Browns off-season player changes as of mid-March 2015

Summary of a Mar 16, 2015 Tony Grossi story

Gains

• Signed quarterback Josh McCown, 3 years/$14 million.
• Signed wide receiver Brian Hartline, 2 years/$6 million.
• Signed quarterback Thad Lewis, 1 year/undisclosed.

Losses

• Quarterback Brian Hoyer signed by Houston Texans, 2 years/$10.5 million.
• Cornerback Buster Skrine signed by New York Jets, 4 years/$25 million.
• Linebacker Jabaal Sheard signed by New England Patriots, 2 years/$11 million.
• Tight end Jordan Cameron signed by Miami Dolphins, 2 years/$15 million.

Brought back

• Tendered restricted free agents S Tashaun Gipson, LB Craig Robertson, nose tackle Ishmaa’ily Kitchen and special teamer Johnson Bademosi.
• Re-signed DE John Hughes, P Spencer Lanning and WR-KR Marlon Moore.

Summary

With a league-high salary cap cushion of $40.697 million, these net moves are at best underwhelming and at worst mind-boggling. The best you can say is the Browns have set themselves up for four compensatory draft picks – two fourth-rounders, and two fifth-rounders – in 2016.

The Browns are considered the top contender to sign former Chiefs receiver Dwayne Bowe, who was released and would further the strategy to preserve the compensatory picks next year by not signing big in unrestricted free agency. Still, the mandate to fix the quarterback position has not been met.

They failed to land either of two high-profile quarterbacks who were available (and swapped for each other) – Sam Bradford and Nick Foles. That, after failing to secure a franchise quarterback with two first-round picks last year. Could they parlay their two first-round picks in this year’s draft to solve the problem?

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