More Injuries for the Tribe – With Update
June 12, 2008Laffey, Francisco and Carroll Lead the Way
June 13, 2008According to Las Vegas odds, the chances of the Browns signing recently released RB Cedric Benson are a little too good for comfort.
It’s no secret that the Cleveland Browns are looking for a RB of the future. Sure, they just signed Jamal Lewis to a 3 year extension through 2010, but as Jamal is reaching the twilight part of his career and is easily past his prime, the Browns need to keep an eye on a backup plan for now and a guy who can carry the load in the future.
We already brought up the name Travis Henry a couple weeks ago, and now there are some who think the Browns may look into a different troubled RB. After being arrested for an alcohol related incident for the second time in a month, the Chicago Bears cut Cedric Benson loose. The release ended a pretty tumultuous relationship between the Bears and Benson. Drafted fourth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, Benson was supposed to be the future of the franchise. The Bears even let team leader Thomas Jones walk last year in favor of keeping the younger Benson in place. After three years filled with injuries, underperforming on the field, and finally trouble with the law, though, the Bears had to let Benson go.
Thanks to Hashmarks, we now know that the Cleveland Browns are one of the teams that Las Vegas thinks might look at signing Benson. As Matt Mosley wrote,
“The folks at BodogLife.com are already laying odds on Cedric Benson’s future:
Will Benson play in the NFL this season?
Yes -300
No +225What team will Benson play for?
New England 2/1
Arizona 5/1
Denver 4/1
New Orleans 10/1
New York Jets 16/1
Cleveland 12/1
San Diego 18/1″
I’m not sure what to really make of this. Benson’s career numbers are pretty underwhelming. In 3 seasons he has rushed for just 1,593 yards and 10 TDs. Some of that is because of injuries, some of it is because of splitting time with Thomas Jones his first 2 years, and some of it is just flat out disappointing performance on the field. I’m sure the Browns odds are at 12/1 simply because Vegas knows, just as we do, that the Browns are looking for another RB at some point. And because Benson cleared waivers this week, he is an unrestricted free agent, which would allow the Browns to try to sign him for a bargain basement deal. But is that the wise thing to do? Benson has already shown that he doesn’t like sharing his workload with others, something he would have to do with Jamal Lewis here. Then, when you add his recent legal troubles as well as his past injury issues on top of that, and this just has “CAUTION” written all over it. Hopefully the real chances of the Browns signing Cedric Benson are significantly worse than 12/1.
7 Comments
Interesting post.
This doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Savage and Crennel have always been very concerned about team chemistry, and Benson is a guy who was so disliked by his teammates that they supposedly tried to hurt him in practice in Chicago.
I suspect group dynamics had a lot to do with Bentley’s easy release, and that would be the same reason why I wouldn’t think Savage would chase Benson.
y hasn’t this guy been suspended yet? 2 alcohol related incidents in a month or so that involved the police, and no word yet about goodell meeting with him…
Contrary to what a lot of people think I believe Cedric Benson would be a good investment for the Browns. Our worst case scenario for this season is Jamal Getting hurt and defenses’ figuring out that we have no running game thus killing our passing game. If we sign Cedric Benson, a former top 5 draft pick we at least have a threat. (Jason Wright is a great # 3 back and a bad # 2 back). I have no doubts Romeo would be tough disciplinary wise on him. We get him for cheap and if he doesnt work out what do we lose? I think he’s worth a shot.
From the sounds of things, the team is a big fan of Harrison as well. I saw this not all too long ago, and was also surprised. Perhaps the thinking is that Lewis is already 30+, and we may need to invest in someone younger?
And Patrick, there’s no denying the fact that he still may be suspended. It’s something a team will have to take into consideration when signing him…
This move just doesn’t make a lot of sense. This team has a ton of chemistry and Benson just wouldn’t add to the mix in my opinion. Neither would Travis Henry, but he seems to be a better option. I still like Harrison quite a bit, and I’m hoping he can make some noise in the pre-season.
Yeah, that would be awful if he signed. Plus, I acually think Jerome Harrison has some potential. He looked great on his carries last year. Anyone know how he has looked at minicamp?
Drew’s right…let’s see what Harrison’s got. We don’t need a knucklehead like Benson.