Cleveland Browns Taking Criticism for Offseason Moves

The fans of the Cleveland Browns are one of the most dedicated and vocal groups in sports, and the 2015 off season hasn’t kept anyone quiet.

My own reaction so far has been mixed. While I see the Brian Hartline and Randy Starks signings as solid moves, I’m wary of Tramon Williams’ price tag and I thoroughly dislike the quarterback change from Brian Hoyer to Josh McCown. But I’m willing to give Browns GM Ray Farmer some leash as he works through his first full year of personnel planning – after all, his 2014 free agent pickups all performed well, with the exception of running back Ben Tate.

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But other writers and analysts have not been as forgiving. The reviews have been middling to awful.

Can you actually doom your season before the draft? It’s way too early to be predicting failure when we don’t have a clear picture of the 53-man roster yet. But based on a round-up of pundit commentary, it feels like the head shaking has already begun. Here’s some examples.

Bud Shaw of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, which avidly covers the Browns, has some choice comments about the rumor that the Browns were the team that offered Chip Kelley’s Philadelphia Eagles a first round pick for former Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. Bradford was traded to the Eagles for quarterback Nick Foles and a second round pick.

“You don’t get credit for things that didn’t happen. Josh McCown and Brian Hartline comprise the Browns’ work offensively. Based on that, they better hope there’s extra credit available later because that’s not a passing grade.”

Dec 28, 2014; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown (12) throws the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the second half at Raymond James Stadium. New Orleans Saints defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Most of the downgrading revolves around two main issues. Tramon Williams is a player who can help the team, but the Browns likely overpaid for the ceiling he has at this stage of his career. The other issue is the one that will dog the team all season, and that’s the Josh McCown signing.

NFL.com listed the move as one of the biggest head-scratchers of the offseason so far.

To me, the McCown signing indicates that Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel is suffering from the same kind of confidence issues that plagued Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III after Griffin’s serious knee injury at the end of the 2012 season.

In Griffin’s case, an aspiring backup in Kirk Cousins was part of the scenario that eroded the situation in Washington until it cost the team it’s coaching staff. McCown isn’t a threat to take Johnny’s spot as a starter, but Hoyer certainly was, even if Hoyer didn’t scream franchise quarterback with his play.

How much better could Hoyer have played if he felt he had the full support of the front office and coaches behind him? We’ll never know.

With regard to the Williams signing, Connor Orr of NFL.com sees it as I see it – a good move on paper, just too much paper was spent to complete it.

The Williams and Starks signings will help, even if it shows an unsettling pattern of replacing young defensive talent with older veterans. As the Pittsburgh Steelers have found out, that’s a great way to quickly degrade a unit’s effectiveness. Fortunately for Pittsburgh, their offense has been getting younger and hotter to even the balance. With the McCown signing, that’s not the case in Cleveland.

Hopefully there’s a plan to fill the still-looming holes at tight end and on the defensive line or improve the shaky wide receiver corps. A veteran running back wouldn’t hurt either. There’s still time to make some important moves.

What we’ve seen so far isn’t exactly exciting, but don’t write off the season quite yet.

Next: Browns Seek Durable Free Agents

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