The arrival of John Dorsey has sparked some hope for the Cleveland Browns, but the new general manager is stirring up a little trouble.
While appearing on WKNR 850, Dorsey swung a verbal sword at the current state of the roster built by Sashi Brown. Hayden Grove of Cleveland.com shared the eyebrow-raising comments.
“You know what? I’ll come straight out with it. The guys who were here before, that system, they didn’t get real players.”
Not only is that a bold statement, it’s not entirely true.
Are the Browns loaded with championship-caliber talent? Obviously, that answer is no. Cleveland is 0-13 record and just coughed up a 14-point lead to the Brett Hundley-led Green Bay Packers. The Browns might be headed for 0-16 after finishing 1-15 last year.
However, the team has the most efficient run defense in the NFL. No unit has surrendered fewer yards per carry than Cleveland.
Leading tackler Joe Schobert was a fourth-round selection two years ago. The Browns also plucked defensive starters Myles Garrett, Jabrill Peppers, Briean Boddy-Calhoun, Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Nassib and Derrick Kindred in recent drafts. On the offensive side, Brown and Co. brought in Corey Coleman and David Njoku.
No, that’s not enough. But they absolutely fit the proper definition of “real players.”
Without question, Dorsey is facing a challenging rebuild in Cleveland. That doesn’t mean he should ignore the small yet meaningful foundation already in place.