Cleveland Browns: Is Cam Erving already on his way out?
The Cleveland Browns spent a first-round pick on center Cam Erving in 2015, and now he’s in serious danger of missing out on a starting job.
The Cleveland Browns had two first-round selections in the 2015 NFL Draft. One of those picks was used on former Florida State offensive lineman Cameron Erving. Two seasons later, and Erving may be close to unemployment.
Erving has been a disaster at center in his two years. The Browns eventually tried him at right tackle near the end of the 2016 season, where the 24-year old appeared to perform better. If Erving is going to earn a starting job at all, this is likely where he’ll do it.
While Erving played multiple positions on the Florida State line, the Browns only have the right tackle spot up for grabs this offseason. Stalwart Joe Thomas is back at left tackle, and the Browns extended excellent left guard Joel Bitonio this offseason. In free agency, Cleveland brought in center J.C. Tretter and right guard Kevin Zeitler to secure two more positions on the line.
Erving will likely compete with 2016 third-round pick Shon Coleman for the job at right tackle. The Auburn product has stayed in Berea for much of the offseason in order to prepare for his second pro season. According to Thomas, Coleman has improved enough to have a legitimate shot at the starting right-tackle job.
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“I think he has all the ability to do it,” Thomas said, via the team’s official website. “but there’s just a matter of going out and proving that he can because he hasn’t had a lot of NFL action yet and there’s a difference between showing you can do it in practice and showing you can do it in a game.”
Sadly, Erving has had plenty of opportunities and hasn’t shown that e can be an effective lineman in games. While a journey at right tackle could yield different results, his future would be called into question should Coleman beat him out in training camp.
The Browns then have to decide how many offensive linemen they’re going to carry. Veteran John Greco — who has played both guard and center in the NFL and who played tackle at Toledo — is a no-brainer. 2017 fifth-round pick Roderick Johnson is also in the mix as tackle depth.
Erving is set to have a cap hit of over $2.5 million this season, per Spotrac. While this isn’t an exuberant price tag for a reliable backup swing tackle, Erving has shown he isn’t all that reliable. The Browns may decide he’s not worth keeping around. The problem with cutting Erving is that his rookie deal was fully guaranteed. Cutting Erving only makes sense if offset language in his contract allows Cleveland to recoup the majority of his salary if he signs with another team.
A more likely scenario would see the Browns moving Erving for a late-round pick in order to avoid paying out the remainder of his salary altogether. Then again, the Browns have enough salary cap space to keep paying Erving to not perform. They don’t seem to have a problem utilizing this strategy with quarterback Brock Osweiler. Why not use it with Erving?
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All we know for sure at this point is that, if Coleman excels this offseason, Erving is likely to be out of a starting job. If other players excel, he could soon be out of a job in Cleveland altogether. It’s definitely hard to see Cleveland picking up the fifth-year option on Erving next offseason.