Moves Cleveland Browns Will Regret Not Making This Offseason

In the NFL, just as in life, regrets happen. Losing a coveted player in free agency, missing out on another in a bidding war, re-signing the wrong player out of desperation—a lot of bad things can happen in the offseason that only make themselves known with the help of 20/20 hindsight.

The Cleveland Browns aren't immune to offseason regrets this year. Here are the five biggest "woulda, coulda, shouldas" for the Browns thus far.

Missing out on QB Sam Bradford

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For better or worse, the Cleveland Browns spent a good chunk of their offseason coveting then-St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. Ultimately, Bradford and the Rams opted to accept a trade to the Philadelphia Eagles, with the Eagles shipping quarterback Nick Foles to St. Louis as part of the agreement.

Though the Browns were offering at least a first-round pick in either 2015 or 2016—MMQB's Peter King isn't sure which year—Bradford was less open to signing a contract extension in Cleveland than he was in Philadelphia. The Browns also had no desirable quarterbacks to send in the trade, which was apparently part of St. Louis' demands.

Being spurned by free agents and trade targets is nothing new for the Browns, especially considering any veterans who come aboard have no real job security as part of a franchise that has rotated through a carousel of coaches and front-office staff for nearly two decades. But the Browns were offering a lot of value for Bradford's services.

That's not to say that Bradford will never land in Cleveland. The Plain Dealer's Mary Kay Cabot still believes the Browns will try to trade for Bradford during the draft. But the Eagles seem excited about the prospect of Bradford as their quarterback this year, and he does not seem interested in wearing the orange and brown.

Bradford, with his injury history, may not be a good fit for the Browns anyway. But given that they made such an aggressive play for him, it's clearly one of their offseason regrets.

Failing to Add a Tight End

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For a time, it looked as though the Browns would be able to re-sign tight end Jordan Cameron, despite longstanding rumors that he wanted to get out of Cleveland and play elsewhere, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. In fact, during the first week of free agency, it seemed like he was coming back on a two-year deal worth $15 million. According to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer, reports leaked that both sides had agreed to the contract.

But the leaks were premature. Instead, the Miami Dolphins came forward and matched the deal, and Cameron opted to take his talents...well, you know. The decision left the Browns in a bad state at the tight end position, with only Jim Dray and Gary Barnidge on the roster.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, the Browns also had interest in Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, who received the team's transition tag. But the Buffalo Bills beat out the Browns for Clay's services. Now, nearly a month later, nothing has changed—the Browns have Dray, Barnidge and no one else.

Not all hope is lost, of course, as the Browns could find a tight end in the upcoming draft, perhaps even as early as Round 1. But when it comes to their free-agency pursuit of the position, they came up empty-handed. 

Extending the Contract of DL John Hughes

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There's nothing inherently wrong with the Browns extending the contract of defensive lineman John Hughes. The 2012 draft pick has clearly gotten their attention, leading them to give him a four-year deal worth a maximum of $14.4 million this offseason, especially when the guaranteed money is a team-friendly $3.56 million.

It's just that the timing is curious.

Hughes missed 11 games in 2014 with an MCL injury. He has a career total of 85 combined tackles over three seasons, with four sacks, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed. And he's never played more than 530 snaps a season—and that was in his rookie year, per Pro Football Focus.

Hughes is a rotational player and may factor into the Browns' goal to improve their run defense this year. But giving him such a major vote of confidence so soon after missing most of the season seems premature.

While the Browns may have an idea of what they will be getting out of Hughes this year and in the future, he's yet to prove it. Extending his contract could have waited until after 2015, when they can better see how he fits into the defensive line and after he can prove he can stay healthy.

S Tashaun Gipson's RFA Tender

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Ultimately, nothing bad may come from the Browns' choice to give a second-round RFA tender to safety Tashaun Gipson. As of now, no other teams have come calling for his services, so the Browns aren't being forced to match a high-value contract in order to keep him. And there's no indication that the RFA tender is a barrier to the Browns and Gipson eventually finalizing a long-term deal.

But Gipson is one of the Browns' most crucial members of their stellar secondary, despite the knee injury that cost him the final five games of the season. He's coming off the best year of his career after totaling 52 combined tackles, eight passes defensed and six interceptions.

Gipson is one of the best safeties in the league at a time when other teams not only need help at the position but also will be hard-pressed to find it in a draft that is thin at safety. So the RFA tender might serve to be a carrot on a stick, tempting other teams to eventually reach out and make an offer that the Browns will have to match—and if they lose him, a second-round draft pick doesn't seem like adequate compensation this year.

Again, nothing may come of this. April 24—the deadline for teams to tender offer sheets to RFAs—could come and go without incident, and the Browns will thus have Gipson on the field for at least the 2015 season. But taking this risk with Gipson could ultimately lead to a big regret. Until the deadline passes, the Browns have to keep their fingers crossed that another team doesn't poach him.

Missing out on OLB Trent Cole

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The Browns put the full-court press on free-agent outside linebacker Trent Cole in March, but it was to no avail. Though he spent two days with the team in March, he left to meet with the Indianapolis Colts, who quickly signed him to a two-year, $14 million contract just two days later.

Cole, who totaled 85.5 sacks in his 10 years with the Philadelphia Eagles and 6.5 sacks in 2014, was Pro Football Focus' 22nd-ranked 4-3 defensive end last season. He would have played outside linebacker in Cleveland, adding veteran experience and proven ability to a defense that totaled only 31 sacks last year.

In free agency, you can't win them all. But the two days Cole spent in Cleveland seemed a promising sign that the team would be able to land its man. Instead, he went with the Colts. The Browns will have to find any additional pass-rushing help in the draft or in other teams' discard piles.