most important position on any team is quarterback, so that was where we were most aggressive. With Malzahn heading things up we badly wanted to pair him with Cam Newton, and from day 1 made that our priority. We made some other big trades and even had to trade for RGIII just to give Carolina a good QB in return to get Newton. While in discussions with Carolina we took a shot at adding not only their best player on offense (Newton), but their best player on defense as well in Luke Kuechly, who we feel is the best LB in the NFL. We had to give to get, but we felt this was a franchise changing move and pulled the trigger on the pair. Throughout the trade period we brought in elite talents like Newton, Kuechly, Arian Foster, Micheal Crabtree, Mike Wallace, Brian Cushing, and Clay Matthews while retaining our two best free agents Alex Mack and TJ Ward.
Free Agency - We felt like we filled the majority of our holes in trades, but needed to make some important 'smaller' moves in free agency to round out our roster. Our biggest signing was CB Jonthan Banks, a second year corner that was released by Tampa so they could chase one of the big free agents. Banks was a 2nd round pick in 2013 and had a nice rookie year. We also added starting safety Rafael Bush, starting nose tackle Cam Thomas, and starting guard Jeremy Zuttah along with some other role player types.
The Draft - Going into the draft we had no remaining holes and felt we could go best player available at every pick. There were areas we wanted to upgrade, but we weren't going to have to sacrifice value to do that. We felt we got good value on all of our players, but we were especially happy with the Zack Martin, Gabe Jackson, and Devonta Freeman picks because we felt the value was excellent and they will all contribute right away.
Summary - Overall we really feel like we executed our plan even better than we had hoped for. We knew we had money and picks to play with, but we feel like we took a bad team and turned them into a team that can compete for a Super Bowl right away and will be good for a long time.
HC: Gus Malzahn
OC: Ken Dorsey
DC: Kris Richard
Roster
Quarterback: $
Cam Newton QB $7,008,113
Pat Devlin QB $495,000
Jeff Matthews QB $450,00
Runningback: $
Arian Foster RB $8,500,000
Devonta Freeman RB $600,000
Chris Ogbonnaya RB $750,000
Fozzy Whittaker RB $495,000
Wide Receiver: $
Michael Crabtree WR $4,770,443
Mike Wallace WR $8,625,000
Davante Adams WR $900,000
Charles Johnson WR $495,000
Conner Vernon WR $420,000
Tight End: $
Jordan Cameron TE $1,508,350
Gavin Escobar TE $956,931
A.C. Leonard TE $450,00
Offensive Line: $
Alex Mack C $14,000,000
Jeremy Zuttah OL $500,000
Garrett Gilkey T $507,848
Jason Pinkston G $1,436,000
Joe Thomas T $12,300,000
Reid Fragel T $495,000
Eben Britton OL $500,000
Zack Martin T $1,950,000
Gabe Jackson G $700,000
Defensive Line: $
Armonty Bryant DE $511,375
Brian Sanford DE $645,000
Cam Henderson DE $420,000
Ishmaa'ily Kitchen NT $570,000
John Hughes DT $706,035
Mike Martin DT $731,890
Cam Thomas NT $500,000
Kelcy Quarles DT/DE $600,000
Linebackers: $
Luke Kuechly LB $3,430,528
LB Brian Cushing LB $5,546,875
Clay Matthews LB $10,943,750
Brandon Graham LB $3,378,000
Craig Robertson LB $$495,000
Justin Durant LB $495,000
Phillip Hunt LB $495,000
Chris Smith OLB $550,000
Howard Jones OLB $450,000
Defensive Backs: $
TJ Ward S $8,242,000
Jonthan Banks CB $8,500,000
Rafael Bush S $495,000
Buster Skrine CB $1,439,500
Jamoris Slaughter S $420,000
Joe Haden CB $8,827,895
Johnson Bademosi DB $570,834
Jordan Poyer CB $495,000
Josh Aubrey S $496,666
Leon McFadden CB $704,751
Special Teams: $
Chris Boswell K $450,000
Total Salary: $129,922,784
Trade for
Signed in FA
Drafted
Depth Chart
QB: Cam Newton / Pat Devlin / Jeff Matthews
HB: Arian Foster / Devonta Freeman / Fozzy Whittaker
FB: Chris Ogbonnaya
TE: Jordan Cameron / Gavin Escobar / A.C. Leonard
WR: Michael Crabtree / Davante Adams / Connor Vernon
WR: Mike Wallace / Charles Johnson
LT: Joe Thomas / Reid Fragel
LG: Jeremy Zuttah / Garrett Gilkey
C: Alex Mack / Jeremy Zuttah
RG: Gabe Jackson / Jason Pinkston
RT: Zack Martin / Ebben Britton
Offensive Breakdown - In 2013, the Browns were a one-man show relying on Josh Gordon for almost all of their offensive production. I'd be lying if I said I knew he was about to be suspended and that's why I took that king's ransom for him in a trade. I did realize a future suspension was a possibility with Gordon, but I still valued him very highly and took that deal to make the Browns a better all-around team. In the end, on top of all of the picks, I got the better WR as Michael Crabtree will be our go to guy at WR this year. I feel his game fits very well opposite Mike Wallace, and Jordan Cameron will continue to threaten the seam. Arian Foster will finally be the stud HB they've been looking for in Cleveland and we fully expect him to bounce back after an injury plagued year last year to regain his place atop the list of backs in the NFL. Obviously the most important name on that list is Cam Newton. We gave up a high draft pick just to get a QB who was good enough to send to Carolina to get him along with quite a few other pieces, but we feel it is well worth it. We think he's the type of quarterback the NFL has never seen before and he's coming off of his best year as a pro. We feel that getting him back together with the college coach that made him what he was at Auburn, in Gus Malzahn, is going to take him to the level of being one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, if not the best. We are also very happy with the two offensive skill players we drafted in Adams and Freeman and expect them both to play an important role on our offense. The line will be led by veterans Joe Thomas and Alex Mack, but we love the new additions we brought in in Martin, Jackson, and Zuttah and feel this will be one of the best lines in the NFL.
LE: John Hughes / Armonty Bryant / Kelcy Quarles
NT: Cam Thomas / Ishmaa'ily Kitchen
RE: Mike Martin / Cam Henderson / Brian Sanford
LOLB: Brandon Graham / Craig Robertson / Phillip Hunt
ILB: Luke Kuechly / Justin Durant
ILB: Brian Cushing / Justin Durant
ROLB: Clay Matthews / Chris Smith / Howard Jones
CB: Joe Haden / Buster Skrine / Jordan Poyer
CB: Jonthan Banks / Leon McFadden
FS: Rafael Bush / Jordan Poyer
SS: TJ Ward / Jamoris Slaughter / Johnson Bademosi
Defensive Breakdown: Let's start off with the linebackers who are probably the most impressive unit in the NFL. I already mentioned that we feel Kuechly is the best linebacker in the NFL, but we don't think Cushing or Matthews are that far behind. Cushing and Matthews will be reunited from their USC days where they wreaked havoc on the NCAA. They will both make it a long day for opposing quarterbacks. Graham is the only player in the group who isn't a star, but he is a very solid player that will have a much easier time playing with those guys next to him. The defensive line is a blue collar group that isn't made up of big names, but will flat out get it done. We feel our secondary is another strength as Haden is one of the best corners in the NFL and Ward is one of the best safeties. Banks will team up with Haden to form a young, physical duo and Buster Skrine has shown some promise and will be our slot corner. Rafael Bush is a guy who performed when he was given the chance in New Orleans and we expect him to get even better. Jordan Poyer is a guy I liked a lot coming out of college last year and is someone who we feel can play both safety and corner for us.
Free Agent Signing:
Draft:
Trades:
-
-
Cuts
Jason Campbell QB $3,250,000
Alex Tanney QB $495,000
Edwin Baker RB $495,000
Jamaine Cook RB $420,000
Davone Bess WR $3,067,000
Josh Cooper WR $570,000
Brian Tyms WR $495,000
Andre Smith TE $570,000
MarQueis Gray TE $495,000
Keavon Milton TE $495,000
Chris Faulk T $423,333
Martin Wallace T $497,000
Brandon Magee LB $495,000
Darius Eubanks LB $495,000
Paul Hazel LB $495,000
Eric Martin LB $495,000
Brandon Hughes CB $645,000
T.J. Heath CB $570,000
Spencer Lanning P $495,000
Brandon Bogotay K $421,666
Gary Barnidge TE $1,150,000
Tori Gurley WR $495,000
Jeremiah Warren G $420,000
Christian Yount LB $645,000
Justin Staples LB $420,000
Quentin Groves LB $1,100,000
Julian Posey CB $495,000
Jake Locker QB $4,004,637 -
Draft Picks
1.31 - Zack Martin, OL, Notre Dame
2.49 - Davante Adams, WR, Fresno St.
3.78 - Gabe Jackson, OG, Mississippi St.
4.107 - Kelcy Quarles, DT/DE, South Carolina
4.113 - Devonta Freeman, HB, Florida St
5.133 - Chris Smith, OLB, Arkansas
7.195 - AC Leonard, TE, Tennesse St.
7.204 - Howard Jones, OLB, Shepherd
7.219 - Jeff Matthews, QB, Cornell
7.220 - Chris Boswell, K, Rice -
Signings
Alex Mack C $14,000,000
TJ Ward S $8,242,000
Justin Durant LB $495,000
Johnthan Banks CB $8,500,000
Eben Britton OL $500,000
Cam Thomas NT $500,000
Jeremy Zuttah OL $500,000
Rafael Bush S $495,000
Pat Devlin QB $495,000
Phillip Hunt OLB $495,000 -
Trades
Chicago sends:
3rd (82)
Matt Slauson G $2,747,500
Cleveland sends:
Desmond Bryant DE/DT $4,000,000
Brian Hoyer QB $1,250,000
______________________________________________________
Houston sends
RB Arian Foster $8,500,000
Cleveland sends
NT Ahtyba Rubin $8,175,000
______________________________________________________
San Francisco Sends:
Michael Crabtree ($4,770,443)
1st (30)
2nd (61)
3rd (75 (from RAMS))
7th (219)
7th (220)
Browns Send:
Josh Gordon ($1,456,813)
______________________________________________________
Miami sends:
Mike Wallace WR $17,250,000
Cleveland sends:
3rd (71)
4th (122)
6th (164)
______________________________________________________
Chicago sends
4.113
Browns send
Travis Benjamin WR $689,250
______________________________________________________
Browns send:
2nd [61 (from SF)]
Texans send:
LB Brian Cushing $5,546,875
_______________________________________________________
Titans send:
Jake Locker QB $4,004,637
6th (172)
Browns send:
John Greco G $2,430,000
________________________________________________________
Washington sends:
Robert Griffin III QB $5,759,754
Cleveland sends:
1st (4)
3rd (83)
________________________________________________________
Bears send:
6 (167)
Browns send:
Greg Little WR $1,058,750
________________________________________________________
Lions send:
7.204
Browns send:
Brandon Weeden QB $2,204,617
_________________________________________________________
Panthers send:
Cam Newton QB $7,008,113
Luke Kuechly LB $3,430,528
Browns send:
Robert Griffin III QB $5,759,754
Mitchell Schwartz T $1,410,229
Phillip Taylor NT $2,575,125
Barkevious Mingo LB $3,715,228
1st (30)
2nd (35)
6th (172)
_________________________________________________________
Titans send:
3rd (85)
Browns send:
D'Qwell Jackson LB $9,433,333
_________________________________________________________
Browns send:
Billy Winn DT $589,670
Eagles send:
OLB/DE Brandon graham $3,378,000
__________________________________________________________
Cowboys send:
Gavin Escobar $956,931
Browns send:
3rd (85)
__________________________________________________________
Dallas sends:
3rd (78)
Cleveland sends:
Jabaal Sheard LB $1,619,625
6.167
__________________________________________________________
Titans Send
DT - Mike Martin - 731, 890
Browns Send
HB - Dion Lewis - 645, 000
___________________________________________________________
Browns send:
Matt Slauson G $2,747,500
Tashaun Gipson S $570,500
3rd (82)
Packers send:
Clay Matthews LB $10,943,750
___________________________________________________________
Denver Sends
4th rounder (107)
Browns send
OLB Paul Kruger $8,200,000
___________________________________________________________
Browns send:
1st (26)
3rd (75)
4th (102)
Texans send:
1st (31)
2nd (49)