Pass on Clowney

So the Browns are playing footsie with Jadeveon Clowney.

An unsolicited piece of advice:

STOP!! General Manager Andrew Berry is wasting his time. Clowney is not the football player he thinks he is.

The defensive end/outside linebacker burst onto the National Football League scene in spectacular fashion as the league's No. 1 college draft choice in 2014 and proceeded to become the poster boy for mediocrity.

And the Browns want to add his overrated and (until now) overcompensated talents to their roster? Don't they have enough mediocrity on the edge already with the signing of Takkarist McKinley?

What is Clowney going to give them? Based on his history, underachieving and injuries. He has played in 83 out of a possible 112 games in his seven-year career. And he has played in all 16 games just once.

He is best known for only two things: Arguably the most devastating tackle in the history of college football and . . . getting hurt. He is a leading candidate to be the most fragile big man (6-5, 260 pounds) in football history. OK, I exaggerate, but you get the picture.

Clowney is primarily known for his tackle of University of Michigan running back Austin Smith in the 2013 Outback Bowl. T-boned him a fraction of a second after taking a handoff. Caused a fumble and recovered it.

Great play. Memorable play. A play for the ages.

In his seven NFL seasons, though, Clowney has only 32 sacks and just 86 quarterback hits. Myles Garrett, on the other hand, has 42.5 sacks and 83 quarterback hits for the Browns in three and a half seasons (51 games).

It is being suggested in some media circles that Clowney will be the missing piece if his agent and Berry can agree on a contract. He has had three stops around the league -- Houston, Seattle and Tennessee and has yet to live up to his advance billing.

The stats do not lie. Jadeveon Clowney is nothing more than average.. He is not a premiere pass rusher. He never was. And he is not a difference maker. His greatest strength lies in stopping the run. 

If Berry concludes Clowney is that missing piece -- he apparently did a year ago when he offered the free agent more money than anyone else only to see him accept less in Tennessee -- and makes a significant offer, he is making a mistake.

But if he offers Clowney prove-it money, a cheap, incentive-laden contract, that changes the landscape. That would be worth it. But it would take a lot of convincing.

Only one problem. Clowney believes he is worth a lot more. If the numbers are not there from Berry, he moves on. And that would be the best move for the Browns.

Impressive finish

Like a strong thoroughbred, Andrew Berry turned it on in the stretch and came thisclose to emerging a solid winner in the free-agent frenzy this season.

The Browns' general manager still has some work to do to complete his goal of totally rejiggering the personnel on defense and thus produce the best balanced Browns team in at least a generation.

In agreeing to contract terms with former Indianapolis inside linebacker Anthony Walker Friday in what amounts to a prove-it incentive-laden one-year contract, Berry that quickly upgraded the run defense with the smarter, quicker, much more aggressive replacement for B.J. Goodson

Walker is a three-down linebacker in the mold of Joe Schobert, only better. His downhill style has helped him become a tackling machine the last three seasons (107 a season) after his quiet rookie season with the Colts.

The newest Brown also brings a strong, commanding presence to the Cleveland locker room. "He's a great leader and he's going to lead your defense to be great," Colts All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard tweeted Brsowns fans.  "I will truly miss him. I give him a lot of credit for my success. I wouldn't be me without him."

Walker also impressed Kevin Stefanski. "This is a guy who plays hard, plays fast and plays nasty," the Browns head coach said of the Northwestern alumnus. "He can be a quarterback for the defense. Really intelligent, heady player."

Leonard's strong testimonial tells Browns fans all they need to know about the newest member of the defense. And they don't have to worry about him not living up to the advance billing. He's the kind of playmaking linebacker whose connection between the line and secondary promises to pay handsome dividends.

In Walker, safety John Johnson III and slot cornerback Troy Hill, Berry has now toughened the most vulnerable part of the defense -- the back seven -- to the point where it will take pressure off the offense to flat outscore the opposition.

Walker's arrival puts a huge Band-Aid on a defensive backfield that failed time and again last season to make plays at critical junctures. It finally gives defensive coordinator Joe Woods the kind of talent that should enable him to open the playbook wide and become more creative. He was limited last season with inferior talent.

Because of possible injury problems lingering in the secondary, Berry likely will continue to add depth to that room with second- or third-tier talent. Ditto at linebacker with the signing of Walker and the resigning of returning veteran Malcolm Smith making it less critical.

Berry can now concentrate on getting Myles Garrett some help along the defensive line, especially on the edge. That's where it all starts on that side of the football and where turnovers are born. A so-so or weak pass rush is asking for trouble and makes it that much more difficult for the back seven. 

Signing defensive end Takkarist McKinley on day two of free agency, is a meh move. Even McKinley realizes it's time to step up after four below-average seasons. "This league is not promised," he said via Zoom with the Cleveland media. "I feel like I'm at the point of my career where if I want to be in this league, I need to start acting like it."

It is entirely possible McKinley's production will be limited if Berry successfully brings on board, either by trade or through the college draft, at least two quality defensive linemen (an edge presence and tackle), limiting his contributions to strictly sub packages.

By and large, though, a job well done by Berry considering some of the financial constraints with which he had to work.

Well, that's a little better

General Manager Andrew Berry inched closer to his goal of redoing the Browns' defense Thursday with  another signing for what is becoming a crowded seconddary.

Former Ohioan (born in Youngstown) Troy Hill joins ex-Los Angeles Rams teammate John Johnson III with Cleveland after agreeing to a four-year contract averaging $6 million a season. The four-year veteran is expected to play slot corner. 

Inside linebacker Anthony Walker, another four-year vet with the Indianapolis Colts, was in Berea Thursday as the Browns seek to upgrade middle linebacker. Walker's aggressive downhill style of defense would be a perfect fit.

Berry also was active on the offensive side of the ball, resigning wide receiver Rashard Higgins and return specialist JoJo Natson to one-year deals, lessening the possibility of taking a wide receiver in the college draft next month.

Unless some general manager around the National Football League offers Berry a deal he can't refuse for Odell Beckham Jr., it appears the wide receivers room is just about set for 2021 with Jarvis Landry, KhaDarel Hodge, Higgins and Donovan Peoples-Jones.

The defense is starting to come together as well, particularly in the back end with Berry throwing as many cornerback darts at the board as he can. The uncertain physical status of Greedy Williams no doubt is the reason he is loading up at the position.

If he is somehow able to get Walker under contract, along with the renewal of veteran Malcolm Smith's contract, the back seven appears to be in decent shape. Now all he has to do to finish the job is find at least two defensive linemen, most notably Myles Garrett's partner in crime on the other side of the line.

Berry was fiscally tied in knots for the top tier of quarterback punishers and had to settle for Takkarist McKinley, who immediately received a supportive nod from head coach Kevin Stefanski after the one-year, prove-it deal was announced.

"Takk is a skilled young player with tremendous upside," he said via a club statement. "We like his pass rush ability and the way he's gotten after the quarterback throughout his young career. Defensive line was a position . . . we wanted to address during free agency and we are excited to add Takk and the impactful tools he possesses to the group that will help make the plays we need along the line." 

First of all, I equate the word "upside" with "potential". Essentially, veteran players saddled with either of those nouns are not good. But from a public relations standpoint, coaches cannot say that. Too negative. They choose the more positive "upside" and "potential."

McKinley has banked four years in the NFL with just 17.5 sacks. His consistent inconsistency has been a career lowlight. There is no "upside" with him unless you take into consideration his age (25). Upside lasts just so long. His upside has been on the downside for a couple of seasons.

Meanwhile, it's interesting Berry is issuing multi-year deals for the secondary now after going cheap back there last season and ultimately paying a heavy price. The stability and vast increase in talent should be enough to justify the fiscal moves.

As mentioned before, the addition of Johnson gives defensive coordinator Joe Woods many more options with his three-safety look, assuming, of course, the healthy return of Ronnie Harrison Jr. and Grant Delpit.

Addressing the defensive line, more probable than possible for Berry in either the draft or trade route, should complete the task as his team is getting not only better, but younger. Reuniting Johnson and Hill is more than just a promising start.

Only a little splash

That's it? 

While numerous National Football League teams jumped into the free-agent waters, the Browns have found them a little too chilly to do big business. Certainly not like a year ago when General Manager Andrew Berry made a big splash.

Maybe too much was expected this season, not taking into consideration the Browns' salary-cap haul was nowhere near as much as 2020. It tied Berry's hands often, especially at positions that badly needed help on defense.

Getting safety John Johnson III the first day was a terrific start. And then everything screeched to a halt in the next 24 hours because it seemed as though half the league's teams sought edge rushers. The Browns could not compete fiscally.

The  top tier of the field disappeared one by one, teams paying ridiculous amounts of money. The Browns could only watch. 

As they scratched off the names on their list, others with not nearly as much talent crept their way up to the top. And that's when the Browns dove in Tuesday afternoon, emerging with the nondescript Takkarist McKinley.

In yet another one of his prove-it deals that helped form a major portion of the defense last season, Berry convinced McKinley's people to agree to a one-year deal worth $4.25 million with a chance to kick it up to $6 million if certain incentives are met. (They won't be.)

McKinley is expected to replace Olivier Vernon opposite Myles Garrett on the defensive line. That is a gigantic step backward, He's no Olivier Vernon. They might similar in size -- each is 6-2 and around 265 pounds -- but that's where the comparisons end. 

Vernon, a 10-year veteran who suffered a ruptured Achilles late last season, is a career playmaker. An overachiever. McKinley, a four-year vet, is a classic underachiever. 

A first-round pick by Atlanta in the 2017 college draft, he posted just 17.5 sacks in his first three seasons before the Falcons waived him early last season. After failing physicals with two other clubs, the Las Vegas Raiders picked him up, ultimately placing him on injured reserve.

The only well-rated edge rushers remaining are Jadeveon Clowney and Haason Reddick. The Browns are reportedly interested in Clowney, but probably will have to take a pass since his worth is estimated to be around $12-$13 million-a-year, a neighborhood well beyond their checkbook reach. Besides, Clowney is more of a run-stopper than a threat from the edge. 

Reddick is coming off a career season in Arizona with 13 sacks. But five of them were in one game and it's his inconsistency that caused the Cardinals to allow him to test free agency. But at 6-1, 235, he is more a linebacker type.

Right now, it looks as though Berry will have to obtain Garrett's new partner either through the draft or in a trade unless he considers offering another one or two of those one-year deals to aging veterans like Melvin Ingram III, Carlos Dunlap, Justin Houston and Kyle Van Noy.

Solid start

All last season, Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods took all kinds of verbal abuse from the fans for the product he put out there on a weekly basis. A lot of it was warranted.

General Manager Andrew Berry didn't help Woods by going cheap and signing way too many defensive free agents on a prove-it basis. Many were on the down side of their careers. And it showed.

If it hadn't been for the Browns' best offense since the last century, there's no telling how terrible the season would have turned out. All that changed Monday with the opening of National Football League free agency.

Berry, who concentrated (quite successfully) last season on improving the offense via free agency with some solid moves, turned his attention to the defense Monday with a ten strike by agreeing to a three-year, $34 million contract with safety John Johnson III.

Johnson, who won't turn 26 until Christmas time, is a four-year veteran with the Los Angeles Rams and the perfect fit for Woods' 4-2-5 base defense, which generally features three safeties. 

With the return of Grant Delpit, who missed his rookie season with a ruptured Achilles, and Ronnie Harrison, who battled through an injury-plagued season, the deep secondary is beginning to look good. With those two back and healthy and Johnson joining them, Woods now has the tools with which to work.

No more Andrew Sendejo or Karl Joseph or Sheldrick Redwine to run out there and cross your fingers. Games and leads that were lost last season will -- or at least should -- become nothing more than bad memories. 

The 6-0, 210-pound Johnson brings to the Browns the same versatility Delpit and Harrison possess, the ability to comfortably play either safety position. The newest Brown is also a dynamic producer with 119 total tackles in 2018 at strong safety and 105 last season at free safety.

He brings to that side of the football two attributes sadly missing last season from safety -- strong pass coverage and even stronger tackling. How many times last season did fans bemoan blown coverages, especially on third and long, and missed tackles. That will rarely happen this season.

It's the overall kind of versatility in the secondary Woods needs to make his unusual scheme work. He didn't have the talent last season. He does now. 

It's now incumbent on Berry to continue filling in the gaps along the defensive line and linebacker -- especially linebacker -- as he attempts to duplicate his strong 2020 performance with the offense in an effort to produce the best and most balanced Browns team in more than a generation.

He's off a pretty good start with Johnson.

Don't forget about LBs

It was blatantly obvious from the initial game of the 2020 National Football League season that the Browns would have to flat outscore opponents to win because their defense was -- trying to be kind here -- awful. Sorry, I couldn't.

Relying heavily on marginal players with one-year, prove-it deals, that side of the football failed spectacularly. The offense had to rescue their defensive brethren on a weekly basis. Choosing the over in a Browns game on the over/under became a weekly ritual.

It thus became just as obvious that General Manager Andrew Berry, who skillfully crafted what turned out to be a dangerous high-powered offense last season, needs to balance the talent scale by addressing the defense this season.

The big question is just how the GM is going to cobble together what fans hope is the final stage of building an annual contending team. Hopefully, it will not be a repeat of 2020's bargain basement defense.

Too many holes reside there, Besides defensive end Myles Garrett and cornerback Denzel Ward, there isn't much there there when the opposition owns the football. And Berry is saddled with a defensive coordinator madly in love with a 4-2-5 base.

Joe Woods doesn't appear to rank linebacker as an important position in the grand scheme, probably because the NFL has in the last dozen or so seasons become a pass-first league. Thus Woods' heavy use of members of the secondary in understandable. 

Judging from early indications, the emphasis on personnel this year will be on the defensive line and secondary even though the club lacks a playmaking, game-changing linebacker. No one in the linebackers room, whether it's outside or inside, has played well enough to be considered a difference maker.

B. J. Goodson played . . . well . . . he played all right. He did very little that stood out except maybe log more than 90% of the snaps. Same story with modestly-used youngsters Sione Takitaki, Mack Wilson and rookie Jacob Phillips. There is little about which to get excited with this crew.

Berry instead is looking for a partner for Garrett on the opposite side of the line as well as help in the secondary. No quarrel with another edge rusher or two. But with corner Greedy Williams and free safety Grant Delpit ready to return after missing the entire 2020 season, that part of the back seven should be in decent shape.

Berry knows a strong, consistent pass rush makes the secondary's job that much easier. The domino effect of making opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket leads to turnovers. 

But the play of the linebackers cannot be understated. Good ones can make a huge difference. A perfect example is Lavonte David's contribution to the solid defensive effort the Tampa Bay Buccaneers displayed in romping over Kansas City in the Super Bowl.

As Berry scours the free-agent market and plots his strategy for the college football draft late next month, it is hoped he will not ignore linebacker. It is also hoped he isn't too sanguine about what he has now at the position. If he is, that's a big mistake.

With the exception of Garrett and Ward, the defense needs a complete front-to-back overhaul with money not a factor. It'll take more than linemen and secondary personnel to do the job. Minimizing the linebacker position is the wrong approach.

For the first time since arriving back in the NFL nearly a generation ago, the Browns are finally in position and primed to make a difference. It would be disappointing if moves they make in the next several months prove unwise.

News & views

News: J. J. Watt ends what seemed like endless speculation of his next destination by agreeing to contract terms (two years, $31 million) with the Arizona Cardinals Monday.

Views: Good. Glad the Browns didn't land him.

The abundantly talented but aging defensive end whose injury history precedes him is on the downward slope of his career. The Browns need to get younger. Watt does not fit that dynamic.

Many in Browns Nation would argue he would be the prefect complement to Myles Garrett. They were struck by the the star quality of Watt, a future Pro Football Hall of Famer who has become less of a dangerous edge rusher and more of a solid run stopper.

There is no question whatsoever the Browns need all kinds of help on defense. Watt was looking for a Super Bowl-contending team, one that could challenge immediately. The Browns aren't there yet. The Cardinals, on the other hand, have a much more balanced team.

While speculation centered on Green Bay, Tennessee, Pittsburgh and the Browns to a hopeful and yet foolish extent, the Cardinals sneaked in the back door. Why foolish? Because it would have meant overpaying for someone with a history of injuries. 

This new administration thus far has shown the ability to avoid making mistakes in the personnel department, especially on offense. They went cheap with the defense last season with what one believes was an eye on improving the other side of the football this time around.

Opening up the Haslam vault for Watt would have been a mistake. To borrow a phrase from the past . . , sometimes the best moves you make are the ones you don't make. 

If I'm going to hand out 15 mill a season to someone, I'd much rather give it to someone like Yannick Ngakoue, who made stops in Minnesota and Baltimore last season after talking his way out of Jacksonville.

I lobbied for the Browns to trade for Ngakoue last offseason. The club reportedly tried, but was unwilling to part with second-round and conditional fifth-round picks the Vikings offered. Two months later, the Ravens gave the Vikings a third-rounder for him.

The soon-to-be 26-year-old is on the small side at 6-2, 255 pounds, but he makes plays. In his first five National Football League seasons, he has recorded 45 sacks and forced 18 fumbles. Another possibility is Leonard Williams, who had a bust-out season in 2020 with 11.5 sacks with the New York Giants after posting 17.5 in his first five seasons. That is the kind of production the Browns need up front.

Watt is no longer in the upside category with regard to the future. Ngakoue is. So is Williams. Time to make a move in that direction.

News: Speculation ramps up that Odell Beckham Jr. might be wearing a different uniform next season.

Views: Predicting where Beckham will play nest season has become somewhat of a sport. The Browns say they want him back. Of course that's what they would say. It's also what they should say from a public relations standpoint. Don't create a story where there isn't one. Yet.

That doesn't mean it's all quiet in the OBJ front. While he diligently rehabs from his torn ACL midway through last season, rumors continue to swirl with pundits trying to put two and two together and suggest several landing spots. 

They will continue, most likely because they don't believe the Browns' will sit tight, especially after the way they played last season with OBJ a spectator. It's difficult to believe Beckham makes this offense better than it was the last 11 games.

With a wealth of young receivers -- they'll probably select at least one in the April college draft -- and a running game that pretty much embodies and defines Kevin Stefanski's offensive philosophy, it is not out of the question to assume Beckham will become an ex-Brown sooner rather than later.

There seems to be no question he and Baker Mayfield have had difficulties winding up on the same page the last two seasons, Mayfield, at least statistically, is clearly a better quarterback when Beckham is not involved in the play.

But because he has not been the productive receiver they expected when dealing for him, the Browns cannot expect anything more than a third-round pick, maybe a conditional second-rounder, in return if they choose to go that route.

News: More receiver news: Rashard Higgins wants to come back.

Views: There is no reason the Browns should hesitate to reward the young veteran, who has been clutch for Mayfield except when he found coach Freddie Kitchens' doghouse throughout most of the 2019 season. He wants to stay. Give him a good reason to not test the free-agent market.

To give you an idea of his worth, compare Higgins' contributions with Mayfield the last three seasons against those of Jarvis Landry. It's enlightening.                  

Higgins has caught 69% of his 116 targets in that span for 1,226 yards and nine touchdowns. Jarvis has latched on to his 388 targets 61% of the time for 2,990 yards and 13 touchdowns. One was a starter; the other a part-time contributor. 

Pay the man.