The Browns allowed free agents Alex Mack, Mitchell Schwartz, Tashaun Gipson, and Taylor Gabriel to leave via the open market in 2016, and did the same with wide receiver Terrelle Pryor this year. But Cleveland doesn’t plan on constantly employing a strategy of letting key players walk for the cost of only a compensatory pick, as Browns chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta explained to Peter King of TheMMQB.com.
“I’d say going back a year when we did have a handful of free agents and we allowed them all to sign elsewhere, that was a moment in time,” said DePodesta. “That is not something that we want to do continuously. Again, that was a situation that we felt like we really do need to rebuild the foundation of this organization, and it is almost like redoing a house—you need to rip down all the walls and get it down to the studs.
Now, when you do that and you tear out all the walls and the floors and all you have left are the studs, you look at it and go, wow this looks terrible. We never want to go through this again, and I think that is our attitude.”
Here’s more from the AFC North:
- The Browns aren’t necessarily in need of a running back, but they “really like” Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, according to Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Cleveland hosted Cook on a predraft visit Monday, and could conceivably use the No. 12 pick to add him to the roster. At present, the Browns’ backfield is led by Isaiah Crowell (who was tendered at the second-round level) and Duke Johnson. Other backs on Cleveland’s squad include George Atkinson and Darius Jackson.
- Teams have already calling the Ravens about trading up to the 16th pick, as general manager Ozzie Newsome told reporters, including Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Given that they sit in the middle of the first round, the Ravens could be in a good position to move down and acquire more assets if a notable prospect begins to slip. Alternatively, rival clubs with a quarterback need may be interested in jumping ahead of the Giants, Texans, and Chiefs, all of whom pick in the 20s and could look to draft a signal-caller.
- Thanks to the depth of the 2017 secondary class, Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta feels the club will be able to target cornerback help in the first three rounds (Twitter link via Zriebec). At present, Baltimore’s defensive backfield is headlined by Jimmy Smith, Brandon Carr, Tavon Young, Maurice Canady, and Kyle Arrington. If the Ravens wait until Day 2 of the draft to address the corner position, they could theoretically target players such as Teez Tabor (Florida), Adoree’ Jackson (USC), or Cordrea Tankersley (Clemson).