Rumors of a potential Joe Thomas trade to Denver, Detroit, or Carolina are probably based on nothing more than educated speculation by guys like me.
It doesn't mean it won't happen. The "attempted" trade with Denver last year which the Browns "backed out of" is badly misreported. Ray Farmer listened to offers. None of the offers was high enough. That's all.
If Joe continues to get days off from practice (common freaking sense duh), he could remain a top left tackle for 2-4 more seasons, and there is nobody in his zip code on this roster, so the Browns aren't in a frenzy to dump him, as will no doubt be suggested.
The asking price should START with a first round pick. Speculation by fans of other teams calling in to NFL Radio are sad: They think the Browns would happily accept a low second round pick, and maybe a bag of Doritos.
Man, they also think the Browns would trade a first round pick for Gramps Romo!
Only elite teams on the cusp of a Superbowl will have any interest. The three teams mentioned could use him. Especially Carolina, where Cam Newton is getting pounded to mush weekly.
That means any first round pick the Browns would get from them would be near the bottom. Joe Thomas is worth a lot more than that. No low first round pick could win a Superbowl this year, and maybe the year after, and the year after that.
Joe is also a bargain. His obsolete salary is very low for what he offers.
As it stands, the Browns should have five draft picks in the top 75 next season. As Pat Kirwan points out, this is a time bomb. If they pick well, it means that many of those contracts will expire simultaneously, nuking the salary cap. If these players are stars, they will probably lose some of them to free agency.
This is a factor in any potential Joe Thomas trade. Sashi Brown could consider taking (higher/more) picks in 2018 and 2019 to close the deal. An elite veteran team will find this attractive, as they could still have their current picks to hopefully prolong their "reign".
The first round starter pick in 2017 is probably not negotiable.
Sashi Brown, at least following Kirwan's logic, would be wise to trade some of his draft picks into the future, to even out those eventual cap crises and improve his chances of re-signing his star players in the future.
The "talent gap" mantra is crap. The Cleveland Browns lack experience and healthy bodies, but not talent. As it stands, Cam Erving looks like a miss (but that's not final). We can wait to see how Coleman and Rango work out, but they might need a right tackle. If they trade Joe, they will need a left tackle (drafted very high).
Barnidge is getting up there, DeValve is untested, but there is some promising talent at tight end. This is unresolved.
Pryor should be re-signed asap. Corey Coleman might be another Brown or Beckham. Despite the last couple weeks, the running backs are studs.
They need better cornerbacks. Safety is in flux except for Campbell. Shelton is coming on strong, wait til you see Nassib with two hands, Ogbah is starting to get it, Schobert is just a kid.
A bunch of the long completions "wide open!" were blown coverages. Bad calls by inexperienced safeties, and errors by inexperienced defensive backs. That's what happens with a young team!
Sure, this team could use upgrades in several areas, but by this time next season, this exact same personnel group on defense could rank in the middle or above...with E X P E R I E N C E DO YOU U N D E R S T A N D?
So deferred draft picks are not a bad idea.
Pump the brakes on Cody Kessler if you want. That's fine. He could still just sorta flame out like so many others. But so far, so good, right? So far, I gotta trust Hue Jackson on this one.
It's not just the Josh McCown-like guts and leadership. It's literally his accuracy and decision-making. He overcame a lot of early pressure with his feet, and pulled something out of that fire repeatedly.
I really liked Brian Hoyer, you know? But when I saw him leave the pocket, it was time to change the channel: that play was over. Kessler is different. You can't teach that stuff. That's probably what Hue was talking about.
And the come-backs, when the defense knew he had to pass, and pass aggressively. They didn't close the deal, but that wasn't his fault. He had Gary, Terrelle, and guys named Joe. Wait til Coleman comes back!
Check this out: Kessler belongs right there with Wentz and Prescott!
I got my fingers crossed on Cam Erving. If he doesn't get better in a hurry, Kessler won't last.
This is Cleveland. For every ray of sunshine, there is a dark cloud.
Well, go TRIBE!!!
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