Browns Refurbishing. They've Been Waiting for This.

First, without naming names, I need to start of with a few corrections:

1: The Browns were never desperate for depth at running back, and I'm close to cofiscating that word.  Obgannaya is a very capable tailback, and will actually be permitted to line up there if neccessary.

I know the notion of somebody with a "FB" next to his name playing at tailback is confusing, but you just gotta trust me on this.  

There was a need, but as usual every need gets blown into a three-alarm emergency by some writers.

2: No, they don't need a vedduurrunn wide reciever again.  They just need good ones, and they have them.  IT'S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

Ok I'm not surprised that they kept Kitchen and Bryant.  Kitchen is pretty much a pure human fire hydrant nose tackle, and they'd like to move Taylor and Rubin around.  3-4 defensive lineman take a beating on every play and are big guys, so a heavy rotation is important.  

Armonty Bryant's upside as a DE is huge once he bulks up a little.  His quickness and speed for that position are positively mouth-watering.  I am surprised that they didn't release him and try to sneak him back onto the practice squad, but my guess is that they knew he'd get nabbed.

James Micheal Johnson is a talented player, and his release had more to do with others being quicker and faster than his ability to fit in a 3-4.  On many 3-4 teams Johnson is a perfect inside linebacker.  Just not on Ray Horton's.  Stay tuned.  You'll see, unless a 4-3 team signs him to play outside.

I'm thrilled that Josh Aubrey made the team!  He earned it.  This regime really doesn't care where or if you were drafted, or who signed or drafted you.  Aubrey had gaudy college stats but, like Gilkey, played against poor competition.  He proved in camp and preseason that he's not outgunned by the pros.

His physical tools were never an issue, as he's clocked 4.3 and had stellar agility numbers.  He may have passed up Bademosi in the safety competition, and may be showing up a lot in nickles and dimes as a rookie.

They almost had to release David Nelson, who I expect to get scooped up and come back strong with another team.  His injury actually typically takes two years to heal 100%.  I do believe that despite his poor performance last week, he would have been productive this season despite that, but the Brian Brennan-like Josh Cooper held him off.

Speaking of which, I hadn't even noticed that kid, and had just about written him off.  One reason they kept him was certainly because he's very cheap and very young, of course, but there's more.

With Norwood gone, he's the guy that most resembles Bess in the slot. Cooper is a slot guy only, and lacks Bess's longer speed.  But apparently (under my radar) he's proven reliable and promising.

Yeah, I remember Brennan fondly.  Backup, except on third and long.  Third down was Brian time.  Everybody on the defense knew it, but it didn't matter.  It would be great if Cooper emerges as somebody like that.

But the Browns aren't done making moves, and he could still get the axe.

I checked out Dennis Johnson, and he's pretty damn good, except so far can't be trusted not to fumble.  He's a dice-roll guy that they want to find out about.  Maybe the right coaching will make him stop fumbling.  I do know that at least a few times he fumbled when he got cute with stiff-arms and was hit from the other side.

The guy's only 5'8" and the length of his upper arms and forearms, plus the span of his hands are all factors in this.  He has to be more careful than bigger guys.

Some might say that I'm full of it and show me Trent Richardson.  Well, look at that guys' legs.  Straighten them out and he's 5-11".  Stick a fork in yourself, you're done.

I'm excited as hell about the acquistion of Bobby Rainey from the Ravens!  A lot of people can't figure out why he was released, and the fact that this is Ozzie Newsome is pretty scary.  You wonder what Ozzie knows that we don't.

Ah, this might help: In November he was placed on IR with a knee injury (of some sort).  After a pretty healthy (and impressive) college career, one injury doesn't mean what the conclusion-leapers will think it means, but as we try to figure out why Ozzie released him, we must now consider durability.

He had a nice 2013 preseason, so he's definitely healthy right now.

Hopefully, the Wiz just tried to sneak the guy onto his practice squad and likes him fine.

Rainey was undrafted and unheard of in 2012, but caught on as an undrafted free agent, and now has a year in the NFL under his belt.  He's 5'8" but a muscular 212, and 4.49 is about the slowest he can manage to run.

If this guy can block and catch, he could move ahead of Brandon Jackson.  This guy just might be something special.

This just in: Marqeis Gray!  This guy might be pretty good!  Oh he didn't play tight end on college, therefore he's going to be a project.  He might be ready by the time he's thirty--bullcrap.

He played quarterback, where he ran with the ball a lot, and wide reciever, where he (listen carefully) ran routes and caught passes. 

True, he'll most likely need to polish up his route-running, and can't be expected to block in-line without a lot of practice and coaching, but pretty quickly he can be used like Evan Moore was; like an enormous wide reciever.

Hopefully, he won't get hurt all the time like Moore, and will willingly learn to block.  While for now he can't do everything Cameron can do, after some coaching and practice he can step in for him on the "wing" stuff; he can run the same patterns and catch the ball.

Fort's release was a bit of a surprise, but we always knew that nobody was safe.  If they believe they found somebody better--wow that's good.

I checked out the g/c they picked up from Green Bay.  Patrick Lewis was competing with second year g/c Kyle Van Roten for the backup guard slot.  Also influencing this decision were other more experienced depth guards.

Lewis was actually neck-and-neck with the more experienced guys going into the final preseason game, and this was a close call by McCarthy and co., so the kid brings something to the table.

He played big-time college with Texas A&M as a four-year starter.  Two at right guard and two at center, where he says he feels he belongs.

He's not a powerful drive-blocker, but is very good at linebacker-hunting in space.  He needs work in pass-protection, grading out in one-on-one protection drills at .528, which doesn't suck but isn't great either.  

Rodgers has been one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the NFL for several seasons, and the mere fact that Van Roten graded out at .629 in protection drills might have spelled Lewis's doom.

But he was a keystone for Texas A&M for four seasons, and the Packers are a contender for another Superbowl who really liked this guy.

As I've said, I really like Gilkey's future at guard here, but Lewis played against much better players in college, and could step right in a rung ahead of him.

I would have been stunned if they hadn't cut the huge underachieving glorified FA tackle they had pretending to be a tight end, and consider Keavon Milton an even bigger version of him.

Sorry to see Smelley go.

Just watch how many Browns' cuts get and keep jobs elsewhere in the NFL.  This is a good team now.  Tom Heckert was great.  Denial isn't a river in Egypt.