Brandon Weeden's Deal Is the Final Piece in the Cleveland Browns' 2012 Puzzle

The final piece of the 2012 iteration of the Cleveland Browns fell into place on Tuesday when it was announced that first-round pick, quarterback Brandon Weeden, had agreed to a four-year contract reportedly worth $8.1 million.

Weeden was looking for four fully guaranteed years, but instead got three with a partially-guaranteed fourth season.

This is on the heels of fellow first-rounder, running back Trent Richardson, getting his contract on Monday, which is worth $20.5 million over four years with $13.3 million of it guaranteed (and no offset language, which means he'll get the full amount even if he heads elsewhere before the four years are up).

Weeden's signing puts the cherry on top of an offseason of change for the Browns. Change isn't unfamiliar to the team, which has been trying all manners of ways to get out of the bottom of the NFL's win column since re-forming as a franchise in 1999. But this year, there seems to be more reason for optimism than ever.

Clearly, this starts with Weeden. Even with a world-class defense, teams cannot expect to make much progress—let alone make the playoffs—with someone like Colt McCoy or Seneca Wallace under center.

What the Browns needed was a bigger, more accurate arm, someone with pocket presence and maturity and someone able to hold up against the rigors of an NFL season.

While at this point, we cannot know if Weeden meets all of these conditions, there is reason to believe that he can. No team takes drafting a quarterback lightly, especially the Browns, who have had a near-endless parade of passers while searching for a working formula. 

This four-year deal represents more than simply a player getting a contract—it also represents the future of the position.

Weeden is set to earn more than both McCoy and Wallace, which indicates that while Weeden has yet to be formally named the team's starter, he's certainly expected to win that job handily without too much training-camp drama.

With that announcement, the Browns can finally move forward. There will be no waffling between McCoy and Wallace during the season, there will be no more Peyton Hillis-related distractions. Instead, there will be the 28-year-old (and nearly 29) Weeden under center and the all-business Richardson carrying the ball.

At least on paper, those two moves are major upgrades at both positions. And they're just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the additions the Browns have made this offseason.

Among the new players are veteran defensive end Frostee Rucker and rookies Mitchell Schwartz (likely to be the starting right tackle), run-stoppers defenders John Hughes and James-Michael Johnson, and receivers Travis Benjamin, Josh Cooper and Josh Gordon.

The signing of Weeden is ultimately just a formality—there was no threat of a holdout, no worries that he wouldn't report to training camp. However, it's a significant gesture when framed in the context of the Browns' hopes for the 2012 season.

All the Browns want is to field a complete team, lacking glaring holes and providing a strong foundation upon which they can build something long-term; with Weeden's contract completed, this process is tangibly set into motion.

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