Even after the initial waves of free agency and the NFL Draft, the Browns’ work is far from done, GM Andrew Berry says.
“We have four or five months until the fall until we start playing games and then probably another six (weeks) until the trade deadline, so there are plenty of opportunities to continue to improve the roster and we’re going to be on the lookout for that over the next few months again if opportunities present themselves,’’ Berry told SiriusXM recently (via Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer). “We’re always going to look to be opportunistic across the roster and if there’s something that makes sense, we’ll see if we can attack and improve the team.’’
With lots of notable names left in free agency and on the trade block, Berry has lots of options. Could those options include a certain former No. 1 overall pick? Here’s what Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski have to say about that and more, via Cabot:
Berry on Olivier Vernon, whose presence could take the Browns out of the Jadeveon Clowney running:
“Olivier is a good football player, and we like having good football players on the roster. He’s a talented defensive end. He is here and will continue to be here.”
Berry on a potential extension for Myles Garrett, who had his fifth-year option exercised for 2021:
“We do see Myles as a long-term member and pillar in our organization. Great player, great person. Obviously, he did make a mistake last year that he’s learned from. But our confidence in and faith in Myles has not wavered and we’re looking to seeing what he does this year and certainly for years to come.’’ (via 105.7 The Fan)
Stefanski on Odell Beckham Jr., who is firmly in the team’s plans:
“We’re a better team with him on the field…Odell is one of the guys I was fortunate enough to sit down with before all this stuff kind of went sideways, so we sat down and talked about a bunch of things. One of the things we talked about is how he’s going to factor in this offense, and I showed him a bunch of tape from the previous Vikings year, I showed him tape from his Giants years, and just my vision for what he’s going to be capable of doing in this offense.” (via 92.3 The Fan)
Is Odell a top 10 fantasy receiver this year?
I’d say it’s a tossup, but he’s certainly a nice buy low option as a bounceback candidate
Difficult to say, but considering the offensive weapons and stefanski’s offensive style in Minnesota, I doubt it. I expect to see heavy doses of Chubb and hunt to protect baker. OBJ was elite in fantasy because of volume opportunity, he won’t have that in Cleveland with Landry/hooper/hunt/Chubb all needing to get fed.
Good point, but he should see an uptick in touchdowns as the offense increases their redzone efficiency. Last season was a bit of an anomaly in this regard
I agree that the volume won’t quite be nearly the same, but Thielen and Diggs were both really good fantasy options in that offense with a rejuvenated Cousins. I’d put him in the 10-15 range or so, with the upside for a lot more.
In addition to having other weapons, the Browns system makes OBJ a little less valuable from a fantasy standpoint when compared to his time with the Giants (averaged almost 11 targets/game as a Giant vs 8/game with the Browns last year).
Rudolph wrote a check his butt couldn’t cash. Rudolph deserved to be suspended.
Rudolph 100% said something he shouldn’t have but words don’t get you suspended. If someone calls you something mean it doesn’t give you the right to possibly give them brain damage. Words don’t hurt as much as a helmet to the head
It doesn’t matter what Rudolph said. Garrett swung a helmet full strength at Rudolph’s bare head. If he doesn’t do that, then the whole thing would have been a non-story and forgotten immediately. You don’t punish Rudolph for Garrett’s actions.
It does matter what Rudolph said. It absolutely does.
Ummm if they agree to sign Clowney, they just cut Vernon no dead cap.
Clowney isn’t the elite #1 pick he was supposed to be but it should be an easy choice to cut Vernon and sign him
Why would anyone suggest Garrett be traded? He’s been productive, he’s mostly been on the field and he has elite tools. Unprecedented upside. Why would you want, or even entertain, trading a player like that?
Because he wears a set of glasses with a smile better than Henry Rollins.
So basically Berry is just another GM who tells fans what they want to hear.
“Olivier is a good football player, and we like having good football players on the roster. He’s a talented defensive end. He is here and will continue to be here.”
This is one of the more tepid endorsements of a player I’ve ever seen. If I were Vernon, I’d start packing my bags.
Don’t be surprised if they sign Griffin over Clowney.
Clowney would be an upgrade over Vernon IMO for a little more money which they have to spend if they can get Clowney and cut Vernon with no dead cap hit then I say do it.