I'm so happy with the Browns right now. For years we had to sit quietly this time of year. All the while poor saps like Phil Savage and Tom Heckert had to say that our philosophy was to "BUILD THROUGH THE DRAFT." Which I'm guessing was really just a way to sugarcoat what they would say if they said what they wanted, "Randy Lerner is cheap."
Well our new friend Jimmy suddenly changed all of that. Suddenly the Stooges were gone, and the guys he wanted to run the team were running it. And for the first time our history the Browns have tried to be major players in this new and wonderful world of free agency. There is a reason that the Browns were, and still are a bazillion dollars under the salary cap. We've never tried like this before.
Before I even get into the guys that we got I want you to think about this. We even had impact on some of the guys that didn't get. You can't tell me that the Browns didn't jump the price on Jairus Byrd, effectively forcing New Orleans to make big sacrifices on offensive weapons. New England was quick to throw a lot of money at Darrelle Revis just to keep him from talking to us. It's like Ray Farmer and Mike Pettine are already playing defense, keeping teams from being able to be competitive for other top guys.
But how about the guys we did get lets meet THE NEW CLEVELAND BROWNS
LB - KARLOS DANSBY - 32 years old - 6'4" 243lbs - Auburn
Right as the bell sounded for the start of the signing period Dansby was announced. Honestly at first I thought that it was an appropriate Browns pick because a couple of the more positive free agent moves in the past have been for older linebackers. Scott Fujita and Willie McGinest come to mind, and they came to Cleveland and won over many fans on some pretty rotten teams. But unlike those guys Dansby won't be surrounded by a bunch of rookies. And unlike those guys Dansby is coming off of one of his best seasons ever. He had career highs in tackles (113) and interceptions (4 including 2 TDs) and recorded 6.5 sacks to boot. Dansby is a very balanced MLB known to be tough against the pass and run. With our OLBs he probably wont be called upon too much to rush the passer, so he really is a nice fit for our defense.
S - DONTE WHITNER - 28 years old - 5'11" 205lbs - The Ohio State University
If there was a guy who needed no introduction to this fan base it is Donte Whitner. Donte is a product of Glenville High School and played his college football with the Buckeyes. Even in his initial press conference he raved about the prospect of getting to play football in high school, college and professionally in the same state. Whitner wants to be a Cleveland Brown and that is a great thing for this fan base and this team. Kudos to the organization for making this happen. Not only is this a good football move, but a tremendous PR move as well. Whitner or Hitner or whatever we will be calling him by the time the season starts is going to be a fan favorite and I can't wait to see him on the field wearing orange and brown.
CB - ISAIAH TRUFANT - 31 years old - 5'8" 170lbs - Eastern Washington
Isaiah Trufant picked the rough road to the NFL. The bumps on that road won him an Arena Football League Championship and a Defensive Player of the Year award in the now defunct UFL in 2010. Winning DPOY against the likes of Josh McCown, Dante Culpepper, and our old friend Jeff Garcia earned him a spot with the New York Jets in 2011. He has played with both the Jets and the Philadelphia Eagles, mostly in a special teams capacity. However he was with Mike Pettine in New York for a season, and that familiarity likely make him attractive to Cleveland.
TE - JIM DRAY - 27 years old - 6'5" 253lbs - Stanford
Jim Dray signed with Cleveland after spending his first four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He is coming off of his best season as a pro, and first as a starter. He started 15 games for the Cards last season hauling in 26 catches and scoring his first two TDs of his career. But Dray was likely brought in for his size and blocking skills above all else. From here on out this website will refer to Jim as Dr. Dray.
RB - BEN TATE - 25 years old - 5'11" 214lbs - Auburn
When it began to look like the Browns were abandoning the offensive skill positions along came a name that had been being kicked around since the middle of last season. Ben Tate has spent the last three seasons as Arian Foster's understudy in Houston. But here in Cleveland he will get his chance to start. Tate's numbers aren't unimpressive, he has a career yards per carry average of 4.7 yards, and 10 TDs in limited action. Tate hopes to break out this season in a Kyle Shanahan offensive scheme that is designed to create running room.
WR - ANDREW HAWKINS - 5'7" 175lbs - Toledo
"Baby Hawk" has had a long strange trip to the NFL. At Toledo he was actually a rare two way player. He split time between WR and CB. Hawkins actually worked out for the Browns back in 2008 after going undrafted. With his options limited he played for two seasons in the CFL, and was the runner up on Michael Irvin's reality show, 4th and long. The exposure eventually landed him in with the Bengals, where he has spent the last three seasons. His best season was in 2012, where he caught 51 passes, and was a very good third down target. The buzz on Hawkins is his ability to make big plays after the catch.
Who knows what this might mean, we might just be a more expensive 4-12 team next year. But who knows we might even make it all the way to 8-8. We still have a draft to go.
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