BROWNS: WHAT SHOULD THEY DO?

The Dawg Pound has gone through a rough decade or so,
but will the Browns be able to turn their fortune around with
two first round picks and around $20 million in cap space?

The Browns have been a seemingly cursed franchise since they returned to the NFL in 1999. They have only had two winning seasons and one playoff berth in that time period, and have been disappointing their fans on a yearly basis.

The Redskins have just made a move up to the second pick in the draft, a move that the Dawg Pound was hoping the Browns would make, in order to land Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. This leaves the Browns with very few options to find their franchise quarterback, unless they want to put their faith back in Colt McCoy after going after Griffin and Peyton Manning.

Despite a need for an upgrade at the quarterback position, the Browns have much bigger problems on the offensive side of the ball besides the QB. While the Browns have a solid offensive line, there is not a single offensive threat on this team right not that a defense has to game plan around. A lack of skill players on offense in the reason they were one of the worst offenses in the league last season and is the main reason they finished with just four wins.

Free Agency:

No Peyton Manning? No problem! Matt Flynn could be
the Browns' first franchise quarterback since Bernie Kosar.

With Griffin and Manning out as options for the Browns, they have to turn their focus on Matt Flynn quickly before more teams go after him once Manning knocks them off his list. I know I sound like a broken record about Flynn, but I think he is an under rated quarterback due to the fact that Kevin Kolb bombed last season.

As much as I hated Kolb last offseason, I love Flynn. He is more mobile than Kolb and his accuracy is significantly better than Kolb. Kolb put up gaudy numbers against weak defenses while throwing to wide open receivers. While Flynn had great receivers to throw to in Green Bay, if you watch the tape, he was often throwing into extremely tight windows with confidence and hitting his receivers in stride.

Since the Browns run a West Coast offense that puts a premium on accurate quarterbacks, Flynn should fit the mold of what they are looking for in a signal caller. While I still have faith that McCoy should become an above average quarterback in the league, if the Browns think Flynn has the potential to be a top-10 quarterback, they have to make a move for him and do it fast. Whoever lands Flynn will be pleasantly surprised by what he can bring to the table.

Like I said earlier, the Browns’ main issues are not at quarterback, but at the offensive skill positions. Madden Cover Boy Peyton Hillis is a free agent and provides a very tough situation for the Browns. When healthy, Hillis is one of the best running backs in the league. However, Hillis missed almost all of last season with injuries and raised a lot of concerns about his work ethic. All of this is further complicated by the fact that Hillis has only had one good season his entire career.

Unless the Browns can sign Hillis to a 2-3 year contract that is incentive based (meaning less guaranteed money), the Browns will have to part ways with him. The running back position has become easier to get production out of due to the fact teams now utilize numerous backs instead of having a feature back run the ball 30 times a game. Therefore, it would not be wise to spend a lot of money on a guy with so many question marks when they have so many other needs.

Guys like Michael Bush, Cedric Benson, and Mike Tolbert should all be on the Browns’ short list should Hillis depart in free agency. The Browns could also allow Hillis to leave and then draft Trent Richardson in the first round of the draft, but I am getting ahead of myself.

The Browns’ main focus in free agency should be finding more weapons in the passing game for whomever will be quarterbacking this team in 2012 and beyond. While Vincent Jackson will be the prized free agent receiver, it is not realistic that the Browns could land Jackson, so they should turn their focus elsewhere.

Besides Jackson, Pierre Garcon is probably the top receiver available and I would expect the Browns to at least give him an offer. Garcon might also be tough to get away from the Colts, and other teams who want his services, but there are still other receivers out there that could help this team immediately.

Mario Manningham, Jerome Simpson, Robert Meachem, and Laurent Robinson should all be looked into. All four of those guys would probably be the best receiver on the Browns roster and none of them will command a huge amount of money.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Browns would definitely benefit from some added pass rushers and maybe another run stuffing linebacker. Jags’ defensive end Jeremy Mincey would be a huge acquisition for the Browns. Mincey had a great 2011 and he looks to be in the prime of his career. He might be hard to get away from Jacksonville, but he is the best pass rusher available not named Mario Williams.

There are a lot of solid 4-3 linebackers available and the Browns could add one more linebacker to pair with newly resigned D’Qwell Jackson. Curtis Lofton played middle linebacker in the Falcons’ 4-3 defense, but he is versatile enough to play outside linebacker for the Browns. He might be too expensive, so guys like Stephen Tulloch, Phillip Wheeler, and David Hawthorne could be more realistic and all of them would be upgrades.

Overview: The Browns’ main focus in free agency should be upgrading an offense that was horrendous in 2011. It all starts at quarterback, but the Browns only option left on the table is Matt Flynn. Then the Browns need to figure out what to do with troubled running back Peyton Hillis, but I foresee a split between these two. There are some good running backs and receivers that could immediately upgrade this offense and help out whoever the Browns’ quarterback is in 2012. On defense, Jags’ defensive end Mincey would upgrade the pass rush, but if they cannot add him, they should at least look into adding a young linebacker to hopefully help out a defense that was ranked 30^th against the run.

The Draft:

With Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon's stock on
the rise again, the Browns can either nab him for themselves
or use him as trade bait in order to gather up more draft picks.

The Browns are in a unique position sitting with the fourth overall pick because the first three picks are all but set in stone. Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III are going to go number one and two, and USC left tackle Matt Kalil would have to somehow get seriously injured or wind up in jail to fall past the Vikings. Therefore, the Browns know exactly what their options will be when they are on the clock.

If the Rams really fall in love with Oklahoma State receiver Justin Blackmon, they might be willing to trade up with the Browns using one of those high value picks they got from the Redskins. That would be a way to salvage something out of losing out on the Robert Griffin sweepstakes. This could allow them to take someone like Alabama running back Trent Richardson or Texas A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill as well as gain a second or third round pick.

If they stick with the fourth pick, the best player available would be Blackmon. Since the Browns are desperate for receivers, even if they add a receiver in free agency, Blackmon could still be a big upgrade for this team. He proved to be one of the best players in the draft when he answered questions about his speed by running a 4.48 in the 40 yard dash at his pro day. He is a big, physical receiver with great hands and has all the makings of a number one receiver. He reminds me a lot of the Giants’ Hakeem Nicks.

Their other options with the fourth pick are probably Richardson and Tannehill anyway, so it would be great if they could find a way to trade down and still land one of those guys. They could go after defensive ends Melvin Ingram and Quinton Coples if they land some big name free agents on the offensive side of the ball, but they might be forced to overdraft whoever they feel is the best offensive player.

The Browns have two first round picks this year, so they have a lot of flexibility in this draft. Unfortunately, they cannot trade up with that pick now, but they should be able to find a quality starter with their second pick in the first round. Adding a guy like defensive end Nick Perry or adding the top available offensive lineman would make a lot of sense, since right tackle has been an issue for them for some time now.

Safety is also a position of need, and since there is not much talent there besides the top two prospects, drafting Alabama’s Mark Barron or Notre Dame’s Harrison Smith could be an option for them as well.

Despite all of this, it is likely that they will be drafting a receiver with their second first round pick after taking either Richardson or Tannehill with their first pick. There should still be some solid receivers available, so they should not have to reach for someone.

The Browns really lack depth at most positions so the rest of their draft will be about drafting the best player available. Look for them to add a defensive end, cornerback, and a linebacker somewhere in this draft, as well as adding depth along the offensive line.

The Browns have a lot of work to do and a lot of picks to help them move around to fill out their roster.

Overview: The Browns will most likely take receiver Justin Blackmon, running back Trent Richardson, or quarterback Ryan Tannehill with their first pick, but whichever guy they land will completely alter the rest of their draft. Should they take Blackmon or Richardson, there is a chance that Tannehill could fall into the teens and they would then be able to trade up with the 22^nd overall pick to land him as well as one of those explosive weapons. If they think that Tannehill is their man, they should really try to trade down with the Rams and be almost assured that Tannehill will be there for them with the sixth overall pick.

Offseason Breakdown:

I have not done this portion in the past for my “What Should They Do?” segment, but since the Browns have so much flexibility with their picks and I have named so many players that could end up on their roster, I thought I would break down exactly what I think they should do this offseason.

The Browns cannot afford to over draft Ryan Tannehill,
as they might be better off sticking with Colt McCoy.

In my mind, the Browns should either sign Matt Flynn in free agency or just stick with Colt McCoy. Tannehill looks to be a good, not great, prospect, who is shooting up draft boards simply because the other two quarterbacks are going to be gone within the first two picks. The Browns cannot afford to reach for a mediocre quarterback because they have a guy in McCoy who can win games for them if he is given talent around him.

Should they not land Flynn, they should use their draft picks to surround McCoy with as much talent as possible and see what type of production they can get out of him. They should get a second tier receiver in free agency and either keep Hillis or grab another running back that is capable of carrying the ball at least 15-20 times a game.

Then in the draft, they should take either Blackmon or Richardson depending on who they sign in free agency. That leaves them with a pick late in the first round and a pick high in the second. They can then trade up for another prospect or even trade down to get more picks depending on the flow of the draft.

If defensive end Nick Perry or safety Mark Barron fall to them with the 22^nd pick, I think both of them would immediately upgrade this defense and could put them over the edge in becoming a legitimate top 10 defense. Tannehill could still be an option as well if he falls a bit, but I do not think they should draft him within the first ten picks.

There are plenty of other needs the Browns need to address, but they can be filled in the later rounds and with some astute signings in free agency. If this team can find some real threats on offense, they could be in the playoffs in a year or two thanks to a lot of young talent on the defensive side of the ball.