The Browns don't need more linebackers not named Matthews. Every time any linebacker gets cut, somebody in Cleveland thinks he will be better than Wilson, Takitaki, and Phillips, and that a wiley old vet is a critical ingredient to each and every unit.
It's the same with every position, except Thomas Moore has a sensible candidate in ex-Saint Larry Warford, who is a 28 year old Right Guard.
After 15 weeks last season, Warford was PFF's 10th-ranked guard. According to them, Joel Bitonio is only a little better.
Warford ran 5.58 at his combine, but weighed 337 lbs at that point (he's now under 317). He has quick feet, nice lateral mobility, and does look like a wide zone fit here.
Of course, he could be too expensive, and (believe it or not) Bill Callahan might think more of the RG candidates on-site than the Memorex Morons do.
Frank Teriaca ranks the Browns' top ten skill players.
No biggee, but he was wrong about Janovich.
The players Janovich will replace on the field would be Kareem Hunt or (pick one) the second Tight End.
Frank thinks that Javovich will play "a ton" because Stefanski used a fullback liberally in Vikingsland, but this is a different team.
Janovich will be a key Special Teamer and short-yardage guy in 2020, but his participation on offense will be limited until Kareem Hunt leaves the team.
Why on Earth would you line up any fullback instead of Kareem Hunt?
Berry took advantage of Janovich's availability because he's a top 3 Fullback (at worst), and Stefanski will use him a lot once Hunt is gone.
I'm personally more interested in trying to rank the most important defensive players.
You go first (I'll wait).....yeah it's tough (if you actually think and don't default to Garrett etc).
Myles has to be in the running for number one, of course, but so are Delpit and Ward.
Ward was actually dominating last season, as opposing QBs avoided him and attacked Greedy Williams.
A "lock-down" cornerback is extremely valuable, as he can stifle the offense's scariest WR by himself, and force a QB to go "plan B" all game long.
Delpit will be all over the place on defense, and is a playmaker. Woods can use him in center field, or put him on a dangerous Tight End (instead of a 6'1" linebacker in a zone).
Garrett was averaging a sack per game last season, and was excellent vs the run too...
Ok number one has to be Garrett. He will force rushed and bad throws, deflect passes, and get TFLs. It all makes Ward and Delpit's jobs easier.
I'll rank Delpit 2nd and Ward 3rd. When healthy, Delpit is a turnover machine, whereas Denzel Ward, as good as he is and will become, is a shut-down corner who can be avoided.
If I'm an opposing QB, I know pre-snap that my top receiver is a decoy, that I have to watch that 6'3" mutant safety and be very careful throwing anywhere near him, and of course am terrified of Garrett.
The 4th guy imo is Greedy Williams.
I oversimplified with Denzel Ward, because he is over 3" shorter than Williams, and Williams is a top man corner as well. There will be situations in which Ward will be on number 2 and Williams on number one based on matchups.
Greedy was targeted (and successfully exploited) as a rookie in 2019, so he certainly had some homework to do in the offseason, and Denzel Ward is clearly the top corner in 2020.
Greedy Williams was 6'2", 185 lbs when drafted, so he obviously needed Hans and Franz to pump him up.
He will be bigger and stronger in 2020 and still has (ahem) 4.37 speed.
Joe Woods should have THREE excellent man corners (including Rodney Mitchellfield) outside, and I can take this all the way back to Hanford Dixon and Frank Minnifield (the OG DAWGS).
Felix Wright was the Free Safety on that defense, and Clay Matthews was the closest thing they had to Myles Garrett.
Grant Delpit is a lot more talented than Felix Wright, and Myles Garrett is a full-time passrusher.
The principles are the same: If both outside corners can keep those receivers off the table for 3.5 or so seconds without help, the QB has to go inside to 3rd and lower options, and your Free Safety (who gets to ignore those guys) knows it, see?
This is why the undersized Felix Wright got a bunch of interceptions and huge downhill hits, and partly why Clay Matthews got a bunch of sacks (and some interceptions of his own).
So Greedy is my number four, because if he makes the leap he should, he and Ward would set the rest of the defense up like that, except with Delpit instead of Wright, and that's just scary to think about.
It's really hard to find the 5th most important defender here.
Billings is a Nose Tackle who can help vs the run a lot. Elliott, Richardson, and Ogunjobi are all disruptive, and Elliott can 2-gap as well.
Phillips could surprise a lot of people and kick ass early--Wilson could also...
Well I guess I have no idea who the 5th most important 2020 defender will be.
How about the 2020 Browns "Night of the Living Dead" defensive players? (Those who got buried before they were dead after 2019, and are clawing their way out of their graves).
1: Mack Wilson. Review his 2019 draft profiles. Remember he was a rookie in 2019. And say "DUH".
2: Seoni Takitaki: Played Defensive END until his final year in college. He was still learning Linebacker when he was drafted--was a project as a rookie.
Hardly got to play on defense in 2019, but excelled in every category (including coverage) in that tiny sample size.
...why do you hate this guy so much? Why are you so desperate to kick him to the curb?
3: Sheldrick Redwine: Redwine had to start extensively as a rookie and was decent as a R O O K I E starter...
Listen, when you ass ume that a slightly above average rookie starter has to be replaced before he gets to his second training camp, there is something wrong with you, ok?
4: Terrence Mitchell: You want to cut this guy to save 1-2 million in cap space because he doesn't start? Aren't you overthinking this? Mitchell is due to make around 5 mil less than you people seem to think, and is a bargain at his current salary.
Even if Ward or Williams don't get injured (fat chance) Mitchell will play in some nickels and most dimes.
Terrence Mitchell is an excellent man cornerback---what tf is the matter with ohhmmm...ohmmm....
Randy Gurzi does a fine job responding to Ben Gay WR Tyler Boyd, who said that the comparison between Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield "isn't even close", but I need to add this:
The dumber you are, the more you exaggerate (and the louder you yell).
I have to confess that I am jealous of the Bengals, because I think Burrow will be better than Baker Mayfield, but "not even close" is just idiotic.
Anyway thanks Tyler Boyd for some REAL bulletin board material.
But please, Baker: DON'T RESPOND and get into another of these rediculous twitter wars dammit! Save it for the GAME and don't be a PUNK again!
Anyhow okbye
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