The Cleveland Browns missed out on a chance to strengthen their secondary as free agent cornerback Brent Grimes reportedly agreed on Saturday to a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins.
While it is disappointing as a healthy Grimes would have looked good in the secondary opposite cornerback Joe Haden, it is by no means the end of the world for the Browns.
The Cleveland Browns signed journeyman quarterback Jason Campbell to a reported two-year contract late Tuesday night.
Campbell’s arrival probably means the end of Colt McCoy’s days in Brown and Orange and is most likely the final move to solidify the Brandon Weeden in 2013 campaign.
Campbell’s signing will have a ripple effect with the Browns quarterback situation, just not the one that some will assume, because, barring a complete collapse or an injury in the preseason, Weeden is going to be the starting quarterback when the 2013 season starts.
For the rest of the story, head over to The Cleveland Fan.
(Photo by Getty Images)
The Cleveland Browns added another cornerback in free agency on Monday – and, no, it wasn’t Brent Grimes.
Instead it was Kevin Barnes who signed a one-year deal with the Browns. Barnes played two games with Detroit last season before the Lions – who have one of the worst defensive backfields in the NFL – released him.
Barnes was originally a third-round draft pick by Washington in the 2009 NFL Draft. He has played in 31 games (making three starts) and has 44 career tackles, three interceptions and nine passes defensed.
The Cleveland Browns added two players in free agency on Friday, signing tight end Kellen Davis and cornerback Chris Owens.
Both players reportedly signed one-year deals and both add depth at areas where the Browns can use it.
Davis, who is 6-foot-7 and 265 pounds, started for Chicago the past two years and has spent his entire NFL career with the Bears after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2008 draft out of Michigan State. He was released after the Bears signed Martellus Bennett.
He had career “highs” in 2012 with 19 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns. He had eight drops on just 44 attempts – or one fewer than wide receiver Greg Little, who was targeted 87 times.
When the Cleveland Browns hired Mike Lombardi in January as vice president of player personnel, it was a controversial move that raised several questions among Browns fans (although not in the Jim Nantz household, of course).
After being out of the NFL since 2007 – and having what could best be described as a dodgy track record when he actually was employed with an NFL team – there’s more than reasonable doubt that Lombardi, who has since been promoted to general manager, may not be fully qualified for the job he currently holds with the Browns.
But one thing that is not in doubt is this: it is far more important for Lombardi to actually work on scouting players and trying to make the Browns relevant, and far less important for him to spend time talking with the media.
Hit up The Cleveland Fan for the rest of the story.
(Photo by ClevelandBrowns.com)
The Phil Dawson era came to a predictable end on Tuesday as the veteran kicker reportedly signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers.
The signing ends Dawson’s 14-year career with the Cleveland Browns. He made his final season in Brown and Orange his best as he earned his first Pro Bowl appearance after making 93.5 percent of his field-goal attempts – the second-best percentage in the NFL.
“Hey, Cleveland. Thank you for a tremendous ride,” Dawson wrote on his Twitter account. “Your love, support & encouragement have blessed me deeply. Playing for you has been one of the great joys of my life and I wish you all the best.”
The Cleveland Browns – much like the Cleveland Indians before them – are doing things in free agency.
And, just like the moves that the Tribe made, it remains to be seen if the new acquisitions are going to make a difference as the Browns continue to rebuild the team and try to become a relevant player in the AFC North Division.
The additions – especially along the defensive line – give the Browns something they haven’t had in … well, we’re not sure, let’s say quite a while, which is depth.
And nothing bad can ever come from having depth – especially in today’s NFL.
We take a look at what (and why) the Browns are doing at The Cleveland Fan.
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.
The Cleveland Browns continued to add depth to the defense, coming to terms with defensive lineman Desmond Bryant late Tuesday night and outside linebacker Quentin Groves early Tuesday morning.
The moves mean the Browns currently have a six-man rotation on the defensive line where the oldest player is the 27-year-old Bryant, and a six-man linebacker group where the 30-year-old Groves is the oldest.
Not a bad start for the first two-days of free agency for CEO Joe Banner and head coach Rob Chudzinski.
The Cleveland Browns jumped into the free agent pool with both feet on Tuesday, signing Baltimore linebacker Paul Kruger to a reported five-year deal worth $40 million (with $21 million guaranteed).
Kruger hit the national spotlight after recording 4.5 sacks during the playoffs, although people seem to want to overlook that he was shut out in the Ravens’ games against Denver and New England. And that the Ravens had to limit the time he was on the field in the Super Bowl because, as Pro Football Focus put it, he “has an awful habit of blowing contain in run defense when he tries to crash down on run plays.”
On the plus side, Kruger had nine sacks in 2012 during his first extended action in the starting lineup for Baltimore (he made six starts this season, bringing his four-year total to seven starts). Kruger earned a +7.9 grade from Pro Football Focus, the sixth-best of any 3-4 outside linebacker, and his 12.2 Pass Rushing Productivity was the highest score at his position.
Red Right 88 