Browns Haunted by Their Reputation as Jordan Cameron Spurns Former Team

It was around 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, about 50 hours into free agency, when it finally looked as though something was going to break the Cleveland Browns' way. 

See, the Browns, who haven't had a winning season since 2007, haven't made the playoffs since 2002 and haven't won a postseason game since 1994, looked as though they were at least going to re-sign their top free agent. 

The Browns, who have had five head coaches, five general managers and 13 different starting quarterbacks in the last seven years, had reportedly struck a deal with a Pro Bowl-caliber starting tight end. 

Those cursed Browns, who are patiently waiting for the quarterback they drafted in the first round last year to be released from rehab while they watch all of their other notable in-house free agents—Brian Hoyer, Jabaal Sheard and Buster Skrine—leave town, were reportedly at least going to re-sign Jordan Cameron. 

But nothing breaks Cleveland's way. Not when we're talking football in or around the 21st century. Those Browns did something to piss off the football gods at some point early in the Super Bowl era, which might explain why they didn't win a single playoff game in the 1970s and have won just one since the beginning of the 1990s. 

It might explain why when they were actually competitive in the 1980s, they couldn't scale Mount Elway on three separate occasions. 

It might explain why those poor suckers didn't even have a team between 1996 and 1998. 

And it might explain why within three hours of that original report, Cameron reportedly pulled a 180 and signed with the Miami Dolphins. 

Now a team that is already undoubtedly regretting using two of its last four first-round picks on Trent Richardson (a bust and now gone) and Johnny Manziel (a rookie failure now being treated for alcohol dependency at a rehabilitation center) has yet another hole to fill. 

The Browns entered free agency with more than $40 million to spend and have more salary cap space than all but two other teams, per Over the Cap. But it doesn't matter how much money you have to throw around if you're viewed as football poison.

What's really sad is that those initial reports of Cameron's return were only uplifting because the 26-year-old had already indicated he didn't want to return to Cleveland, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. 

Now, after backing out of his deal with the Browns, it appears he's set to take the exact same pay in another city. 

All of that cap space, and what do the Browns have to show for it through two days of free agency? Brian Hartline, Josh McCown and Thad Lewis. Meanwhile, starters Sheard, Skrine and Cameron all have to be replaced, which can't be easy when nobody seems to want to play for you. 

They're working overtime tonight at the factory of sadness. 

It's hard to blame Cameron for taking a similar contract elsewhere, because Cleveland just isn't an attractive environment right now.

The Browns continue to haphazardly search for a quarterback, Manziel's a mess and that aforementioned report from La Canfora paints owner Jimmy Haslam—who has been embroiled in his own major controversy as his family's truck-stop chain, Pilot Flying J, deals with a fuel-rebate fraud lawsuit—as a micromanaging meddler. They're facing sanctions stemming from reports that general manager Ray Farmer violated league rules by sending text messages to the sideline during games. Oh, and top wide receiver Josh Gordon is suspended indefinitely for repeated violations of the NFL's substance-abuse policy. 

No wonder offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan ran for the hills as soon as he had a chance, resigning after one season with the Browns. 

Unless they're backing up a Brink's truck, there's little incentive to join an organization with that much baggage. And that's a shame, because this team really could have used Cameron, who had 80 catches, 917 yards and seven touchdowns as a Pro Bowler in 2013 and would have posted similar numbers had concussion issues not derailed his 2014 campaign.

This league is celebrated for its parity, but several teams at the bottom of the food chain—namely the Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins—just can't climb out of their respective dungeons. 

Poor decision making and a lack of focus and direction have certainly factored in. But a lot of these teams know who they want and recognize what they need. Part of the problem—and we're truly seeing this now in Cleveland—is that nobody wants them. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon