Browns take a look at Brent Grimes
The Cleveland Browns reportedly hosted free agent cornerback Brent Grimes on Saturday.
Grimes tore his Achilles’ tendon in the opening game of the 2012 season with Atlanta after the Falcons put the franchise tag on him. He is the No. 1 rated free agent among cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus, which wrote that:
“Grimes shows a fantastic instinct for zone coverage and reminds me a little of Asante Samuel without the lapses and questionable desire for contact. He has fantastic fundamentals, quick reactions and a pretty good set of ball skills when the ball is in the air. Along with everybody else on this list, however, he comes with some risk attached. He will be 30 years old by the time he next sees the field, and is coming off a season-ending injury.
“In the 2011 season he got his hands to 13 passes while allowing just 25 to be completed all year, and QBs had a rating of only 62.9 when targeting him, but this offseason he might have to accept a short-term ‘prove it’ contract to see a more healthy return a year from now.”
Grimes definitely sounds like the type of player the Browns should be investigating as, when healthy, he would be a nice player to pair with Joe Haden.
It will be interesting, however, to see if the team is willing to work out a deal with him.
If Grimes wants to just sign a one-year contract so he can be a free agent again in a year, it seems unlikely that the Browns would be interested in him. The flip side is, would the Browns be willing to give a multi-year contract to a 30-year-old player coming off a major injury?
If he is willing to take a smaller amount of guaranteed money for more than one year, maybe the two sides can work out a deal.
Grimes visited Miami before coming to Cleveland and the Falcons may also want him back after they released Dunta Robinson.
In six seasons with the Falcons, Grimes has 13 interceptions (all but two coming in the 2009 and 2010 seasons).
(Photo by The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
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