Browns ink Tank Carder and Jamie Meder; tender Terrelle Pryor and others

The Cleveland Browns have turned the page on last week’s bad news and created some good of their own. While they said they wouldn’t be splashy with high-end free agents, they haven’t defied that decree just yet as they have been busy with some of the more tertiary names on their own roster. The Browns announced new contracts being agreed upon with linebacker Tank Carder, defensive lineman (and Ashland Eagle) Jamie Meder and special teams man Raheem Mostert, in addition to  qualifying offers being extended to defensive back Don Jones, offensive lineman Austin Pasztor, wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, and llinebacker Scott “Bloodbath” Solomon.

Carder is one of those special teams mainstays, and singing him makes sense after Chris Tabor was retained once again, that guys like Carder would help maintain a semblance of continuity on special teams. Meder is a pretty low-profile player, but the 300-pound giant is only 24-years-old and could still develop as an interior defensive lineman. He played a fair amount for the Browns in Mike Pettine’s final season in Cleveland. Mostert is a running back and kick returner who the Browns plucked off of waivers in December. He’s the kind of guy who will have to turn heads in training camp and the pre-season, most likely as a special teams player.

The key names among the tendered offers are Pasztor as depth on the offensive line and Solomon, who was an unlikely piece on the defense who was expected to contribute in 2015 before injuries derailed his year. By tendering a deal to these guys, the Browns are saying they want the right to match an offer sheet. That might mean they actually want to keep the guy, but if they don’t match, the team will get a compensatory pick. Also, there have been scenarios where teams have used the tender to consummate a trade with the team which writes the contract. Alas, if someone really wants Austin Pasztor, the Browns could use their matching power to make a deal and get better compensation than a compensatory pick.

These are just small things though, as we said in the open. We’ve been told there aren’t a lot of fireworks forthcoming in NFL free agency, but I’m still holding out a little bit of hope. Did you hear that RG3 was finally cut today?