Camp thoughts Vol. XII

 

There’s an old adage in sports that occasionally rings true. It goes like this: Sometimes, the best trades are the ones you don’t make.

 

It was first uttered way back in 1948 by Bill Veeck, at the time the owner of the Cleveland Indians. He sought to trade Ken Keltner, his slugging third baseman, in 1947, but found no equitable deal. So he kept him.

 

Keltner was instrumental in helping the Indians win the 1948 World Series against the Boston Braves. It was then that Veeck delivered the famous adage – attempting to trade a player and failing, and that player turns out to be more valuable on your team.

 

The player reported apocryphally in that scenario since then was Tribe player-manager Lou Boudreau, with Veeck relenting and not dealing his shortstop because Indians fans railed against such a move. It was Keltner, not Boudreau.

 

So what does all that have to do with the Browns? It has to do with trades that are not made.

 

In the wake of the Minnesota Vikings trading for Jacksonville defensive end Yannick Ngakoue Sunday, here’s another expression that befits the situation. It goes like this: Sometimes, the best trades are the ones that should have been made.

 

Browns General Manager Andrew Berry was searching for a defensive end and targeted Houston free agent Jadeveon Clowney and Ngakoue. He reportedly made an offer to Clowney, which he declined, and maintained his interest in Ngakoue.

 

The four-year veteran desperately wanted out of Jacksonville and refused to sign his $17.8 million franchise tender. It is not known exactly what Berry proposed to the Jaguars, who reportedly wanted a No. 1 draft choice. That would have and should have been a hard no.

 

On Sunday, Ngakoue found a new home in Minnesota with the Vikings. All it cost the Vikes was a second-round pick next year and a conditional fifth-round choice in 2022 that would become a four if Ngakoue makes the Pro Bowl this season and a three if Minnesota wins the Super Bowl.

 

Oh, and one more little item. Ngakoue took a sizable pay cut. Instead of signing the large tender, he agreed to a one-year, $12 million contract. Plus, the Vikings could franchise him next season if problems arise in securing a multi-year contract. The Browns, who have scads of salary-cap space, couldn’t have afforded that?

 

When the trade was announced, I wondered why Berry couldn’t agree to such a sweetheart deal – relatively speaking – like that. A two this year and a five (maybe a four, maybe a three) in 2022 is a bargain for what Ngakoue would have brought to a Cleveland defense that is mediocre at best.

 

Berry instead reworked Olivier Vernon’s contract from $15.25 million non-guaranteed to $11 million guaranteed. This for an oft-injured player who missed six games last season, played just 47% of the snaps, made only 26 tackles and a paltry 11 quarterback hits and contributed a measly 3½ sacks. 

 

Suffice it to say, Ngakoue would have been the perfect player opposite Myles Garrett on the Browns’ defensive line. Together, they could have played let’s-meet-at-the-quarterback for at least the next five seasons.

 

I won’t bore you with the statistics the 25-year-old Ngakoue put up in his four seasons with the Jaguars. They scream Pro Bowl and eventually All-Pro. Now he gets to play opposite Pro Bowler Danielle Hunter (54½ sacks in five seasons) on the Vikings’ defensive line.

 

And that is why this one qualifies as one of  “the best trades are the ones that should have been made.” And wasn’t.

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The Browns were off Monday – why with the season opener less than two weeks away and all kinds of problems on offense? – after a scrimmage at the stadium downtown on Sunday. But they did receive some good news.

 

Mack Wilson, who severely hyperextend a knee in camp a couple of weeks ago, will not need surgery after all. Instead, the second-year weak side linebacker is expected back in about six weeks after allowing the injury to heal on its own.

 

If he proves a quick healer, Wilson could return as early as the home game against Indianapolis in week five. If it takes longer, a more pessimistic return date would be somewhere around the week-nine bye.

 

As it stands now, B. J. Goodson will work inside replacing the departed Joe Schobert and pro sophomore Sione Takitaki takes over on the weak side in the Browns’ basic 4-2-5 alignment.

Goodson, who started only 29 games in four seasons with the New York Giants, has never started all 16 games in a season. Takitaki started only one game in his rookie season.