Another blunder

So why did the Browns say sayonara to Sheldon Richardson Friday? They are not going to say so, but you would not be incorrect if you suspected money was the root cause.

The Browns signed the veteran defensive tackle as a free agent a couple of years ago to a three-year contract worth $37 million ($21 million guaranteed). They expected him to plug a sizable hole in the middle of the defensive line.

And he did, playing in all 33 games (including the playoffs), averaging 63 tackles a season and anchoring a line that improved against the run both seasons. He was easily the club's best interior lineman. Consistency was his main calling card. 

And now he is on the street (but not for long) after the Browns signed Jadeveon Clowney, the antithesis of Richardson, a couple of days ago. The guess here -- and that's exactly what it is, a guess -- is the Browns attempted to restructure the last season of Richardson's contract and he balked.

In cutting him, the Browns avoided a $13.7 million salary cap hit and added roughly $11 million back on the cap. Money coming back with little or no regard for the quality of play he gave them for those two seasons. An unjust reward.

So just like that, one achiever who often times overachieved, departs and a known underachiever, whose biggest liability is just being available to play a full season, arrives and is lustily welcomed by the club's general manager.

"We love his relentless style of play . . . love his versatility . . . . he impacts the game regardless of his alignment," lavished Andrew Berry of his newest acquisition. He chose to ignore the fact Clowney is not nearly as reliable or available as Richardson was.

It also means the GM almost certainly will take an interior defensive lineman -- maybe even an edge rusher -- in the college draft in a couple of weeks as he methodically attempts to duplicate the success he achieved last season with molding a top offense.

Cutting Richardson, however, is not even close to being addition by subtraction. Like the Clowney signing, it is a step in the wrong direction. 

Of the four defensive tackles left on the roster, only rookie Jordan Elliott played with the Browns last season. Andrews Billings chose to sit out the season because of COVID-19, Malik Jackson played with the Philadelphia Eagles and Sheldon Day played for Indianapolis.

Elliott was used sparingly, starting only one game with 15 total tackles, six solo. Gone are the inconsistent Larry Ogunjobi and Vincent Taylor.

Richardson's presence enabled the Browns to shed the label of one of the worst run defenses in the National Football League and achieve some measure of respectability. Most of last season's embarrassing defensive statistics were attributable to the club's awful, awful AWFUL pass defense.

Errors in personnel judgment, especially in dealing with the defensive side of the football, must be avoided. It says here Berry has made two misjudgments in a row. Coming up big in the draft would be a huge step in stopping the current streak at two.