Ranking the 2015 Impact of the Cleveland Browns' Free-Agent Signings so Far
The Cleveland Browns have made eight free-agency signings since the league year began just two weeks ago, and all should have some level of impact on the team's 2015 season.
But how much? Let's rank each signing based on how much playing time each should be expected to get this season and the importance of their respective positions. That way, we can better assess how the Browns' free-agent signings will affect the team's overall performance in their first year in Cleveland.
8. QB Thaddeus Lewis
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Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis is likely just a camp arm for the Browns—that is, an additional quarterback who can throw the ball and help install the offense with the third- and fourth-string players on the roster. Typically, the Browns may not have needed Lewis, considering they have Josh McCown, Johnny Manziel and Connor Shaw already on the team.
However, Manziel's timetable to leave treatment and rejoin the team has yet to be established. So, in order for the Browns to be certain they have enough quarterbacks when it's time to start practicing, Lewis was added to the roster.
Lewis, who has four years of NFL experience including two with the Browns, has played in seven games with six starts. He's completed 115 of 189 pass attempts for 1,296 yards and five touchdowns to four interceptions. It's possible that, down the line, he competes with Shaw for the Browns' No. 3 quarterback spot, but for now it appears he's just there to fill out the quarterback ranks with Manziel's status still up in the air.
7. P Spencer Lanning
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"Football is a game of inches," the old cliche goes, and it's cliche for a reason: it's true. And nowhere can that be better seen than in the punting game, where five or 10 yards of field position can mean the difference between a scoring drive and a three-and-out.
The Browns' re-signing of punter Spencer Lanning, however, is low on this list simply because the Browns would rather not have their punter be their secret (or even not-so-secret) weapon in 2015. Punting means a failed drive, so the fewer the punts the better for the Browns, who were outscored by their opponents 299 to 337 in 2014.
Lanning ranked third in punting yards in 2014 with 4,119, and he had an average punt of 44.3 yards. He has a career average of 44.1 yards per punt. His leg can certainly assist the Browns on defense, but in terms of overall impact, it's hard to say re-signing Lanning will be a high-impact move for the 2015 season.
6. RB/ST Shaun Draughn
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Though it's possible that re-signed Browns free agent Shaun Draughn gets carries this season as a running back, his true value and the reason he was brought back was for his skill on special teams.
Not only does Draughn return kickoffs, he also totaled one tackle in punt coverage last season. He also returned five kickoffs for 115 yards, or an average of 23 yards per return.
Draughn could see some work as a third-down pass-catching running back this season, though he didn't have a single touch to close out the 2014 season. However, it appears that he will be among the Browns competing to be the team's full-time kick returner this year. He'll certainly make an impact that way, though less so than if he were in the mix to displace either Terrance West or Isaiah Crowell on the running back depth chart.
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5. WR/ST Marlon Moore
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The Browns focused a good deal of their free-agency attention early on to re-signing key contributors on special teams. Another such player is Marlon Moore, a wide receiver who is more notably a kickoff returner and punt-coverage gunner.
Moore saw no targets or catches as a receiver in 2014. However, he did lead the Browns in kick returns, with 13 for 322 yards, or 24.8 yards per return. He also had 10 special teams tackles.
Given the state of the Browns' receiving depth chart after the signings of Dwayne Bowe and Brian Hartline, Moore should be lucky to have such well-rounded special teams skills. His return abilities, along with his coverage skills during punt returns, give him enough value not just to get a new contract but to likely stick on the 53-man roster even if he yet again sees no receiving targets.
4. DT Randy Starks
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Defensive tackle Randy Starks is one of the few street free agents the Browns added thus far this year. The 11-year veteran spent the last seven years in Miami. Though a starter for all but one of the Dolphins' 2014 contests, he was a rotational player, on the field for 54.2 percent of Miami's defensive snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
That 54.2 percent translates to 544 snaps, with 277 in run defense and 258 as a pass-rusher. He totaled 19 combined tackles in 2014 and 4.5 sacks. He should be used similarly in Cleveland, considering its need to better rush the passer as well as stop the run more effectively.
Starks could prove to be a high-impact player for the Browns in 2015. But given that he's 31 years old, played just over 50 percent of Miami's snaps last year and clearly has a speciality means he'll be just one of many defensive linemen on the field this year in their rotational system. Though he may stand out, he won't be playing 80 or 90 percent of the Browns' snaps.
3. WR Brian Hartline
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The Browns' signing of Brian Hartline may have been their first addition of a wide receiver this offseason, but he wasn't the last. And though he's likely to have starter-level playing time in 2015, it's still unclear exactly how much of an impact he'll make when being thrown to.
Hartline has 298 career receptions for 4,243 yards and 12 touchdowns and averages 14.2 yards per reception. He also had two back-to-back 1,000-plus-yard receiving seasons in 2012 and 2013. A scheme change, however, knocked him down to just 39 catches on 63 targets—half of what he saw a year previous—for 474 yards and two scores in 2015.
Though a deep threat, Hartline may need to work shorter routes and have more reliable hands to be a standout in the Browns offense this year. It all depends on the quarterback, which is still to be determined for Week 1. It also depends on how the rest of the wide receiving depth chart plays out. Hartline is competing for playing time with Andrew Hawkins, Dwayne Bowe, Taylor Gabriel, Travis Benjamin and potentially a rookie.
2. WR Dwayne Bowe
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Wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is easily the biggest free-agent signing the Browns made this offseason on the offensive side of the ball. In his eight years with the Kansas City Chiefs, he totaled 532 receptions for 7,155 yards and 44 touchdowns while averaging 13.4 yards per reception. He also reached the Pro Bowl in 2010.
Bowe was hindered by the dink-and-dunk style of Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith. He caught 60 passes for 754 yards in 2014 and zero touchdowns. It's hoped that Cleveland's offense will better suit the 30-year-old so he can go back to being a home run threat.
Much like Hartline, this will depend on the quarterback. Deep threats can only be so if a quarterback can get them the ball. Yes, yards after the catch also come into play, and Bowe, despite being 30, still has speed.
Granted, Hartline is younger. But Bowe is the more dangerous of the two receivers, at least in a vacuum. For that reason, Bowe's potential in Cleveland seems to be higher in 2015 than Hartline's.
1. CB Tramon Williams
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There is no better free-agency signing than a veteran who can come in, start and play at a high level, and that's exactly what the Browns will get from cornerback Tramon Williams, who spent the last eight seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Williams has totaled 395 combined career tackles, along with 28 interceptions and 114 passes defended. He's started all 16 games over the past three years and had three interceptions, 14 passes defended and 65 combined tackles in 2014.
Though 32 years old, Williams still has a lot of quality playing time left. He'll likely start in place of the departed Buster Skrine, while a trio of second-year cornerbacks—Justin Gilbert, K'Waun Williams and Pierre Desir—continue to learn the ropes of the position. And Williams will also be assisting in that education.
Cleveland's secondary was its crowning achievement in 2014. By signing Williams, the Browns will guarantee it continues to perform at a high level in 2015 while helping get their younger players ready to carry on that tradition in 2016 and beyond.
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