Taking a look at our 2018 roster

[thenew23]

We don't have a lot of FAs this year, so here are my thoughts.  Guys with a shot at the 53 in bold, other guys italicized. Comments follow each position group.

QB- Kizer, Kessler, Hogan; Clearly the team's biggest weakness. Kizer is a 3 and the other 2 should be gone.

RB- Crowell, Duke, Dayes, Rounds, D.Jackson: Id love to see Crow back, but I doubt it will happen. We will probably be looking at the draft for a RB to pair with Duke.

FB- Vitale, M.Williams; No reason to believe Vitale won't be back. 

WR- Gordon, C.Coleman, Louis, Higgins, Coates, K.Williams, Hazel, Howard; Hard to imagine Louis and Higgins coming back because this group needs yet another major overhaul, and not just rookies. I see 2-3 FAs signed and a fairly high draft pick. I see Coleman improving with a decent QB, but overall this group needs leadership and dependability more than anything.

TE- Njoku, DeValve, Telfer, Lengel; Like Coleman, I think this group is significantly better with an improved QB, especially Njoku in year 2 and beyond.

OT- Thomas, S.Coleman, Drango, R.Johnson, Banner, Salako, Gibson; I really don't see a ton of need here. Keep developing Coleman and Drango while we have Joe for a couple more years.

OG- Bitonio, Zeitler, Martin, Gray, Barker; Another area where there doesn't seem to be a great need. Maybe add some depth but that's about it.

OC- Tretter, Reiter; I'm okay with this group. We COULD upgrade but not really a priority.

DT- Shelton, Coley, Ogunjobi, Brantley, Meder, McGill; The true strength of this team. They should only continue to get better.

DE- Garrett, Ogbah, Nassib, Orchard, Edwards; Solid but not spectacular. Health is the biggest concern with this group. Could see a big piece brought in to help the pass rush and increase pressure and sacks.

OLB- Kirksey. Collins, Burgess, Keyes, Cash; This is a pretty solid group. No major need here except another depth player, and maybe Keys or Cash are that guy...? Haven't seen enough of them.

ILB- Schobert, Alexander, Carder, Bello, Cash; I like Schobert, but not sure he couldn't be upgraded; however, not a major priority, and with the other 2 there is some depth.

CB-  McCourty, Boddy-Calhoun, Taylor, Jordan, Wilson, CJ Smith, Webb, Porter, Hartfield; Not the most impressive group, to say the least. I think we need to upgrade this group significantly via FA and draft. Find a quality starter and some more quality depth.

S- Peppers, Kindred, Nacua, D.Smith, Currie, Hagen; Peppers so badly needs a FS to play along side him. Even then, I worry about this group. They are young and have some talent but they just don't do anything to impact the "W" column. I look forward to a major investment at FS this offseason.

ST- Hughlett, Colquitt, Gonzalez; Our LS and P are fine, but we need to find an upgrade at K regardless of the fact we wasted a draft pick. No reason we cant upgrade this offseason.

[thenew23]

In all, we need:

QB1 & QB2
RB1 (If/when we lose Crow) & RB depth
WR2, WR4 & WR depth
DE2 or 3 (pass rusher)
LB depth
CB1 & CB depth
FS
K

After that, it is all about just adding talent in any way possible. Clearly priority 1 is QB, then I would say the WR and DB help are a close second. Adding to the pass rush comes shortly after.

It all is for not if we dont get a new Head Coach. This roster has quite a bit of talent and is set to add some HUGE pieces this offseason; however, they will not go anywhere under Hue Jackson and his "system."

[syd]

nice work but who do you see us over paying for in F.A ?

[Dutch Oven]

If all things were equal, I'd love to come out of the five 1st and 2nd rounders with a QB, WR, LT, CB, and FS, not necessarily in that order. I would seriously look for Thomas' eventual replacement, I don't want the Browns to be scrambling for years trying to fill his spot when he does retire... If I was going into the offseason, I'd almost look at the WR unit as being virtually empty. I don't trust Gordon as far as I can throw him to stay eligible, and I don't trust Coleman as far as I can throw him to stay healthy. Every other WR is replaceable. The secondary needs help, a top notch FS would be fantastic. (Which is why I like Fitzpatrick at #4) Corner is an obvious need.

Mid-rounds is where you can find Crowell's replacement. There's a lot of RBs to be had in that area that are really good players.

[Nero]

5 hours ago, thenew23 said:

ST- Hughlett, Colquitt, Gonzalez; Our LS and P are fine, but we need to find an upgrade at K regardless of the fact we wasted a draft pick. No reason we cant upgrade this offseason.

I promise it has nothing to do with his hispanic surname, but I don't think we should look after another kicker. Since the bye, in the last 7 games he hasn't missed an XP and has 7 FGs made out of 8 attempted (87,5%), being his last miss against CIN in Week 12. Last game's 48 yard field goal in the snow was impressive. That completion pct would put him among the top Kickers in the league in that time span.

He also doesn't allow many kick returns, with only 15 returns in the season for an average of 19.7 yards. 

One of the cons I believe he has is that he has attempted WAY less FGs than the rest of the league's kickers, so those misses at the beginning of the season affect his stats more. Moreover if he's a rookie kicker, mentally first weeks must have been tough (and in a losing team!). His season pct is currently in 73.5, but I think he has earned another opportunity (though I do not say that he should not compite with someone else in the camp).

[Canton Mike]

14 minutes ago, Nero said:

I promise it has nothing to do with his hispanic surname, but I don't think we should look after another kicker. Since the bye, in the last 7 games he hasn't missed an XP and has 7 FGs made out of 8 attempted (87,5%), being his last miss against CIN in Week 12. Last game's 48 yard field goal in the snow was impressive. That completion pct would put him among the top Kickers in the league in that time span.

He also doesn't allow many kick returns, with only 15 returns in the season for an average of 19.7 yards. 

One of the cons I believe he has is that he has attempted WAY less FGs than the rest of the league's kickers, so those misses at the beginning of the season affect his stats more. Moreover if he's a rookie kicker, mentally first weeks must have been tough (and in a losing team!). His season pct is currently in 73.5, but I think he has earned another opportunity (though I do not say that he should not compite with someone else in the camp).

I agree. I also think he'll be fine.

Mike

[LBC mike]

No FA prospects?

[Clevfan4life]

ansah is going to be the best DE in FA this year, I think that's a no brainer. I like schobert, but I wonder if bringing a veteran MLB'er in for a year or two wouldn't do wonders for him. 

[jcam222]

FA's / vet trades I can see landing here are CB Eli Apple, WR Davante Adams and QB Alex Smith 

[Clevfan4life]

3 minutes ago, jcam222 said:

FA's / vet trades I can see landing here are CB Eli Apple, WR Davante Adams and QB Alex Smith 

smith is intriguing. It just depends on how much more he wants to be in the league. It would be "ideal" to bring him in for 1-3 years to start next year than maybe in year 2 or possibly 3 transfer the team to the #1 pick. If we get Smith it "could" change some of these young QB's minds about not coming out in the draft to avoid Cleveland. If they know they're not going to get immedicately thrown in the fire and have a guy like Smith to learn from......who knows?

[thenew23]

1 hour ago, LBC mike said:

No FA prospects?

I hope Dorsey understands the importance of veteran experience and leadership. Giving all the young players all the playing time is not working. It is possible to develop young players while not starting them. I believe it is more important for a young player's development to be a part of a winning team rather than just getting snaps and losing constantly.

Having said that, it's hard to say who will make it to FA and who will get re-signed. I do like the fact that KC is starting Mahomes this week. Might mean they are ready to move on from Smith.

7 hours ago, syd said:

nice work but who do you see us over paying for in F.A ?

It's not my money so I don't give a damn what they pay FAs. If we can add a few dependable vets with good leadership qualities then I think that will go a long way to helping this roster compete in 2018.

[wargograw]

1 hour ago, thenew23 said:

I hope Dorsey understands the importance of veteran experience and leadership. Giving all the young players all the playing time is not working. It is possible to develop young players while not starting them. I believe it is more important for a young player's development to be a part of a winning team rather than just getting snaps and losing constantly.

 

We won't know how this idea works out until next year at the earliest. It's too early to draw conclusions about it.

[Nero]

4 hours ago, thenew23 said:

Having said that, it's hard to say who will make it to FA and who will get re-signed. I do like the fact that KC is starting Mahomes this week. Might mean they are ready to move on from Smith.

They have nothing to play for this Sunday, so the backup quaterback plays. Any team would do the same.

[gumby73]

14 hours ago, thenew23 said:

Guys with a shot at the 53 in bold

QB- Kizer

RB- Duke, Dayes

FB- Coaches decision 

WR- Gordon, C.Coleman

TE- Njoku, DeValve

OT- Thomas, S.Coleman, Drango, R.Johnson(PS)

OG- Bitonio, Zeitler

OC- Tretter, Reiter

DT- Shelton, Coley, Ogunjobi, Brantley

DE- Garrett, Ogbah, Nassib

OLB- Kirksey. Collins, Burgess

ILB- Schobert, Alexander, Carder(looking contract?)

CB-  McCourty, Boddy-Calhoun, Taylor, Jordan, Wilson(McCourty should be our FS1)

S- Peppers, Kindred

ST- Hughlett, Colquitt, Gonzalez

Maybe 38 pieces Dorsey can work with? We must find a situational defender to stay on the hip of a TE that are always wide open.Or a coach that can take it away with 11 defenders & not 10.

[The Gipper]

16 hours ago, thenew23 said:

We don't have a lot of FAs this year, so here are my thoughts.  Guys with a shot at the 53 in bold, other guys italicized. Comments follow each position group.

QB- Kizer, Kessler, Hogan; Clearly the team's biggest weakness. Kizer is a 3 and the other 2 should be gone.

RB- Crowell, Duke, Dayes, Rounds, D.Jackson: Id love to see Crow back, but I doubt it will happen. We will probably be looking at the draft for a RB to pair with Duke.

FB- Vitale, M.Williams; No reason to believe Vitale won't be back. 

WR- Gordon, C.Coleman, Louis, Higgins, Coates, K.Williams, Hazel, Howard; Hard to imagine Louis and Higgins coming back because this group needs yet another major overhaul, and not just rookies. I see 2-3 FAs signed and a fairly high draft pick. I see Coleman improving with a decent QB, but overall this group needs leadership and dependability more than anything.

TE- Njoku, DeValve, Telfer, Lengel; Like Coleman, I think this group is significantly better with an improved QB, especially Njoku in year 2 and beyond.

OT- Thomas, S.Coleman, Drango, R.Johnson, Banner, Salako, Gibson; I really don't see a ton of need here. Keep developing Coleman and Drango while we have Joe for a couple more years.

OG- Bitonio, Zeitler, Martin, Gray, Barker; Another area where there doesn't seem to be a great need. Maybe add some depth but that's about it.

OC- Tretter, Reiter; I'm okay with this group. We COULD upgrade but not really a priority.

DT- Shelton, Coley, Ogunjobi, Brantley, Meder, McGill; The true strength of this team. They should only continue to get better.

DE- Garrett, Ogbah, Nassib, Orchard, Edwards; Solid but not spectacular. Health is the biggest concern with this group. Could see a big piece brought in to help the pass rush and increase pressure and sacks.

OLB- Kirksey. Collins, Burgess, Keyes, Cash; This is a pretty solid group. No major need here except another depth player, and maybe Keys or Cash are that guy...? Haven't seen enough of them.

ILB- Schobert, Alexander, Carder, Bello, Cash; I like Schobert, but not sure he couldn't be upgraded; however, not a major priority, and with the other 2 there is some depth.

CB-  McCourty, Boddy-Calhoun, Taylor, Jordan, Wilson, CJ Smith, Webb, Porter, Hartfield; Not the most impressive group, to say the least. I think we need to upgrade this group significantly via FA and draft. Find a quality starter and some more quality depth.

S- Peppers, Kindred, Nacua, D.Smith, Currie, Hagen; Peppers so badly needs a FS to play along side him. Even then, I worry about this group. They are young and have some talent but they just don't do anything to impact the "W" column. I look forward to a major investment at FS this offseason.

ST- Hughlett, Colquitt, Gonzalez; Our LS and P are fine, but we need to find an upgrade at K regardless of the fact we wasted a draft pick. No reason we cant upgrade this offseason.

There does seem to be a lot of detritus on this roster....I mean...guys you just never heard about or heard from.   We need all those draft picks and all that cap space just to bring in at least about a dozen to 15 better players.

[thenew23]

8 hours ago, wargograw said:

We won't know how this idea works out until next year at the earliest. It's too early to draw conclusions about it.

I'm sure the PT has helped some of our players, but I just don't see it as a winning formula. The way this has been going, it seems we are just always going to be too dependent on rookies. How do we get to the point where we have a competitive 22 if we are always starting 4-5 rookies...?

[thenew23]

I'd gladly take Landry. Adams will get re-signed. The rest are not all that impressive. Not sure if any of these guys would want to come to Cleveland unless the contract was enormous.

 

[syd]

19 hours ago, thenew23 said:

I hope Dorsey understands the importance of veteran experience and leadership. Giving all the young players all the playing time is not working. It is possible to develop young players while not starting them. I believe it is more important for a young player's development to be a part of a winning team rather than just getting snaps and losing constantly.

Having said that, it's hard to say who will make it to FA and who will get re-signed. I do like the fact that KC is starting Mahomes this week. Might mean they are ready to move on from Smith.

It's not my money so I don't give a damn what they pay FAs. If we can add a few dependable vets with good leadership qualities then I think that will go a long way to helping this roster compete in 2018.

as i said we are Cleveland and bringing in a quality vet means we have to over Shmucking pay which could limit who we re sign or bring in

[thenew23]

Good teams usually "play it close" to the cap. Im pretty sure we can "overpay" a little bit considering our cap situation for the next 2-3 years. Again, we can't solely rely on rookies. We NEED dependable leadership on this roster especially at a couple key positions, QB and WR come to mind first and foremost. Unless we don't care about winning for the next few years. We can just be the NFLs developmental team...

[TopDawg31]

On 12/27/2017 at 4:21 PM, syd said:

nice work but who do you see us over paying for in F.A ?

start by throwing 12 to 13 mil at Leveon Bell, he's all about the top dollar.

[wargograw]

On 12/28/2017 at 8:43 AM, thenew23 said:

I'm sure the PT has helped some of our players, but I just don't see it as a winning formula. The way this has been going, it seems we are just always going to be too dependent on rookies. How do we get to the point where we have a competitive 22 if we are always starting 4-5 rookies...?

We won't be starting that many every year necessarily. The team would be getting older progressively. But Dorsey will scrap alot. Yay us.