Cleveland Browns' 10 Win 2012 Plan Step 2 -- Offensive UFAs to Add

Let me be clear about the 2012 Cleveland Browns: They can be very competitive in 2012 IF they are willing to dip into the free agency pool in this offseason. 

I can see the team winning nine or 10 games with a great offseason.  There are way too many holes in the roster to even think about filling using only the draft.  They MUST get some free agents to fill some holes and fill the rest with the draft.

The Browns have the best and most knowledgeable fans in the NFL.  They deserve much better football than they have suffered since the team came back in 1999. 

Here is my plan to get the team to 10 wins and a possible playoff in 2012.

On the offensive side of the ball, there are several positions that the team should address with Unrestricted Free Agents (UFA), rather than just rookies.  The addition of quality starting players will be critical if the team is going to be competitive this season.

Note: The offensive spots I want to see veteran UFAs fill include the RT, OG and WR positions.

Right Tackle

The RT spot has been a thorn in the side of every QB the team has had since 1999. 

No matter who plays QB, the Browns must fix this position. 

The incumbent RT Tony Pashos is a decent player with a history of injury that would bring down a herd of buffalo.  He needs to be replaced, or at the very least backed up by a solid veteran OT.

Jared Gaither of the San Diego Chargers 26 years old by the start of the 2012 season and is 6’9”, 340 pounds.

Despite his age, Gaither has played in 48 games with 33 starts.  He was a supplemental pick of the Baltimore Ravens in 2006. 

Gaither started in his second and third years for the Ravens but was out all of 2010 with a back injury. 
He was released by the Ravens and was picked up by the Chiefs in 2011, but did not start any the 10 games in which he played.  When he was released by the Chiefs, he was picked up by the Chargers and did well, starting the last five games of the season replacing the injured Marcus McNeill. 

A three-team resume is always an issue with a player that has been passed around
like bowl of taco chips.  I liked Gaither coming out of college. 

Gaither has experience at both tackles.  He is a starting quality pass-blocker but has limited athletic ability.  He is not as accomplished run blocking, but tries hard and will give his coach his best.  He will get to the second level and is accurate blocking at point. 

He has the strength to overcome his athletic limitations.

Gaither might be the best candidate for the Browns in this list, given his age and experience. But the Chargers will try hard to keep him. He could start day one for the Browns at RT.

Projected cost: $1 million

Offensive Guard

The one thing made clear by the 2011 season was that the Browns do not have an OG that can play if Eric Steinbach is out. 

The O-line leaked like the Titanic and much of the deluge was coming right up the gut.  No quarterback likes pressure up the middle.

Steinbach has back issues.  While a guy with a knee injury in Week 2 of the preseason will be depended upon to be back the next year, the back is a totally
different situation. 

Steinbach may not be back next year, or ever for that matter.

If you watched the Green Bay preseason game, the O-line was fine.  Eric held down the LG spot and C Kevin Mack was able to help the RG.  When both guards were newbies, the O-line protection was abysmal. 

I would love to see the team spend some serious money on the OG spot.

Ben Grubbs, G Ravens, 28 years old, 6’3” 310 pounds

Grubbs is one of the best guards in the league.  He handles a DT by himself and has the ability to hold him at the line on a pass rush and drive him out of the hole on a block for the run.  He has the feet to get outside on a run and bury the OLB or CB. 

He is very effective at getting the block at the second level on a run over his spot, and he will continue to block downfield knocking down defenders to the end zone.

The Ravens have a number of players on the UFA list and must resign RB Ray Rice first.  As a result,
Grubbs might be available.  Last year he was in the $4 million range.  He
will be expensive, but well worth it—particularly given Steinbach’s age and injury.

Projected cost: $6.8 million

Carl Nicks, G Saints, 27 years old, 6’5” 353 pounds

A backup for the G position would be Carl Nicks. Like the Ravens, the Saints have a number of critical UFAs to deal with this offseason.  Nicks may be allowed to get to free agency.  Nicks is a great drive blocker and pass-blocker, but he does not have the feet to get outside to block the sweep. 

He is not as good an athlete as Grubbs, but he is still an all pro level G that could play for the Browns for years.  Last year he was in the $3 million range.

Projected cost: $6 million

Wide Receiver

The next critical position is WR. 

Whoever plays QB needs a WR they can trust to run accurate patterns.  None of the Browns do that well now.  Then there is the issue of catching the ball. 

While Greg Little is learning, he has only played WR for two seasons and needs a lot
of work.

Mike Sims-Walker, free agent, 27 years old, 6’2” 212 pounds

Sims-Walker was a top free agent in 2011 with speed and size.  He was signed by the Rams but did
not fit in there.  He was slowed by injury and released. 

He was then resigned by the Jags who did not have a solid QB.

Sims-Walker runs good patterns with sure hands and above average speed for a receiver of his size. 
Her snatches the ball out of the air and is strong enough to fight for the ball against tight coverage.  He also has very good ball instincts and football smarts.  As seen in this picture, he has sideline awareness.

This would be a very low-cost move with a tremendous upside. 

He suffered a knee injury in early November, but should be close to 100 percent by the start of 2012.  In 2008 and 2009, he got 14 TDs and averaged over 13 yards per catch.  Since he is coming off an injury and two cuts, he will be willing to play for the minimum making him a low cost high upside guy.

Projected cost: $1 million

The second WR I would like to see the Browns sign is DeSean Jackson from the Philadelphia Eagles.  He is a game breaker with great speed and kick return ability.  But even if he is not tagged, he will be chased by a number of teams and will be very expensive. 

It is not in the Browns’ DNA to pay big bucks for a WR.

I also like Mario Manningham from the Giants a lot.  But his second ring and his Super Bowl catch will make him very popular and expensive as well.

Pierre Garcon, Colts, 26 years old, 6’0” 210 pounds

Given the Browns needs and system, Garcon is the choice here.  He is a three-year starter who
has 188 catches for 13.4 per catch and 16 TDs. Although he has been used in Indy as a possession guy, he has excellent speed.

He is less well known than most of the UFAs in this class, but he would be a No. 1 guy on the Browns.  He will go over the middle to catch a ball and can catch against tight coverage.  He has started 43 games over the last three seasons.  He earned only $577K in 2011.

This could be the kind of WR that Cleveland could consider if Indy does not resign him.

Projected cost: $1 million

Summary

There are as many estimates of the 2012 salary cap as there are players in the league. 

The most recent average of the salary cap projections for 2012 is around $124 million.  So for the rest of this series, we will add $2 million to our projected cap for the Browns.

The offensive players I have proposed would total up to $9.8 million or less if Nicks is the guard rather than Grubbs. 

It would fill the critical needs with young UFAs. I have not addressed the QB position in this because I believe the Browns will draft a QB either early with the fourth pick or in the middle rounds.

With the $9.8 million in offensive UFAs, the team would have $16.3 mil left for the defensive spots and the rookies.  If Steinbach is not able to play or is released, the team would have nearly $24 million to invest.

Either way, the team would be significantly better with these players added to the roster. Tomorrow I will post my plan for the defense UFAs that I would add to the roster.

That is what I think.  Tell us what you think.

If you want a different look at Cleveland Sports, join me on the Internet radio version of News, Notes and Rumors M-Th at 6 PM EST on Moorhead Radio. 

Follow me @NNRonDSN 

Bill Smith is a former coach of several semi-pro teams, has done color on radio for college football and basketball and has scouted talent. He edits Frying Pan Sports.  He has also published several novels here and a non-fiction work here.