Cleveland Browns Blueprint for Winning Free Agency

We're a week away from the NFL's 2015 league year kicking off, which means the start of free agency. The Cleveland Browns have significant roster holes and nearly $50 million in salary-cap space to help fill them.

Though a team's season doesn't hinge on what it chooses to do in free agency, those moves certainly will help define the depth chart.

Let's take a look at the five things the Browns must do in order to get the most out of their free-agency moves this year.

Don't Overspend

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Quarterback Josh McCown is the Browns' first big signing of the offseason.

The Browns were fairly active in free agency in 2014, with Karlos Dansby, Donte Whitner and Andrew Hawkins their most notable signings. The team certainly has the freedom to spend again in 2015, with nearly $50 million in salary-cap space. However, the Browns would be smart to be conservative with their money, signing players who fit their scheme rather than trying to make a splash with the bigger names on the market.

Browns owner Jimmy Haslam does not seem interested in using up the cash in the team's coffers, saying in February, "We have said very publicly that we plan on building through the draft." General manager Ray Farmer added, "It’s really more focused on being smart with who you add, when you add, and how you add."

That's not to say that the Browns won't be making any signings. They added free-agent quarterback Josh McCown on Friday, signing him to a three-year, $14 million deal that includes $6.5 million in guaranteed money. And Farmer also noted that, " It doesn’t mean we’re not going to go [in free agency]. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to play. It doesn’t mean we’re not going to allocate cap dollars in that regard."

The Browns simply must not spend money just because they have it. Instead, a measured use of the funds to find high-quality players that they cannot find in the draft would be the better approach. 

Move on from Ahtyba Rubin

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After six seasons, it's time for the Browns to say goodbye to Ahtyba Rubin.

Ahtyba Rubin was the Browns' starting nose tackle in 2014 and has been with the team since 2008. He's now an unrestricted free agent, and he's a player the Browns should not bring back for another stint.

Rubin had 28 combined tackles and one sack in 2014. He was Pro Football Focus' 74th-ranked defensive tackle for the season (out of 81 ranked) and ranked 35th (out of 48) in run-stopping percentage. Stopping the run has been a perennial weakness for the Browns over the past decade-plus, and the defense ranked 32nd in the league in rushing yards per game allowed in 2014.

The Browns need to address their front seven, and that begins with nose tackle. Though free agency could produce a replacement for Rubin, the 2015 draft class is also loaded at the position—Cleveland should easily be able to find a starter-capable rookie with one of its first three picks.

Rubin has had plenty of chances with the Browns but hasn't done much to help their long-standing weakness against the run. It's time to move on and find someone who can make an immediate and positive impact on that aspect of the defense.

A First-Round Tender for Tashaun Gipson

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Tashaun Gipson's career-best 2014 season ended with a knee injury. But the Browns need him for 2015 and beyond.

Browns safety Tashaun Gipson is a restricted free agent this year, which means the Browns will have to find a way to either lock him down to a long-term contract or give him a tender that other teams will have to match. If the Browns opt for the latter, then nothing less than a first-round tender will suffice. That way, should the Browns lose him, they will at least get a first-round draft pick as compensation.

Gipson was having the best season of his career in 2014, with 52 combined tackles, eight passes defensed and a team-leading six interceptions before suffering PCL and MCL injuries in his right leg in November that kept him off the field for the remainder of the season.

Gipson has proved to be an integral part of the Browns' impressive defensive secondary. Given the state of the free-agency class at safety and how thin the position is in the draft, there will be no one of his caliber to replace him. At the very least, the Browns need to make it expensive for another team to poach Gipson should they not lock him down to a contract extension instead.

A first-round tender cost just $3.113 million in 2014. Though 2015's figure is not yet known, it's clearly a financially affordable option for the Browns in lieu of a long-term deal for Gipson.

Add a Veteran Receiver

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Even if the Browns don't bring back receiver Miles Austin, they must find a veteran wideout in free agency to bring leadership to the locker room.

The Browns' receiving corps is young and inexperienced. Its most veteran player is Andrew Hawkins, a 2014 free-agent signing formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals who saw his first dedicated playing time as a starter this past season. Josh Gordon is also suspended for at least one year.

Free agency should easily provide the Browns with a veteran wideout to add leadership to the locker room and provide direction for their many young players on offense. There are a few flashy names that stand out—Demaryius Thomas (should the Denver Broncos not re-sign him), Hakeem Nicks, Jeremy Maclin or even Reggie Wayne.

But it might be smarter, still, for the Browns to go with what they know and bring back Miles Austin for another year or two in Cleveland. Austin was the Browns' third-leading receiver in 2014, with 47 catches on 70 targets, for 568 yards and two touchdowns.

Austin was also a leader in the locker room, so much so that he continued to attend position meetings and practices in order to provide guidance for Cleveland's younger receivers even after being placed on injured reserve for a lacerated kidney. Better yet, he has frequently expressed a desire to return to the Browns despite changes at offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach.

Even if Austin does not return to Cleveland this year, the Browns must use some of their cash to add a veteran receiver to the roster. There's just too much youth and inexperience at the position at present.

Don't Let Buster Skrine Leave

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Teams will be lining up to offer a contract to free agent cornerback Buster Skrine. At least the Browns have the cash to match any deal and keep their cornerback around for a few more years.

Given the uncertainty surrounding Justin Gilbert's ability to be a full-time starter in the NFL in his second season and the free-agent status of Gipson, the Browns need to do work to keep as much of their 2014 secondary still on their roster heading into 2015. This means that cornerback Buster Skrine needs to be the team's biggest in-house free-agent priority this year.

Skrine had a career year in 2014, with 67 tackles, four interceptions and 18 passes defensed. Other teams have taken notice. Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) reports that league sources at the scouting combine said that Skrine "will be highly sought-after on the open market" and could get a deal worth $5.5 million to $7 million per year owing to his ability to play all over the field.

Though Cabot believes that the Browns will let Skrine test the free-agency waters, they are likely prepared to match or beat any offer he gets from another team. This could have been different had Gilbert shined in his rookie season. But Gilbert has proved unreliable, at least in his first year, and the Browns' other options at cornerback include two more second-year players. 

The Browns have the cash to beat out any offer Skrine may get from another team, and they should spend it. It won't be a bank-breaking amount of money, and in return, they have security in the secondary, the only area of the defense to play consistently well in 2014.