3 Low-Key Moves That Have Significantly Improved The Cleveland Browns
Syndication: Akron Beacon Journal
As we all wait patiently for the 2024 NFL Draft, Andrew Berry has been busy assembling a roster for the Cleveland Browns that is built to win a Super Bowl. It’s never easy and you’re always one injury or one break away from winning or losing, but so far, a lot of good work has been done to this roster in 2024.
Remember, this is the final year the Browns will be without their first-round pick from the Deshaun Watson trade, which will make April a little more exciting moving forward. With no first-round pick, it’s made the free agency period all that more important for the Browns.
Not all signings can be home runs and as much as fans would enjoy it, not every single start is a “perfect” fit for your team. Here are a few low-key moves that have significantly improved the Cleveland Browns this offseason.
Mike Vrabel – Team Consultant
I know that the Cleveland Browns didn’t bring in Mike Vrabel to be a linebacker, but I still believe that this addition can have a huge impact on this roster. At first, I was hesitant of the move thinking it would only put pressure on Kevin Stefanski. It felt like all we would hear heading into the bye week is that Stefanski may be fired and replaced by Vrabel.
However, Vrabel fits the aggressive mentality that both Berry and Stefanski live to, and it’s well known that he relates well to players and pushes them hard while managing to maintain a strong relationship.
Other than liking to go for it on fourth down, Stefanski and Vrabel are almost opposites as far as personality traits, which is what will make this move so effective. Having the ear of someone with so much head coaching experience will be a huge benefit down the road.
Nyheim Hines – Running Back
After the injury to Nick Chubb last year, some (including myself) seriously questioned if he would even be on the team in 2024. And while that question hasn’t been fully answered just yet, the addition of Nyheim Hines and D’Onta Foreman tells me the offseason plan is more of a transition plan back to Chubb vs. a complete change in strategy.
I don’t think anyone was overly excited about the addition of Hines. For some reason, Berry loves adding guys who are coming off injury, but I think Hines can be a big addition to this team catching the football. He’s never had more than 380 yards rushing, but twice in his five-year career, he has had more than 60 receptions for more than 400 yards in a season which is exactly why Berry wanted him.
This change in philosophy for the offense won’t take away from the running game, but it will certainly change the style. We will see far more shotgun snaps and plenty of screen passes to help slow down this pass rush which is exactly where Hines will come into play.
Don’t look for Hines to be a guy that gets 45 snaps a game, but I would expect him to be extremely effective in the 15 or so snaps he gets a game, especially catching the ball out of the backfield.
Maurice Hurst – Defensive Tackle
Heading into the offseason there was some speculation that Berry and the Cleveland Browns would potentially spend big at defensive tackle on a guy like Christian Wilkins. Last year Berry signed Dalvin Tomlinson, and the dividends were tremendous right away.
Instead, Berry took the depth approach and signed three guys to basically rotate at one position. Maurice Hurst, Shelby Harris, and Quinton Jefferson are all in line to see significant playing time with all having the opportunity to shine and take over as the second defensive tackle on this roster.
It feels like Hurst has the potential to really shine this year. Injuries are a concern, but after missing most of the 2021 and all the 2022 season, Hurst played in 13 games for the Browns last year and was extremely effective in both stopping the run and getting pressure on the quarterback.
Again, Hurst is a guy who will likely only get 15-20 snaps per game but I look for him to make the most of all the time he gets on the field. He’s always had the talent, and if he can bounce back from the injury and even play 13 games again like last year, he will be a crucial part of this roster.
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