Open Rants by sadbrownsfan

There have been several hot takes recently regarding how to fix the Browns, so I figured I would throw my hat into the ring. I should add that I am a lifelong Browns fan and watched every minute of their football games this year. It was brutal but I'm here to talk about it so here we go. First let's assess the roster. 

At QB Cody Kessler is a very good backup. He's accurate, doesn't turn the ball over, and won't lose you games. Unfortunately it's very unlikely that he is the long term answer at the position. RGIII has no business playing football in the NFL. He needs to go. Fortunately the Browns have two solid running backs who complement each other well. Unfortunately, they weren't able to run the ball enough because they were always playing from behind (the Browns gave up TDs on their opponents opening drives in HALF their games!). The emergence of Terrelle Pryor was one of the few bright spots in a miserable season. He gives them a big body receiver who complements Corey Coleman well. Coleman flashed promise, but he dropped too many passes and his limited route tree at Baylor impeded his transition to the NFL. Andrew Hawkins is a capable slot WR and a much needed veteran presence, but without a QB his impact was limited. For depth Ricardo Louis is athletic but can't catch while Rashard Higgins can catch but isn't athletic. At TE, Gary Barnidge is one year removed from making the pro bowl, but he took a major step back this year. Part of that could be due to the QB carousel, but it's a real possibility he was a one year wonder. Seth DeValve was injured throughout the preseason and into the start of the regular season, but for a rookie he picked up the offense fairly quickly and actually looks fairly capable as a receiving TE, although his blocking leaves a lot to be desired. Randall Telfer is on the roster but he had more holding penalties than receptions. The offensive line lost 2 pro-bowlers in the offseason, but was more a victim of injuries than talent. Joe Thomas is a first ballot hall-of-famer. Joel Bitonio is a pro-bowl caliber LG. The center position is a huge question mark but the Browns have some options to address it internally with John Greco, Austin Reiter or Anthony Fabiano. Spencer Drango and John Greco were both solid if unspectacular at guard and could slide into the starting spot next year. Austin Pasztor is a more natural fit at guard, although as a RT he was about league average. Shon Coleman spent much of the season rehabbing his injury, but in his cameo in the final game of the season he looked alright. Cameron Erving is an enigma. He has the athleticism and the desire, but on the field he is just terrible. I think the Browns give him one more season, but he has to be on the thinnest of ice. To sum it all up, the Browns actually have a solid offense minus the quarterback position. 

On the other side of the ball, the Browns defense was a crime against humanity. Technically they run a 3-4, but they spent over 70% of their snaps with 4 down lineman, primarily in the nickel. Emmanuel Ogbah led the team in sacks, and looks like he could be a solid player for the next few years. Carl Nassib didn't make as many plays, but showed he could be a solid rotational player going forward. Tyrone Holmes, Cam Johnson, and Corey Lemonier are practice squad caliber players, who played meaningful minutes because of the total lack of talent. Danny Shelton eats up blockers up front, but the other interior lineman are a regressing Xavier Cooper and Jamie Meder, a UDFA from Ashland University. At linebacker the Browns actually have a couple players to work with. Christian Kirksey has turned into a tackling machine, and when he puts in the effort Jamie Collins is one of the best in the business. Demario Davis and Joe Schobert both struggled however. Briean Boddy-Calhoun was another one of the bright spots on the team, as the UDFA CB looked like he belonged in the NFL. Jamar Taylor also greatly benefitted from a change of scenery and played decent enough to be resigned. Unfortunately, Joe Haden looks like a shadow of his former self. The Browns by far had the worst safety play in the NFL this year. Derrick Kindred, Ed Reynolds, Jordan Poyer, Ibraheim Campbell, and Tramon Williams all took turns getting beat all over the field. 

That brings us to the positions the Browns should be addressing. First and foremost, the Browns need to find themselves a quarterback. On offense they could also use one more receiver, a blocking TE, and a center. On defense their biggest need is at safety. They also desperately need another Edge rusher as they had the second fewest sacks in the NFL. With the regression of Joe Haden, they need to find a true number 1 CB and also add depth at the position. They could also use a DT and an ILB. 

In Free Agency the Browns MUST retain Terrelle Pryor and Jamie Collins at all costs. They have plenty of cap space, so a front-loaded contract a little over market value wouldn't kill them. They can also tag one of the two if necessary, more likely Collins. If they can get him at the right price they should also resign Austin Pasztor. The Browns don't need to make a huge splash in free agency but they should certainly look to plug up a couple holes. I think they should target a veteran receiver to help the younger guys develop and maybe sign another lineman. On defense I think they should target a safety and an interior lineman. And now we move on to the draft...

The Browns desperately need a QB, but this front office can't afford to miss, and when a generational talent like Myles Garrett fills a position of major need you have to pull the trigger. At pick 12 I would like to see the Browns trade up a few spots. They could use the extra second from Tennessee to get back into the top 10 and target a QB (Kizer/Trubisky) a safety (Hooker/Adams), Reuben Foster, or Jonathan Allen. Ideally, these blue chip players will be instant impact guys and elevate the play of those around them. At the top of the second round I would like the Browns to take a CB, as the depth in this class should allow a first round talent to fall to the second round. In the third round I would like the Browns can bolster the trenches, either with a center like Pat Elflein or a DT (Jaleel Johnson/Davon Godchaux). In the later rounds I would target depth at CB, TE, OL, DL, and WR. If the Browns get Trubisky or Kizer with their second first round pick that would be great, but if not they should wait until 2018. Wasting a mid-round pick on another Kessler won't help much, and they should instead focus on building a roster to put the QB of the future in the best position to succeed. In 2018 they can be in a better position to take the risk and make moves to get a top signal caller.  They've said many times this is a multiyear rebuild so I see no need to rush the most important piece of the puzzle. 

The silver lining of this joke of a season is that the Browns can only go up from here (surely). Realistically I think they should be shooting for 5 wins in 2017, 8 wins in 2018, and the playoffs by 2019. One final move I think the Browns should make is to aggressively try to be the team on hard knocks. Cleveland is the laughingstock of the NFL and other teams, players, fans, commentators, and analysts don't take them seriously. Getting that exposure and showing that they are indeed an NFL football team could do wonders for eliminating the stigma that comes along with being the Cleveland Browns. The sun is setting on several of the other AFC North teams and the Browns have set themselves up well for the future. Stay strong Believeland, our time is coming!