Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXIX)

Sure has been a busy week for the Browns' front office as they add and subtract from the pre-season roster, loading up for OTAs, minicamp and training camp with a distinct emphasis on the defense.

With an obvious nod to the club's credo that you can never have enough cornerbacks (safeties, too) on your roster, the Browns added to a crowded field in the secondary with three more additions Tuesday and Wednesday to a roster that now totals 88 men (47 on offense, 37 on defense, four special teamers).

After claiming safety Luther Kirk and cornerback Reggie Robinson II off waivers Tuesday, they signed free agent corner Parnell Motley (presumably no relation to Browns Hall of Famer Marion Motley) the following day, swelling the secondary field to 16, nine of them corners. That's 43% of the defensive roster.

It sure appears as though General Manager Andrew Berry and his Ivory Tower buds are not totally convinced that area of the defense is adequately staffed with the kind of talent worthy of blunting the efforts opposing offenses. In reality it is. Explained later.

So why else would they continue to feed the defensive backfield when there are numerous other much more important areas that require help? Like the defensive line, where success -- or failure -- of the pass defense begins. 

It is entirely possible Berry knows it's only a matter of time before Jadeveon Clowney finally acquiesces after deliberately skipping the OTAs and mandatory minicamp and signs on for a second season on the edge opposite Myles Garrett, allowing Browns Nation to breathe a little easier. 

Then there is the big problem at tackle with a half dozen inexperienced candidates at a position that screams to be addressed because the current group is not quite ready and too young to be savvy enough to blunt the running attacks of some very good teams on this season's schedule. 

The presence of at least one or two seasoned veterans in the middle of Joe Woods' defense -- there are still a few free agents out there who would fit nicely in his 4-2-5 base -- is almost mandatory. Losing Malik McDowell due to serious off-the-field personal problems during the offseason was a big loss.

While Berry continues to help the secondary, he seems puzzlingly content with two other areas mentioned here before -- the offensive line and wide receivers room - and I can't figure out why. If you can't have enough cornerbacks on your roster, where does it say you can't have enough quality receivers, emphasis on quality? Only Amari Cooper qualifies among the 11 on board.

At least the secondary has enough young talent to begin with where those others being signed right now seem to be nothing more than training-camp fodder. 

We know Denzel Ward and Greg Newsome II are staples at cornerback and John Johnson III and Grant Delpit will handle the deep secondary with help off the bench from Greedy Williams, A. J. Green, rookie Martin Emerson Jr., Ronnie Harrison Jr. and Richard LeCounte III.

The wide receivers room and offensive line, seemingly vastly overrated by Berry and his men, are being ignored. Both areas lack the quality depth necessary to sustain a 17-game regular season and possibly beyond.

If the GM does not parrot his moves with regard to the defense with ones on offense, Deshaun Watson's initial season in Cleveland very well could be memorable for all the wrong reasons.