Loser: Browns asleep at the wheel?
It’s hard to fathom that the team with the most money to spend has been so dormant the past couple of days. You’d think the Cleveland Browns would have been out there making moves like we saw from San Francisco, but right now it’s pretty much just crickets.
It all started when the Browns decided against using the franchise tag to secure Terrelle Pryor. While it’s true the nearly $16 million price tag to use the franchise tag is steep, it’s not like the Browns don’t have the money. Furthermore, outside of Pryor, the Browns are awfully thin at receiver aside from second-year player Corey Coleman.
While Pryor is reportedly garnering interest from at least five other teams, the Browns are apparently okay letting this talented young receiver walk away.
Aside from the Pryor situation, there just isn’t much going on at this time. The Browns haven’t been seriously linked to anyone except safety Tony Jefferson, who’d be a nice addition to the defense. Unfortunately, they lost out on this as well, as the Baltimore Ravens are reportedly going to sign him once free agency opens on Thursday. Interestingly, the Browns actually offered Jefferson more money (more on that here).
Now, it’s certainly possible the Browns will end up landing some top-end free agents before the frenzy has died down. But right now, the organization seems to be taking a bit too much of a ponderous approach to bettering its roster, especially with more than $100 million in cap space with which to lure top players.
Perhaps this is due to the fact that free agents are wary of signing with Cleveland. This was something that popped up last year around the same time, as free agents reportedly were very turned off by the franchise’s approach.
Time will tell if the Moneyball crew in Cleveland ends up making us look like fools for doubting them. But for now, we’re not convinced they know what they’re doing over there.