Browns Off-Season: Free Agency

Next up for the Browns off-season: free agency. Lucky for the Browns, unlike the NBA, the NFL doesn't have the elite cities like L.A, New York, and Miami winning the free agent battles. They're great places to live, but free agents in the NFL pick their teams for other reasons. Unlucky for the Browns, great teams usually get the better free agents. Last year, 3 of the top 4 free agents went to a team who played in this years super bowl. It's like they know somehow.

Despite that, Jimmy Haslam's team proved to be a big player in free agency in their first year. Paul Kruger stood out right away, leaving the rival Ravens for the Browns. His move was motivated by playing time. David Nelson was a nice pickup at WR while Desmond Bryant, Quentin Groves, Jason Campbell, Brian Hoyer,, Chris Owens, and Brandon Jackson were all good additions. Due to a roster with a lot of new faces, the Browns held off on getting more free agents.

Right now, the Browns have a solid roster. There are some holes to plug, but there are pro-bowlers all over the field and young, talented players who just need a little more time to shine. This year, with a new coach, a now-stable front office, and an owner who has showed he's willing to do whatever to put together a winning team, I'm excited to see who the Browns can lure in free agency. But before they go trying to pick up players from other teams, here is the (short) list of Browns who become free agents this year:

• Willis McGahee, RB
• Oniel Cousins, OL
• Shawn Lauvao, OL
• Alex Mack, C
• T.J Ward, S
• Billy Cundiff, K

McGahee was a late addition shortly after the Trent Richardson trade went down. As good as McGahee once was, it's evident that his best days are behind him. He may even consider retirement. Cousins is a solid OL, so I'd try to keep him. Lauvao is less of a keeper. Mack and Ward are the must-keeps out of these guys. Both played in the pro-bowl and both are young, intricate pieces to the team. Overspend if you have to, Browns, but keep these guys. Send a message to the rest of the league that Cleveland has figured out a way to keep its own players when they want. Cundiff is a solid kicker, a lot better than the options currently out there. Not a must-keep, though.

Hopefully Mack and Ward come back to Cleveland. But even if they don't, there are some good players to watch out for from other teams. Here is the list of some potential players to pickup if I'm Cleveland. Obviously there are greats out there like Jimmy Graham, but I don't think anyone but the Saints will land him.


Brian Orakpo, LB Washington - Shanahan may be able to lure Orakpo, one of the best available free agents this year, out of Washington to a team that runs the 3-4 defense a little better.

Jairus Byrd, S Buffalo - The Browns don't really need a great safety if they can re-sign Ward to go along with Gipson, but if they got Byrd in that mix, the Browns could run some good nickel and dime packages with multiple safety/CB looks. Maybe they drop one of the 3 to a CB across from Haden, not sure. Pettine used to coach this guy. If they have as good a relationship as people think, maybe it's enough to grab one of the top 5 free agents this season.

Brent Grimes, CB Miami - This is a guy the Browns looked at last year but didn't make a full run at him. He would be a great compliment to Joe Haden providing McFadden and Skrine with situational looks. Having a 4-CB rotation with two proven starters would help solidify the secondary. 

Rashard Mendenhall, RB Arizona - The former Steeler could make a return to the AFC North. He didn't have much luck down in Arizona, and splitting carries for the Cardinals wouldn't be as tempting to one of the best RB's a couple years ago who is looking to redeem himself after coming off a big injury a year ago.

Arthur Moats, LB Buffalo - Another player who played under Pettine in Buffalo, Moats worked his way into the starting lineup. If he comes over to Cleveland, he could be the example that Groves was when Horton brought him over to lead the new 3-4 attacking defense last year.

Kelvin Hayden, CB Chicago - I really like this guy. How cool would be to have the Ha(y)den boys locking down the corners??

James Starks, RB Green Bay - With Lacy as the appointed starter, Starks may not get to see much playing time on a Packers team loaded with RB's. Not a great player, but he'd be more than enough for the Browns at his position. 

Ben Tate, RB Houston - Tate gets a lot of carries considering Foster gets injured every year. If he's ready to get out of Houston and be named the man for once, Cleveland may be a good option.

Josh Cribbs, WR N.Y Jets - How weird would this be? To get Cribbs back on the team as a WR/returner. With Benjamin healthy, a Cribbs/Benjamin duo at returning kicks and punts would be enough to scare any special teams unit.

Kurt Coleman, S Philadelphia - A former Buckeye, Coleman plays on a pretty bad defense. The Eagles will look to address their defense this off-season, but Coleman may not be on the same page with Chip Kelly.

Leon Washington, RB Tennessee - It's tough to be a RB in Tennessee these days. With Johnson getting the bulk of the carries, they brought over Shonn Greene to back him up. The problem with that was that Washington is a solid RB, too. He's more of a speed guy than a down-the-middle guy, but he's a great pitch-and-catch back who could also pull double-duty on special teams.

Josh Morgan, WR Washington - Shanahan worked directly with Morgan in Washington, so he may have enough pull to get him out. Morgan was born in D.C and played in Virginia, so it may be hard for him to leave his hometown. He would be a great receiver to pair with Josh Gordon.

These 12 guys aren't the only free agents out there, but they're some of the better options. The Browns probably won't pick up any elite QB's or WR's via free agency, so filling other positions like CB, RB, LB, and OL should be the goal. The others will be addressed in the draft. March 11 can't come soon enough for a team with a ton of cap room and hungry to shop!