Dawgs By Nature
NFL free agency, NFL draft and trades have reshaped the Browns roster but what grade would you give it?
The NFL offseason has unofficially come to a close, except for a rumor here and there. Teams are beginning offseason workouts, along with rookie minicamp starting, followed by OTA’s starting soon after that.
The Cleveland Browns offseason was short of drama based on the past few but still had its moments. The team wasn’t nearly as active, but it didn’t stop the team from getting into any headlines. Some offseason moves made sense while other moves were head-scratching. Overall, the offseason was productive and it’s only right that we evaluate the offseason as a whole.
When defensive star Myles Garrett requested a trade in February, it was stunning. Garrett felt determined to get his wish as he went on an aggressive media tour with most of it taking place during the week of the Super Bowl. The Browns could’ve caved in and granted Garrett his wish but in the end, Cleveland stood firm and both sides were able to come to a new contract extension.
The Browns were never going to trade away Garrett, trading him would’ve led to the entire roster being gutted. The front office wasn’t willing to blow up everything just to appease one player, and instead, they decided to find a way to keep Garrett in Cleveland. General manager Andrew Berry deserves a ton of credit for how he handled this entire situation. He stood his ground, didn’t cave in, and he ended up keeping one of the best defensive players in the league on his roster.
It could come back to haunt the Browns once training camp starts, but Cleveland decided not to address the wide receiver/safety rooms in the NFL Draft. As far as free agency goes, the team couldn’t do much in that department. The free agency class for the receivers wasn’t ideal, but the team could’ve made a splash as far as the safeties go.
Wide receiver Jerry Jeudy is the only reliable player in the room, Cedric Tillman has battled through injuries, David Bell is coming off a hip injury, and we haven’t seen much of Jamari Thrash to give a fair evaluation. Signing wide receiver Diontae Johnson was a low-risk move as Johnson has bounced around the league last year and hasn’t been reliable.
There were better options out there, whether it was the draft or free agency.
The Browns safety room isn’t bad, but outside of Grant Delpit, it isn’t the most encouraging. Delpit could benefit from a reliable running mate opposite him, but the team chose not to address it after parting ways with Juan Thornhill.
The offensive line could’ve benefited from more depth, but that...
