C.R.E.A.M. (Cleveland Rules Everything Around Me): While We’re Waiting…
March 25, 2015Kevin Love narratives, kid stuff and more – WFNY Podcast – 2015-03-25
March 25, 2015Now that we know the details of Dwayne Bowe’s contract it’s worth looking at what the Cleveland Browns have done so far to revamp a receiving corps that was in dire need of a makeover. It has needed a makeover for a long time in fact, but it seems like this year the Browns really did focus on it by signing a pair of veterans in Bowe and Brian Hartline. After a recent history that included troubled players like Davone Bess and Josh Gordon, and not-so-troubled players like Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins and even Nate Burleson, who failed to make the team, the Browns’ off-season at receiver is already notable. We’ve all seen the stats, and the punchlines write themselves when the Browns now have a trio of receivers who had four total touchdowns in the prior season. Overall though, what the Browns have accomplished on paper is fairly impressive.
No, they didn’t magically find the next Calvin Johnson, but any reasonable fan wouldn’t expect that in free agency. As we’ve seen with a guy like Mike Wallace, just because you have premier money to spend doesn’t mean you’ll end up with a premier player. The Browns end up signing a couple guys with question marks and something to prove, but it’s a pretty decent setup for the future. They are now more set at a position of need so they shouldn’t be tempted to draft out of value based on a blatant need. Of course, they could still draft a receiver if, for example, one of the top three prospects is available when they’re picking. They just don’t have to. It cost them to have that backup plan, but that is a risk worth taking.
I’ve heard on radio and read on Twitter that the Browns vastly overpaid for Dwayne Bowe. It’s very true that the Browns guaranteed 72% of the overall contract value of a 30-year-old player. The average annual value places Bowe among names like Pierre Garcon, Antonio Brown, Torrey Smith, Eric Decker, Golden Tate, DeSean Jackson and Anquan Boldin. But dig a little bit deeper into the overall NFL landscape and it makes a bit more sense.
According to Spotrac.com, the Browns are 18th in the NFL in terms of spending at the receiver position group. On the 2015 cap, Andrew Hawkins counts for $5 million, Dwayne Bowe counts for $4.5 million and Brian Hartline counts for $2.25 million. Marlon Moore and Travis Benjamin count for just over $1.5 million combined. So, even if the Browns “overpaid” for Dwayne Bowe or Andrew Hawkins, they’re not particularly egregious from a financial standpoint as it pertains to the rest of the league.
As always, simply asking the question, “Did the Browns overpay for Dwayne Bowe?” is far from easy to answer. In a vacuum it might seem like it’s a lot of money for his recent productivity, or lack thereof. It might also seem like guaranteeing 72% of an overall contract value is extreme. In that respect it very much appears like Dwayne Bowe’s contract mirrors Anquan Boldin’s, except Boldin is older. The Browns were pretty savvy about how they did these contracts in concert with Andrew Hawkins’ contract.
You’ll remember the Browns had to front-load Andrew Hawkins’ deal to get him away from the Bengals. So, when they signed Hawkins to his four-year $13.6 million offer sheet, they designed it so that his first two years of cap hits were $5.8 million and $5 million. But, in 2016 and 2017 Hawkins will only carry cap hits of $1 million and $1.8 million. In 2016 when it drops to $1 million Bowe’s deal jumps to $8 million and Hartline’s jumps to $3.75 million meaning that it stays pretty flat as a position group as a percentage of the cap. And if Bowe falls on his face the Browns can cut him, incurring dead cap money of $4.6 million while saving $3.4 million.
This is the game within the game though: Even when we’re talking about a couple of receiver reclamation projects like Brian Hartline and Dwayne Bowe, it’s important to operate with peak financial efficiency in a market — free agency — that’s known to be anything but efficient. Obviously none of this “efficiency” will amount to much of anything if these guys don’t produce on the field, but at least from my vantage point this feels like a pretty measured risk to ensure that the receivers are better than they were last year and better than they have been as a whole, obviously excepting Josh Gordon’s breakout string of games. I know it’s a tough time to be a Browns fan in the off-season where negativity seems to reign supreme, but I think this is a sound strategy attempting measured professional improvement.
I sound like an accountant. Isn’t the NFL just great?
40 Comments
Two things:
– Agree, it seems Ray Farmer is determined to morph the receiving corp into something more reliable and professional if older and less explosive. He had a box seat for Gordon’s antics and I believe he was already here when Bess was in the throes of his troubles and distractions. Obviously, some deep threat is necessary to run a professional offense but I can see how he’s a little scarred by the group here when he arrived.
– Absolutely no Browns off-season for WFNY. If there’s daily Browns postings this far from the draft, this deep i the off-season … dang. So much for endless ineptitude killing the golden fan goose.
I’ll never understand the anxiety over spending a billionaire’s money. So what if they overpaid? They’re not in any cap trouble, and they’ve added some talent to the position.
Jeeze, I totally forgot about Bess…
After some thought, I think Bowe and Hartline are solid veteran short term guys…excellent choices to train whichever of the Big 3 we draft to become our long term guy.
Hear that RAY? DRAFT one of the Big 3, if available…
Talking myself into Bowe:
He has been durable. He has played in 95 percent of his possible games so far in 8 years. (122/128)
He averages 13+ ypc
I like how the Browns spaced out contracts of various WR. Seems like we are going after durable guys in order to build consistency. Allows us to draft BPA in draft.
Honestly, given who was actually available at WR, the Browns did about as good as a team could possibly do at that position during free agency. Bowe and Hartline can both move the chains. Bowe can be an effective red zone threat if his offense can actually drive the field (a problem in KC the last several years). I’d be feeling better about the offense if it wasn’t Josh McCown or similar at the helm.
“it very much appears like Dwayne Bowe’s contract mirrors Anquan Boldin’s, except Boldin is older.”
Uhm… and Anquan Boldin is ANQUAN BOLDIN, not Dwayne Bowe. Even at 34 you could, COULD say Boldin is poised for a better year than Bowe.
hi RGB … i just don’t think he’ll do it , especially since signing bowe. WR is fairly deep in this draft & he could wait until the 2nd or 3rd round & still get some decent talent.
while it would be great to get one of the big 3 , getting a stud DT , OLB or RT would be great as well … just get 2 guys who can freakin’ start & contribute right away.
hi CMM … depends on what team they’re playing on & the offensive philosophy of that team. just watch how jeremy maclin’s numbers will plummet playing in KC.
Ray owes me from last year. Bode got who he wanted…
You can thank the Indians constant drum beat for this so much so it carried over to the rest of the professional sports teams in Cleveland.
… boldin is the more feared receiver , and bowe may actually be the better blocker.
I’ll be more shocked if he drafts one of those top three WRs then I would be for Mariota to end up on this team.
To an extent.
Dwayne Bowe even on the highest of flying offenses is not the receiver Anquan Boldin was or is.
http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/18tjyt65qkg3qgif/original.gif
hi NATE … i think you talked yourself into it … nice job.
i totally agree … but put boldin in KC & then put bowe with tom brady or aaron rodgers & i would bet that bowe would put up bigger numbers.
Yeah it would be a bigger deal if we were tight on cap, but they aren’t going to use the cap anyway.
1) No, Boldin is a monster in blocking. He’s a freaking monster at everything he does. He broke his face and came back less than a month later. Dude plays ANGRY.
2) We were looking for a wide receiver, not a wide-blocker.
I concur, the point of an older veteran FA is to be a bridge to someone else.
They needed receivers badly so I’m happy with it.
hi HOP … 1) yes, i would take boldin over bowe … that wasn’t an option.
2) bowe will do the job as a receiver … just hope he has cut down on his drops.
No you claimed Bowe is a better blocker. He isn’t. Nobody want’s Boldin blocking them, cause he is MEAN.
Here is Anquan blocking Eric Weddle:
https://waitingfornextyear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Boldin-on-Weddle1.gif
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7322/11912427543_d6726520a3_o.gif
… this is a blind-side block , weddle didn’t even see it coming. i am talking about overall technique blocking. and being “mean” doesn’t make you a good blocker.
… and i did say “may” be the better blocker. boldin & bowe are 2 of the better / best blocking WR’s in the nfl … let’s leave it at that.
hi CMM … i must admit , KC finished 29th in passing offense & the 49ers were even worse finishing 30th.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=efficient+vs+effective
just like qb?
This is what Cleveland fans do they talk themselves into guys who have been marginal at best. Bowe hasn’t been good for years he played on a team at a position that collectively had zero touchdowns. Zero. Not even the mighty pumpkin heads have accomplished that feat the last 15+ years.
What was the alternative? Free Agents are free to sign where ever they want. The alternative is we have no one. CLE sometimes has to overpay people to play here because the guys will come here to make a little more rather than to go to a better team and make less.
Couldn’t be happier. Making a list of pundits and experts criticizing this deal to follow up with at the end of the season when we see Bowe’s stats….they will all be invisible with respect to what they have to say about Bowe now…
No I get that I was talking about overrating players and putting them on some sort of undeserving pedestal. Since I’m not part of the organization I have no clue what the alternatives were/are other then to draft a guy. Obviously not much interest for free agents in this place. Of course they have to over pay but that doesn’t mean you over pay for just anyone. Oh and lets remember Bowe will have an even less competent QB attempting to get him the ball, as of today.
Baby Steps
that baby died of crib death 10 years ago!
good post …
hi TRS … i think it’s fair to say bowe is a bona fide #1 WR on most any team. he is also a former pro-bowler … as well as an excellent run blocker. he will definitely suffice until someone better is ready.
http://walterfootball.com/images/fball/JBitonio.jpg
but, he did throw you a lunchable with Crowell.
it does help though
hi MG … i guess it does. actually , i would say HOP won this argument. i am like NATE … i am trying to tell myself bowe will be a good addition. and i believe he is. he is no slouch.