Cleveland Browns Free-Agency Tracker: Updated Signings, Rumors and Grades
NFL free agency begins on Tuesday afternoon, and though the Browns aren't expected to be major spenders, they will still attempt to fill some of their roster voids by adding veterans.
Here, we will track every player the Browns sign during the early period of free agency as well as round up rumors about whom they might be interested in bringing onto the roster.
Browns Extend Contract of DL John Hughes
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The Browns announced on Friday that they have extended the contract of defensive lineman John Hughes. According to the NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, it is a four-year extension that adds $14.4 million new money to his deal.
Hughes was a third-round pick of the Browns' in 2012. He's appeared in 36 games with seven starts, primarily as a rotational run-stuffer. He's totaled 40 tackles along with four sacks in three years. His 2014 season was marred by injuries that landed him on the injured reserve-recall list and he returned to the field in Week 17.
The Browns defense ranked last in the league in rushing yards allowed in 2014. Clearly, they believe that Hughes is a key component to improving the run defense going forward. This extension indicates that Hughes is expected to take on a more prominent role in the front seven in 2015.
Grade: A
Browns Re-Sign OL Ryan Seymour
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The Browns announced on Monday they have re-signed offensive lineman Ryan Seymour. Terms of the contract were not immediately available.
Seymour played in 11 games for the Browns in 2014, including three starts at center in relief for Nick McDonald, who initially was pegged to start in place of Alex Mack, who suffered a broken leg in the middle of the season. It was his first experience playing center; he had been both an offensive guard and tackle for the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Browns.
Signing Seymour makes sense from a depth perspective. He's proven he's the team's best option to back up Mack, and his versatility along the line makes him an attractive re-signing for the Browns. Though not a flashy move, it's a necessary one—one any team would gladly make.
Grade: B+
Browns Re-Sign P Spencer Lanning
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The Browns announced on Friday they have re-signed punter Spencer Lanning. No contract details were immediately available.
There's nothing inherently exciting about re-signing a punter, though it does get that particular position sorted early for 2015. Lanning averaged 44.3 yards per punt in 2014, his second season with the Browns.
Grade: B+
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Browns Re-Sign RB Shaun Draughn
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The Browns announced on Friday they have re-signed running back Shaun Draughn. The terms of the contract are yet unknown.
Draughn was signed by the Browns in Week 14 of the 2014 season to add depth to the running back position as well as to contribute on special teams. He did not record a carry or reception on the season, though he did return five kickoffs for 115 yards. In his career, Draughn has rushed 73 times for 254 yards and two scores and has caught 24 passes for 158 yards.
Draughn could very well be a part of the Browns' backfield in 2015, particularly as a third-down, pass-catching back. However, he's proven to be most useful on special teams, which is where he's likely to get his most work going forward. Still, a depth running back with plus special-teams skills is not a bad signing. It certainly meets a need most teams have.
Grade: B
Browns Sign WR Brian Hartline
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Free-agent wide receiver Brian Hartline visited the Browns a week ago, but with other teams interested it seemed like another potential target could slip from the team's fingers.
Instead, Dustin Fox of CBS Cleveland reported on Monday evening the Browns are indeed the team to land Hartline's services this year. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, confirmed the signing to Pro Football Talk, saying it is a two-year deal worth $6 million. The Browns confirmed the signing on Tuesday.
Hartline would add veteran experience to a young Browns' receiving corps as well as a taller target—he stands at 6'2". He also certainly addresses the Browns' clear need to bring in an experienced receiver, however he may not have been the Browns' best option.
After posting two back-to-back 1,000-plus receiving-yard seasons, Hartline disappeared in 2014, catching just 39 of 63 targets for 474 yards and two touchdowns. And that was during an improved year for quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Granted, Hartline's targets were cut in half with the emergence of Jarvis Landry, but his catch rate of 62 percent is not very inspiring. He can stretch the field, though, which is something the Browns would be missing given Josh Gordon's one-year suspension.
Perhaps a change of venue and quarterback will help Hartline have a bounce back 2015. However, it does not help that neither the Browns nor Hartline knows who exactly will be throwing the passes come September. The value of the contract, however, is appropriately reflective of the uncertainty of the situation.
Grade: C+
Browns Re-Sign WR/ST Marlon Moore
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The Browns announced on Wednesday that they have re-signed wide receiver and special teams contributor Marlon Moore. Contract details were not immediately released.
Moore did not record a reception in his lone season with the Browns, though he did have 19 total catches for 306 yards in his previous four seasons. He was primarily a kick returner and special-teams contributor, with 13 kickoffs returned last year for 322 yards, or an average of 24.8 yards. He also had 10 special-teams tackles last season.
This is a key re-signing for the Browns in the sense that Moore has proven to be an asset on special teams. What this means, however, for his chances to make a mark as a receiver is not yet known. It's been a quiet free agency period for the Browns, but maintenance signings like this are common.
Grade: B
Browns Sign QB Thaddeus Lewis
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The Browns announced on Thursday they have signed quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. Lewis spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons in Cleveland before then spending 2013 with the Buffalo Bills and 2014 with the Houston Texans.
Lewis had one regular-season start for the Browns in 2012, completing 22 of 32 passes for 204 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also started five games for the Bills in 2013.
The signing doesn't necessarily mean that Lewis will be in the mix to start. It also doesn't mean that he will remain on the roster come September. The signing hints, however, that second-year quarterback Johnny Manziel may not return from rehab in time for offseason workouts, leaving the Browns with a need for an additional quarterback to help install the offense with the players who can attend.
Lewis could push Connor Shaw for a roster spot, eventually, depending on how workouts and OTAs play out in the coming months. But for right now, Lewis seems to simply add depth to the quarterback position with Manziel's status still unknown.
Grade: B
Browns Tender Offers to 4 Restricted Free Agents
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The Browns took a step toward keeping four of their restricted free agents on Monday, tendering offers to safety Tashaun Gipson, linebacker Craig Robertson, defensive lineman Ishmaa'ily Kitchen and special teamer Johnson Bademosi, the team announced.
The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram's Scott Petrak added Gipson and Robertson were each given second-round tenders, while Kitchen and Bademosi were given lower-round tenders. The designation means the Browns can match any offer given the four restricted free agents and, should they not choose to, get a draft pick—in Gipson's and Robertson's cases, second-rounders—in compensation.
Gipson had the best season of his career in 2014, despite missing the last five games with a knee injury. He totaled 52 tackles, six interceptions (the second-most in the league), eight passes defensed and a touchdown. It's likely the tender is a way to keep the door open to a new contract—the Orange and Brown Report's Lane Adkins notes the Browns and Gipson have been negotiating for at least a week.
Robertson had 92 tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and a touchdown while playing in 16 games with 11 starts in 2014. He's a key component of the Browns' interior front seven. Kitchen, meanwhile, was a rotational player at nose guard and totaled 43 tackles in 13 games in 2014, with three starts.
Bademosi is a special-teams standout who has recorded 44 tackles in the past three years, including 15 in 2014. He also provides emergency depth at defensive back.
Grade: A+
Browns Host Free Agent WR Dwayne Bowe
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The Browns spent the first weekend of free agency courting wide receiver Dwayne Bowe, bringing him into town and hoping to sign him to a contract before he leaves. ESPN NFL insider Adam Caplan reports that the visit went well and the interest is mutual.
Bowe was released by the Kansas City Chiefs last week, where he started 112 games. He has 532 career receptions for 7,155 yards and 44 touchdowns, averaging 13.4 yards per reception. He had just 60 catches for 754 yards and no scores in 2014, with the Chiefs passing offense more of a short-yardage game.
Should Bowe land in Cleveland, he'll add a true No. 1 wide receiver-level of talent. He can catch deep passes, create yards after the catch and is a true touchdown threat despite what his 2014 stat line indicates. The free-agent wide receiver pool has dwindled. If the Browns are truly interested in Bowe, they will have to remain aggressive.
Browns Host Free Agent CB Tramon Williams on Sunday
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A league source confirmed to the Cleveland Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot that the Browns hosted free agent cornerback Tramon Williams on Sunday. Williams spent the last nine years with the Green Bay Packers and started every game over the last three seasons.
Williams would be an instant-starter replacement for the departed free agent Buster Skrine and bring locker room leadership alongside fellow cornerback Joe Haden. On his career, Williams hast totaled 395 tackles, 28 interceptions, 4.5 sacks and 114 passes defensed. He had 65 tackles, three interceptions and 14 passes defensed in 2014.
Among the cornerbacks still available on the free agent market, Williams would be the most promising addition for the Browns. While the Browns aren't hurting for cornerback depth, with Justin Gilbert, K'Wuan Williams and Pierre Desir on the roster alongside Haden, the experienced Williams would allow for the trio of second-year players to continue their development.
Browns to Host Miami Dolphins TE Charles Clay
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The Browns are in search of a replacement for free agent tight end Jordan Cameron. One option appears to be Miami Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, whom Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post says will meet with the Browns soon. He will also be visiting with the Buffalo Bills.
Clay was given the Dolphins' transition tag, worth $7.07 million in 2015. The Browns certainly have the cash to pay more than that for Clay's services and could give him an offer the Dolphins cannot match. Clay caught 58 passes on 84 targets, for 605 yards and three scores in 2014.
The chances Clay signs with Cleveland increased on Thursday, with Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reporting that the Dolphins have signed Cameron. But it also increased the odds for the Bills. The bidding war for Clay should come down to those teams.
OLB Trent Cole Spent Sunday, Monday with Browns
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Outside linebacker Trent Cole, released by the Philadelphia Eagles after a dispute about restructuring his $10 million salary for 2014, tweeted he would be spending Sunday and Monday hearing the pitch of the Cleveland Browns.
Cole totaled 52 tackles, 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles in 2014 and has 85.5 sacks over his 10-year career, all spent in Philadelphia. Clearly, the Browns aren't the only team in the hunt—Nate Ulrich and Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal report Cole will be meeting with the Indianapolis Colts, and the Arizona Cardinals, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers are also interested in him.
Cole would certainly be of use to the Browns, who need to not just replace outside linebacker Jabaal Sheard, a free agent not expected back, but also to upgrade the position. He would also help the Browns' last-ranked run defense from 2014—Cole was Pro Football Focus' ninth-ranked 3-4 outside linebacker in Run Stopping Percentage.
However, Cole has many suitors and all the time he wants to make his final decision. Granted he meets with the other four teams interested, the Browns may have to be patient with Cole and hope they made the most positive impression.
Update 3/10/2015:
CBS Sports' Will Brinson reports that ESPN's Adam Caplan has confirmed Cole has agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.
Browns Interested in TE Jermaine Gresham?
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The Browns need to find a replacement for free-agent tight end Jordan Cameron if they cannot retain him, and it looks like former Cincinnati Bengals tight end Jermaine Gresham might just be their top target.
Yahoo! Sports' Charles Robinson noted on Monday that while Gresham is also being heavily pursued by the Oakland Raiders, the Browns are also on the tight end's trail. However, ESPN's Adam Caplan makes it sound like the Raiders will not be giving up on Gresham without a serious fight.
Gresham, who has spent the last five years with the Bengals, caught 62 passes on 79 targets in 2014, for 460 yards and five touchdowns. His 2014 season wasn't without controversy. Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis (via ESPN's Coley Harvey) said at February's scouting combine that Gresham is, "at a crossroads. It's, what's Jermaine want next? When he commits to whatever he wants next, then things will work out," while Harvey noted that Gresham, "fumbled three times, and had a series of drops and inexplicable cut-off routes that negated multiple would-be touchdown catches."
Yes, the Browns need a pass-catching tight end to take Cameron's spot, should Cameron move on. And yes, the tight end position is thin both in free agency and the draft. But the Browns may be better off with Gresham and his declining skills taking residence in Oakland rather than Cleveland.
Browns May Not Retain Any Unrestricted Free Agents?
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There appears to be a wave of pessimism hitting a number of Browns beat reporters leading up to free agency. Daryl Ruiter of 92.3 The Fan believes all six of the Browns' unrestricted free agents—quarterback Brian Hoyer, cornerback Buster Skrine, tight end Jordan Cameron, wide receiver Miles Austin, nose tackle Ahtyba Rubin and linebacker Jabaal Sheard—will play elsewhere in 2015.
ESPN's Pat McManamon shares this pessimism, saying on Saturday, "Repeat what I've said all along: Browns may not retain any of their unrestricted free agents."
Spotrac estimates the Browns have well over $40 million in salary cap space, but that may not matter. The Browns may not want most of those six free agents back and the ones they do want may get better offers from teams with better playoff chances in 2015.
Money does talk, however, so it's possible the Browns can give any one of these free agents an offer they cannot refuse if they are interested in re-signing any of them.
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