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Browns Free Agency Recap: Moneyball Comes to the NFL

By Sam Beckenstein

Oct 11, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler (68) runs on the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated Seattle 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 11, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler (68) runs on the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated Seattle 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland is bringing a new mentality to the NFL through their free agent signings

Sashi Brown and company made waves today by dipping into their vast expanse of cap space with two early signings. They added veterans Kenny Britt and JC Tretter to their roster to fill holes at receiver, and the gaping hole at center. Later in the day, they announced a monster contract for guard  Kevin Zeitler, a massive grab for the team.

Their most unusual move of the day caused the Twitter-sphere and NFL commentators alike to erupt in chaos. The Browns made a stunning trade with the Texans for Brock Osweiler, a 2018 2nd Round pick, and a 2017 6th Round Pick all in exchange for one 2017 4th Rounder. Quite a haul for a fourth rounder, however, the Browns are potentially inheriting a $16-million cap hit, but more on that later.

Another move that fell through the cracks was the team extending All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio for five years. The Browns are still exploring a lot of options and had a lot of things go right today. Most importantly they brought “money ball” to the NFL by exploiting their cash reserves to invest in a position that’s hard to scout and develop through the draft, and a large team need on the interior offensive line.

Best Move of the Day: Signing Kevin Zeitler, this move was rumored to happen due to his ties to Hue Jackson from his Cincinnati days, but it’s good to see it pan out. The Browns dipped into their massive savings to dish out the largest contract for a guard in NFL history, which shows they actually want to invest in a stellar offensive line to help keep their quarterbacks upright and open up holes in the run game.

Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Worst Move of the Day: Not re-signing Terrelle Pryor. The team missed their opportunity to franchise tag him, and still haven’t gotten a deal done. He’s a rising star and could’ve been under the team’s control for at least a year as of last week’s tag deadline. He visited the Redskins today and isn’t ruling out a return to Cleveland. If I was in that front office, I’m getting this deal done asap, a starting receiving corp of Pryor, Kenny Britt, and Corey Coleman could do some damage.

Around the Rumor Mill: As mentioned earlier, the Browns traded for Osweiler, and are subjected to a $16-million cap hit, but don’t expect him to stick around long. The team has already gotten calls about his availability, and there’s no doubt the team will try to flip him for draft picks since they value them so much, or just cut him if they can’t trade him.

The Browns are also rumored to be going “all in” for Patriots backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. This could mean a significant package of draft picks could be on the way out soon if they choose to go that route. Garoppolo is an obvious upgrade over Osweiler or Cody Kessler if they can make it happen, and bring their guy to Cleveland, they should pull the trigger.

Three Bold Predictions:

  1. The Browns trade Brock Osweiler, 2017 Pick No. 12, and 2018 2nd Round Pick (HOU) to New England for Jimmy Garoppolo
  2. The Browns will try to break the bank for Dont’a Hightower
  3. The Browns re-sign Terrelle Pryor for $8.5-million a year
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