The Top Five Tribe Rotations of the Past 20 Years
March 6, 2014Browns sign linebacker Craig Robertson as exclusive-rights free agent
March 6, 2014
The good folks at Dawgs by Nature have been doing the job over there when it comes to the Browns and their available cap space. It’s a difficult task with lots of factors changing constantly, but they’re on top of it. Now that the Browns are deemed to not owe Davone Bess his second year’s salary and now that the Browns have placed the transition tag on Alex Mack, the numbers have been updated yet again. And the Browns have a lot of available cap space. The Browns have about $50.4 million, to be exact.
As we’ve discussed here lately, that doesn’t mean that the Browns should go crazy in the least efficient team-building manner and pay crazy money for big-name guys who are likely past their primes. For example, while Cortland Finnegan is a good player and 30, who knows if any team wants to be in the business of paying him when he’s 34.
I still expect the Browns to start at home by following up with their commitment to Alex Mack with a long-term deal as well as a Joe Haden extension. Remember that Joe Thomas’ big extension wasn’t done until training camp had already begun, so there’s no reason to be impatient with Haden’s deal.
I’m still undecided what the Browns will do with T.J. Ward. I can’t get a read on what they think his value is and what they want to pay for his services. If for whatever reason Ward doesn’t come back with the Browns this season it won’t be because they can’t afford it.
[Related: D’Qwell Jackson follows Chud, T-Rich to Indianapolis Colts]
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(Image via Candice Vlcek/WFNY)
12 Comments
That’s a lot of underpants.
The Steelers just found a way to extend the contracts of two old Pro Bowlers — Troy Polumalu, 33, and Heath Miller, 32 — and the Browns can’t find a way to lock up two young Pro Bowlers (Mack is 28 and Ward is 27)? Does anyone believe that the Browns are smarter than the Steelers?
I didn’t think so.
Perhaps Cortland Finnegan was just a passing example, but he’s exactly the kind of guy we want to avoid. At 30 (and coming off by far his worst year), he’s only going to be on the downslide. It would seem that guys like DQ will be beginning their descent as well.
I guess that’s the inherent risk of free agency, and even if you gamble on younger/sub 30 guys/those who are “in their prime” (ala Kruger and Bryant)…there’s the big money payout for potential slides.
Despite our seemingly neverending bowl of money, the more names that floated out there, the more I’m convinced (and Kanicki had a good post about it on his site) that we should first extend our core guys and be VERY judicious about chasing anyone not named Mack, Ward or Byrd.
TJ sounds like his preference is to stay, but only if the browns make the highest offer.
“But Ward, a fifth-year pro, sounded to resigned to the fact that he might be gone.”I’m definitely looking for the situation where it can provide for me
best,” Ward said. “If not, I’ll have to be somewhere else.”
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/03/tj_ward_still_open_to_returnin.html
This doesn’t look like a Justin Masterson-type situation. And Byrd has previously said he wants to be the league’s highest paid safety. Just hope the Browns don’t end up with neither guy and be forced to draft a safety early when they already need another decent corner.
TJ sounds like his preference is to stay, but only if the browns make the highest offer.
“But Ward, a fifth-year pro, sounded to resigned to the fact that he might be gone.”I’m definitely looking for the situation where it can provide for me
best,” Ward said. “If not, I’ll have to be somewhere else.”
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2014/03/tj_ward_still_open_to_returnin.html
This doesn’t look like a Justin Masterson-type situation. And Byrd has previously said he wants to be the league’s highest paid safety. Just hope the Browns don’t end up with neither guy and be forced to draft a safety early when they already need another decent corner.
Most of it was to try to get them under the cap…
So my calculations say $50.4 million – $4.2 million from Brandon Weeden (it’s not accounted for yet officially but we all know it’s happening) – $9.6 million for the rookie pool = enough to have Haden, Ward, and Byrd all in the same backfield.
we will likely cut Campbell to help balance out the Weeden cap hit. that and Campbell was terrible.
I can’t think of a reason that he is still here
I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s inevitable that we’ll sign another, similarly priced, similarly useless veteran backup.
we must have all wayward QBs make a stop on our team.
It could be worse. Somebody is probably going to get Brandon Weeden as their “capable and experienced” backup.