Interior Lineman And WR Should Lead Berry’s Pre-Free Agency Draft Board
Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
With the NFL combine officially behind us, teams are now preparing their chess board on where they will build via free agency and where they will use draft capital to rebuild at the end of April. It’s always a difficult decision on where to spend free agency dollars and where to spend draft picks, but that’s why these general managers make the big bucks.
Even though the Browns are coming off a strong season and as is have a strong roster heading into 2024, there is no doubt that they will be extremely active in free agency. They’ll obviously be active in the draft as well, but are still without a first-round pick because of the Deshaun Watson trade two years ago. Luckily the Browns will have their first-round pick in next year’s draft.
Before 2023, Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns focused on the draft to build their roster. Then to fill in the holes they were willing to sign veteran free agents mostly to one-year deals. Last year that strategy changed slightly as Berry signed Juan Thornhill and Dalvin Tomlinson to multi-year deals, which will likely happen again this offseason.
The biggest departures will be Za’Darius Smith, Anthony Walker, Mike Ford, and Shelby Harris, but there are certainly others that will be missed. Young players like Siaka Ika and Tony Fields will be given a shot to step up, but also the Browns will turn to the draft for a lot of help even with limited picks.
Here are a few positions the Browns should focus on in the 2024 draft.
With the Amari Cooper contract situation and lack of performance from Elijah Moore in 2023, it’s almost without question that Berry will draft a wide receiver, the big question will be just how early he takes one.
No matter how the Cooper situation shakes out I still think receiver should be on the table in round two or three, but if Berry doesn’t find a way to restructure Cooper’s deal and he is cut, without a question they need to draft a receiver early.
Berry drafted Cedric Tillman in round three of last year’s draft to try and pick up production at the position, but in the snaps, we saw him last year, there isn’t a high amount of faith that he is going to turn into a solid NFL wide receiver.
We’ve already seen a lot of changes on this offense to help set up Watson for success, so seeing a wide receiver early in the draft would make a ton of sense to continue to bolster this offense.
With the Browns likely to try and load up on weapons for Watson, they will also want to try and protect them the best they possibly can. Not only is Watson coming of an injury that he suffered because of being flushed out of the pocket, but he also likes to take extra time in the pocket to try and let the big play develop. Watson historically hangs in the pocket longer than any other quarterback in the league.
The Browns were not only battered by injuries last year, specifically at tackle, but they also underperformed. The amount of draft capital and dollars tied up in this offensive line is staggering, and a rookie from the middle of the draft last year ended up being their best player in Dawand Jones.
Even though it would make sense, I don’t think Berry would cut ties with both Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio in the same offseason, but both have underperformed. But undoubtedly, you will see Berry take an interior lineman in this draft.
It’s worth noting that Teller is due a sizeable roster bonus in the next 14 days, so if a move is going to be made via trade or cut with him, we will know well before the draft. Both Teller and Bitonio are strong run blockers but struggle in pass protection. With Ken Dorsey and Watson wanting to air the ball out, the pass protection must be better than it was last year.
With Bill Callahan joining his son in Tennessee this year and a lot of contracts expiring or losing guarantees after 2024, we could see a huge turnover at this position in 2025 if things aren’t substantially better.
In year three with Watson, there is no doubt that the heat is on for both Berry and Kevin Stefanski. I don’t think either are in jeopardy of losing their jobs unless we see four or five wins in 2024, but they both know if this doesn’t work they don’t have the assets to rebuild this team. On top of that, Berry gave Watson a contract that would either cost the team a fortune or he would sit on the bench if it didn’t work.
We’ve said it for years now, but 2024 will be another make-it-or-break-it year for the Browns. Anything less than the divisional round of the playoffs would be a major disappointment.
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