Continuing the news on the Browns showing interest in defensive backs early on in free agency, safety James Butler is scheduled to visit the team Saturday night. Butler was the Giants' starting safety last season, and would be an option to replace Sean Jones. Butler had 68 tackles and 3 interceptions last season.
In other news...
- It looks like QB Matt Cassel has been dealt to the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 34 overall pick, which is almost a first-rounder. This eliminates one team possibly interested in Derek Anderson.
- Browns fans don't have to worry about seeing Andra Davis on our team anymore. He signed a two-year deal with the Denver Broncos today, according to reports.
Is it hard to sit back and watch the Browns be inactive in free agency? Denver, for example, has made a big splash already by signing the following players:
- Houston Texans WR David Anderson* (restricted offer sheet)
- Arizona Cardinals RB J.J. Arrington
- Philadelphia Eagles RB Correll Buckhalter
- New England Patriots WR Jabar Gaffney
- Miami Dolphins S Renaldo Hill
- New England Patriots LS Lonie Paxton
- Indianapolis Colts DT Darrell Reid
- Philadelphia Eagles S Brian Dawkins
- Cleveland Browns LB Andra Davis
The Browns have -1 players since the start of free agency, while the Broncos have 9 new players and counting.
Continuing the news on the Browns showing interest in defensive backs early on in free agency, safety James Butler is scheduled to visit the team Saturday night. Butler was the Giants' starting safety last season, and would be an option to replace Sean Jones. Butler had 68 tackles and 3 interceptions last season.
Stallworth
All I have to do is think Stallworth and I don’t wish for any more free agents.
vincefitz - February 28, 2009
Dawkins is the only of that 9 that I would even bet interested in and he is old
Roger Dorn - February 28, 2009
True.
I think it is a good move for Denver who has some young talent on the team but not a lot of veteran leadership. They just had to win one of their last 4 or so games and they were in the playoffs last year (and their offense was sicknasty). I think it would have been a substantially worse move for us as we seem to be in full on rebuilding mode. I do like to watch Dawkins, though.
rufio - February 28, 2009
I would have loved to get Reid back
he’s a great special teamer (just ask the Titans’ Chris Henry) and he’s a good versatile reserve lineman.
shake n bake - March 1, 2009
+2 draft picks… free agents haven’t seemed to work out well in football or at least the odds of them being successful are low and overpaying them is high
Hopefully we can trade DA to get a 3rd rounder
Guage80 - February 28, 2009
Cassel vs. DA
Cassle + Vrabel brought a #34 pick, early second round. DA and Cassle are much a horse race as to who is better. I am thinking a high #1 to a mid #2 for him.
Who is left that may want him? Tampa Bay and Detroit? Who’s left? May not happen now, but with all the recent trading we should try to get in on the run of players. Certainly by draft day.
vincefitz - February 28, 2009
Wait, didn’t we just have a season where we used 4 starting QBs? I look at the Winslow trade as a point of dealing from strength. Also, TE weakness (depth and quality) isn’t going to kill a season like QB weakness. Unless someone approaches us and is willing to make a siginificant offer, I plan to have both back. As far as the KC trade goes, 2 players warranted a 2nd round pick. What does that mean for Anderson, not as high. I think maybe we should look at trading Anderson for front 7 defender. Someone close to Anderson’s age of course.
jerseywahoo - February 28, 2009
What’s Vrabel’s contract status. The NFL is no different from MLB in one way: you don’t trade players you trade contracts. Once we pay DA’s bonus (thanks for the cap room from K2), he will cost like 2 million against the cap for his new team in 09, and 8 million in ‘10. The team acquiring him is doing so at very low risk, for a 26 year old w/ 40 starts and Pro Bowl on his resume. Conversely, Cassel was franchised and is gonna cost FIFTEEN mil against the cap just this year, AND they’re going to have to give him a new long term deal.
I think this re-asserts DA’s market value as a mid-second rounder at least… if there’s a buyer.
kwoog - February 28, 2009
Good points. It’s interesting (delightful??) to hear New England fans frantic about getting only a 2nd rounder for Cassel. The media had fans thinking he was worth a top-10 pick. But, as you point out, that $15 Million against the cap is a mighty big chunk of change to swallow.
We also have to remember that the Patriots had no bargaining power. They had to get rid of that $15 Mill or else not be able to sign any FAs
Mid-second rounder? Let’s hope that as we get closer to the draft, teams in-need realize that the DA and his low cap-hit is a very good return from a second round pick. (Plus, a little feeding frenzy might heighten his value).
Spidey - February 28, 2009
Oh, one other point – this puts last year’s trade market for Anderson into perspective. Many were arguing that Savage should have gotten a 1st and 3rd (or at least a 1st) for DA. Obviously, Phil got no phone calls with those kind of offers…
Spidey - February 28, 2009
Note to self:
Draft QBs with big arms in round 7.
rufio - March 1, 2009
Why did the pats franchise Cassel at all? If they hadn’t done that, and still wanted to be aggressive and sell high on him, couldn’t they have gotten a bigger return?
joeee - March 1, 2009
He would have been a free agent if he hadn’t been tagged in someway, I think.
kwoog - March 1, 2009
I guess I’m just wondering allowed if franchise tag is the cheapest way to retain a backup QB – I guess that the pats just wanted him guaranteed so they could deal him quick.
joeee - March 1, 2009
allowed should read “aloud”
joeee - March 1, 2009
i’m not sure what the other options would have been…i guess some other kind of “sign and trade”, whereby the pats negotiate a free agent contract w/ cassel and then deal him?
i guess they wanted to ensure that they’d get something, anything, back for cassel. by franchising him, you set the ceiling, obviously (he can sign w/ someone else at the bargain-basement price of 2 first rounders), and then do the best you can from there. any other tactic, as far as i can tell, would have meant the risk of losing him in FA, or signing him to a longer deal which may or may not have been acceptable to another squad.
DontCallMeJoey - March 1, 2009
This is right. Franchising is just a way to ensure you get compensation for the player instead of letting him walk. Also why there is no chance the Browns wouldn’t franchise Braylon next year even if they didn’t want him back
Roger Dorn - March 1, 2009
So, the Broncos still love former Browns for their front seven, and the Lions still love them some former Browns CBs. Some people never learn.
danvail - February 28, 2009
Seattle Seahawk forums are abuzz with a radio station in Seattle reporting that the Browns are discussing Braylon to Seattle for a 2nd round pick. Obviously, a grain of salt is necessary.
gahnki - February 28, 2009
I heard that this morning too from a few users on the OBR. If someone would’ve heard a rumor beyond a few Seattle radio guys speculating, I would’ve posted an article.
Chris Pokorny - February 28, 2009
dear lord I hope not.
rufio - March 1, 2009
Reports are coming out that Denver was trying to get a 3 way trade going with Tampa to ship Jay Cutler out and acquire Cassell. Cutler is now “infuriated” and wants out of Denver. A lot of people are calling the situation “beyond repair”, etc.
Next thing you know, we’ll trade Rogers for Cutler straight up.
rufio - March 1, 2009
well the browns arent going to fix themselves in just 1 draft. Kokinos is getting more draft picks for 2009 via trades and setting the team up for compensatory picks in 2010. edwards is going to command BIG money next year & he’s made his feelings about cleveland pretty clear. also there is no guarantee that he’ll fix his drops in 2009. trading him for a 2nd and say a 4th isnt a bad deal especially if you send him to a team you’ll see once every 4 years. the new regime is thinking long term and i wouldnt even be surprised to see quinn or anderson gone to TB before the draft.
sleepy042 - March 1, 2009
Quinn is not going anywhere.
Buckeye Brad - March 1, 2009
Trading Braylon Edwards for a 2nd and a 4th is crazy. The Lions got a 1st for Roy Williams. Braylon’s stock is at the very lowest. Keep him. Simple.
Bernie19Kosar - March 1, 2009
I love how the management is going about things right now. Play the percentages and amass picks. If you can get a solid first (Top Fifteen) for Edwards then do it.
gahnki - March 1, 2009
i agree with this. i’m fine with being quiet in the early days of free agency — that list of denver signees is decidedly unimpressive. move edwards for even a top-20 pick if you can, in my mind. a friend in football told me that even now the market for him is likely to be in the area of a 1 and 3, for whatever that’s worth.
DontCallMeJoey - March 1, 2009
sorry i meant a 1st & 4th for edwards.
sleepy042 - March 1, 2009
Read This re: Buccaneers, Lions, Pats.....
……Lions were interested in Cutler here is the story between Buccaneers, Lions and Patriots…..still hope for DA to go for a 1st rounder. IMO.
http://blogs.nbcsports.com/home/archives/2009/03/on-cassel-pats-werent-waiting.html
vince fitz - March 1, 2009
I don’t see any way that we get a first rounder for DA. That’s just false hope by Browns fans. I know Grossi has been saying this in the PD but I have no idea why he thinks DA is worth a first round pick — did he watch him last year? I’d be thrilled with getting a second rounder for him.
Buckeye Brad - March 2, 2009
He could be fully aware that as someone in the mass media he can inflate the value of the pick—even if it is just by filtering/changing public opinion.
rufio - March 2, 2009
IMO DA’s deficiencies are coachable. When he’s on his game and everybody is catching the ball, running game is working, and the line is doing their job, DA is unstoppable. I can still see the look on Coughlin’s face toward the end of the game, he looked down at his play sheets and said “what do we do now?” WE were killing ourselves with penalties, but it didn’t matter because DA was converting 3 and 20’s.
athensdawg2 - March 2, 2009
I had hoped that Anderson would figure out the short passes before or early into the ‘08 season. Maybe that can still be coached, but if we can get picks for him then I think that’s the better way to go right now.
On another note, does anyone know how much Igor Olshansky will likely go for? If the price is right, would he be a viable option for the Browns?
I’m not sure how much cap space the Browns have, but three picks in the top 50 would seem to require some wiggle room in the old checkbook. And if DA gets traded for decent picks, then I would think an even greater cash reserve would be required. So, would they be restricted to focusing strictly on backups in FA this year?
JustBob - March 2, 2009
I have no idea how much Olshansky will go for, but would not mind seeing him in a Browns uniform at all. I loved him in SD’s attacking 3-4. Not as much as Williams, but still. We need a RDE and seeing as how he isn’t signed yet I don’t think he will be looking to break the bank.
rufio - March 2, 2009
From what I’ve read DA’s cap hit is ours, as well as the $5mil roster bonus. we cannot simply trade him and have more cap room, it is our mess to deal with.
athensdawg2 - March 2, 2009
He will be tradeable after the bonus is paid. Only $1.5 million to a team that trades for him
Roger Dorn - March 3, 2009
But we still take a cap hit. I have no idea what he(?) is replying to, but I think he(?) is correct.
He will look more attractive to other teams, but he won’t clear any room on our cap.
rufio - March 4, 2009
At this point though it looks like we have plenty of cap room that is not going to be spent. Making a trade that either results in no cap hit or a small one (say up to 5 million) would be completely worth it if it means getting a nice draft pick in return
Roger Dorn - March 4, 2009
No one was saying that we should or should not trade him. Athensdawg simply said that we cannot clear cap room by trading DA, which is correct.
Trading him anyway and his attractiveness to other teams was not being discussed, unless I missed something.
rufio - March 4, 2009
Sorry, I missed that. The cap ramifications of trading DA is something I haven’t paid any attention to because I just don’t think it matters that much in the decision
Roger Dorn - March 5, 2009
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