Joel Cade wrote a great article on how the Browns have been playing salary cap chess while the rest of the NFL is still playing checkers.
First, the corrections:
Sashi Brown was a cap specialist, and did execute the Osweiller trade, but Chief Strategy Officer Paul DePodesta is likely the originator of this "sabermetric" (snicker/snort) insideously diabolical plan.
He's the "Moneyball" guy, remember?
Sashi is a great negotiator and mediator and super-smart, but does Joel really think that he, and not DePodesta, first came up with the notion of trading cap-space for a draft pick (which ultimately became Nick Chubb)?
That goes for the overall STRATEGY that started with Brown, went off the rails under checker-player John Dorsey, and is back under Depodesta pal and Browns alumni Andrew Berry.
Joel is crediting Berry and Brown with all of this, while DePodesta was here all along, and despite the fact that Haslam fired "Mister Moneyball" to do exactly this kind of thing!
Everything else in this article was brilliant--and shocking, if Joel is right:
There is a rumor that a certain team, Jadeveon Clowney, agreed to a deal that would sign Clowney to "Team X" for 15 mil with a 5 mil bonus.
Team X would then trade Clowney to the Saints for a second round draft pick. Team X would pay the bonus, delivering Clowney to the Saints for 10 mil.
In other words, Team X would be paying the Saints 5 million bucks for their second round pick (and making it possible for them to afford Clowney).
Joel suspects that "Team X" was the Browns, and this seems obvious to me.
The NFL nixed this deal, which is infuriating.
Cap manipulation is part of this competition, and the smartest teams should be allowed to do it, just as Coaches are allowed to pioneer new offenses and defenses.
This is the "Old Boy's Network" (the NFL "swamp") trying to keep their pals the checker-players from losing to DePodesta.
Lord knows, guys like Bill Polian have made fun of "Moneyball", and it just wouldn't do for people to find out that this Hall-of Fame GM was fulla crap about that.
If that trade hadn't been nixed, Clowney would have gone to a team he wanted to play for, the Saints would have him under contract, and the Browns would have another 2nd round pick (and their 5 mil restored) in 2021.
Everybody wins, right?
Not in the swampy, socialist NFL! Dammit.
Chad Porto lists 3 free agents he feels the Browns should sign.
Sigh CB Prince Amakamura is a swing and a miss.
He'd be a well past his prime one year rental, added to what is already an extremely deep CB room at the expense of some younger guy.
Those younger players include Mitchell, Thomas, Stewart, and Johnson (who back up Ward and Williams.) (And by the way, that makes SIX).
Chad really loves those old retreads!
Mohammud Sanu!?! Just read what I said about the Cornerbacks good grief!
Nothing against Mohammud, who can still play, but here's Chad dissing Higgins, Hodge, Peoples-Jones, and Kareem Hunt in what most pundits still call a 2-TE offense why?
For Chad, any WR who hasn't caught 50+ passes for at least 2 seasons is "unproven" (and should be demoted or replaced by some old geezer, no matter how good they look, or their potential, or the politics that held them back, or whatever).
Chad would be fun to play poker with, as long as he brought lots of money.
Todd Davis DINGDINGDING!!!
LB Todd Davis is a tackling machine with plenty of tread left on his tires who should be pretty cheap.
The Browns retained Tae Davis and Malcolm Smith, and Davis is an upgrade over either (if you ignore coverage). Davis is probably also a sweet Special Teams player.
That's it for Chad, but I have some more general corrections to make:
1: Sione Takitaki was a recently converted Defensive End who was never expected to do much as an NFL rookie Linebacker, so what's this "he looked 'lost'" crap?
He saw the field late in his rookie season, and graded out higher than every other Linebacker on the team.
His improvement in year 2 was utterly predictable. Only his improvement in coverage is surprising.
2: David Njoku, Kareem Hunt, Rashard Higgins et al are on the block, regardless of what the team says.
3: At the same time, David Njoku will be here (and play) if they can't get real value for him (yet).
He's like a huge Wide Receiver; even Carlson isn't like him.
He'll play more vs certain defenses, and (generally) once the team has crossed mid-field. He'll line up in the slot or wide.
Njoku isn't like Bryant or Hooper. Defenses can't cover him the same way, or with the same people. As long as he is here, Stefanski will max him out.
YOU STAND CORRECTED.
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