Cleveland Browns: John Dorsey must stop spending money now
By Cory Kinnan
The Cleveland Browns have added a ton of excitement this offseason, but not without a cost. John Dorsey must be careful not to overspend his cap…again.
John Dorsey, general manager of the Cleveland Browns has done so much good for the city and the organization such as draft Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Nick Chubb, and trade for Odell Beckham Jr. and Damarious Randall. But there is one thing that got him in trouble in Kansas City when he was the general manager with the Chiefs, and he is on track to do it again in Cleveland: overspend.
The Browns have signed defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson and a few more depth pieces this offseason, and also added Olivier Vernon via trade. This leaves Cleveland sitting at right about $32.7 million left in cap space. However, they have a handful of quality starters in the last year of their deals, including linebacker Joe Schobert, wide receiver Rashard Higgins, center J.C. Tretter, and the previously mentioned Randall.
These four players alone will demand around $32 million in total annually on the open market as Schobert could be looking over $12 million in the face, and Randall, Tretter, and Higgins around $8 million each annually if they continue their solid play in 2019. Not to mention, the next year the Browns will have to shovel out a fortune to re-sign their young core.
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Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi will be looking at a salary of upwards of $10 million plus when he is set to hit the open market after the 2020 season, so the Browns would be wise to lock him down next summer, so that he does not have to play through the year with a contract dispute on his mind. Then there is the big one: Myles Garrett.
Garrett is not set to hit free agency until after the 2021 season, but just as the Eagles did with Carson Wentz, the Browns must attempt to get a new deal done two years ahead of time. Edge rushers Dee Ford, Demarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark all got new contracts this year at upwards of $21 million annually. By the time Garrett hits the open market, the Browns better be prepared to spend $25 million per year to re-sign him.
Luckily for Dorsey, there are big contracts that can easily come off the books after this year, such as wide receiver Jarvis Landry, cornerback T.J. Carrie, cornerback Terrance Mitchell is in the last year of his deal, and linebacker Christian Kirksey. The scary concern will still be: will Dorsey spend the money he is expected to see before the Browns actually get it?
He would be wise to stick to one-year deals over the next three years on aging vets, as the Los Angeles Rams are doing. This way the Browns can continue to load up on talent, but those players come off the books before effecting the cap the next year.
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While it looks like the Browns are still flush with cash, that money is already drying up quickly, and before long it will be gone. Dorsey must be a better steward with the money he has as to not put the Browns in a bind in three years from now when their young superstars are in need of a new contract.