Pressure? What pressure?

Here's a bulletin that really isn't a bulletin about expectations in Berea this season with regard to the professional football team that makes its home in that southwest Cleveland suburb. Warning: They are lofty.

After keeping thoughts private about how the Browns fared last season, allowing their head coach and general manager to explain why they finished a disappointing 7-10, owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam III finally stepped forth the other day in Phoenix at the National Football League owners' meeting.

In a sit-down session with Cleveland-area media, Jimmy Haslam pronounced the entire organization "disappointed, very disappointed. None of us thought we'd be 7-10. . . . The desire to win in that building . . . is extremely high. We've got high standards, so we expect to do better."

Here comes the bulletin. It has thus reached the point with the Kevin Stefanski/Andrew Berry regime where nothing less than a return to the postseason after consecutive seasons of failing is not only expected, failure conceivably could trigger a recasting of the front office.

Since purchasing the Browns for a billion bucks in 2012, the Haslams have fired five head coaches, one interim head coach and five general managers. During that time, the Browns are 59-118-1 (33%). There is no such thing as job security at 76 Lou Groza Blvd.

And now with quarterback Deshaun Watson ready to play a full season for the first time since 2020, the pressure to succeed will be palpable all season for all concerned. Most of it will be on Watson and Stefanski. 

Watson for certain because this is why the Haslams brought him to Cleveland in the first place, bribing him with a fully-guaranteed $230 million contract with the fallout of that deal still reverberating angrily around the NFL.

Stefanski has no excuses now if this all fails. He's got his quarterback leading a pretty good offense for the entire season. His general manager has overloaded the wide receivers room, correcting a problem that plagued the club last season. Finding five shouldn't be a problem. And the coach wisely changed his defensive and special teams coordinators. (About time.)

Haslam did not come right out and declare that anything less than the playoffs is unacceptable. "I don't want to say that," he said coyly. "But I think we have expectations to go to the playoffs." Some might consider that speaking out of both sides of one's mouth.

He refused to be drawn into making an absolute declaration. "I'm not going to say if we don't make the playoffs, X, Y, Z happens because that will be the headline tomorrow," he said. After all his years in Cleveland, it's hard to believe Haslam is so thin-skinned as to worry about tomorrow's headlines.

Along the way, he hauled out an old truism. "There are 32 teams that think their team is going to win the Super Bowl," he said. "I can assure you this: From ownership to personnel to coaching to the support people in the building, nobody wants to win more than the group of people I just listed. Nobody works harder or cares more about it." So do the other 31 teams.

And where has it gotten them? Rhetorical question.

Haslam has to know the window of opportunity for the Browns is slowly closing. The reliable veterans are getting older -- especially on offense -- with just one playoff appearance to show for their efforts. And Berry hasn't done enough with the roster from a talent standpoint to assure the future will be not be a problem.

After gaining the playoffs for the first time in nearly 20 years in 2020, the Browns once again morphed back into the same old sad-sack team of the early 21st century. How the team fares this season represents a fork in the road. Going the wrong way could prove fatal for the fourth-year incumbents.

More work to be done

That's it? Can't be. There's got to be more.

Andrew Berry's annual foray through National Football League free agency in an attempt to improve the Browns appears to have slowed to a crawl. Maybe that's because the general manager is taking a breather at the annual owners' meeting in Phoenix. Yeah, that's got to be it. 

It's been 12 days since Berry began his whirlwind roster restructuring during which he has added 14 brand new faces to the roster and brought back five contributors from last season who had become free agents. He's got to be exhausted.

The current active roster stands at 71, 19 shy of what it will look like when training camp begins in late July in Berea. 

Thirty-six of those operate on the offensive side of the football, That includes a whopping 13 wide receivers in an effort to strengthen a distinct weakness last season and what can be interpreted as an admission a mistake was made.

Another dozen comprise the offensive line  (five tackles, five guards and two centers), which is beginning to look as though it could use an infusion of youth. Four tight ends, five running backs and three quarterbacks round out offense.

On defense, an even bigger mistake was made last season at tackle, a position that could be considered, in hind sight, as marginal at best, downright awful at worst. To that end, Berry has stacked the roster with nine tackles, including the big catch in free agent Dalvin Tomlinson.

He is going to need more there, a lot more because the rest of that room does not engender much in the way of hope. Jordan Elliott, penciled in now as a starter, had produced next to nothing for three seasons. And he's the best of that lot.

The entire defensive line is comprised of 13 men,  along with nine linebackers, and 10 defensive backs (six corners). But Berry still hasn't provided help for Myles Garrett in the wake of Jadeveon Clowney's rather interesting departure. 

Edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo flashed briefly for a moment in his four-year professional football career. He is a situational player. And second-year man Alex Wright found the NFL was a lot harder than college. A budding bust.

There is clearly more work to be done. 

Lying directly ahead is the college football draft late next month. Berry has eight selections, but won't make his initial one until day two of the three-day affair in Kansas City, roughly midway through round three with pick 74. 

Considering Berry seems to enjoy bartering with his fellow GMs as the draft unfolds in hopes of collecting future draft capital along the way, there is at least an even-money chance he will make at least one move that involves the future.

In no particular order, he needs at least two defensive linemen (one tackle and one edge), a couple of safeties, at least one offensive lineman, a tight end and a running back. Wide receiver can wait until next season when Amari Cooper most likely becomes an ex-Brown.

Need for speed satisfied

For those out there in Browns Nation who make the National Football League college draft the biggest event of their year, relax. Settle down. You're going to have to wait until the third round for the second straight year to find out who falls into their lap.

They will never admit it, but the Browns acted out of desperation when they shipped their lone second-round selection this year to the New York Jets (No. 42) Wednesday for speedy wide receiver Elijah Moore and the Jets' third-rounder (No. 74), which ostensibly (with General Manager Andrew Berry, you never know) will be their initial pick of eight overall selections.

Why desperate? Because the free-agent wide receiver apparently did not appeal to them. Because the new wide receiver draft class is unusually weak. And because the Browns need a third receiver who can stretch the field and keep opposing defenses honest. 

Berry last season shipped pick 44 in the second round to Houston for a third (cornerback Martin Emerson Jr.) and two fourths (defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey and kicker Cade York). Emerson stepped right in and did not disappoint, even though he was picked on most of the season. He proved an excellent tackler.

Winfrey, who won many fans with a garrulous reaction to being drafted by the Browns with a social media bombast, found that transitioning successfully to the NFL required a lot more than putting on a show before putting on a uniform. York, who arrived with the pressure of expected to be near perfect because of his impressive college resumé, had a humbling rookie season. 

Berry, forced to turn to calling his fellow GMs after he finally discovered how weak he was at wide receiver, reportedly put Denver wideout Jerry Jeudy in his crosshairs, but the Broncos, again reportedly, demurred. That's when Moore more prominently entered the picture.

Moore, who requested to be traded last season when he believed he was being misused as a slot receiver and slowly wore out his welcome, finally had his wish granted when the Jets procured wide receiver Mecole Hardman from Kansas City Wednesday to replace him.

The newest Brown, who checks in at a half inch under 5-10 and about 180 pounds, was drafted second by the Jets in 2021 and should fit right in and provide the kind of production Berry expected from Anthony Schwartz, who has produced next to nothing for the last two seasons.

Expecting the next Tyreek Hill, the Browns instead got a world-class track athlete (4.25 in the 40) masquerading as a football player. The Browns should just admit they blew it with Schwartz and move on, making him an ex-Brown in the process.

Moore, who has banked a 4.32 in the 40, is a football player who happens to be quick and fast. He scored nearly half of his 188 career receptions, 16 career touchdowns and 2,400 career yards in the final of his three seasons at Ole Miss.

He arrived in the NFL with the reputation of playing anywhere. Good hands, smooth route runner, twitchy, not afraid of running crossing routes and, best of all, extremely competitive. Sounds like a younger, smaller, faster Jarvis Landry.

Mississippi used him mostly from the slot, but threw to him often unlike the Jets, who targeted him just 65 times last season. He responded with 37 receptions for 446 yards, one touchdown and 22 first downs.

With Deshaun Watson throwing to him now instead of Zach Wilson, Mike White or Joe Flacco, the Browns no doubt expect those figures to improve. It will also take pressure off Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones.

***

More good news arrived with the return of middle linebacker Anthony Walker Jr., who signed a one-year contract after testing the free-agent market. Good news because the Cleveland defense was never the same after Walker suffered a torn quad tendon in game three last season.

The locker room lacked a presence, a leader. No one stepped up to fill the void. Walker fits that mold. He was the signal-caller on defense. For whatever reason last season, that defense played on its heels in his absence. The lack of aggression was palpable.

If he has fully recovered from the gruesome injury, Walker's return definitely will make a big difference in the defense this season, especially with new coordinator Jim Schwartz taking full advantage of what the veteran does best. 

With Walker's return, the Browns now appear fairly well set at linebacker with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Jacob Phillips, Sione Takitaki, Tony Fields II, Deion Jones and possibly Reggie Ragland returning. Caution: That doesn't mean Berry won't take one in the lottery if the board dictates otherwise.

Odds and ends

Whilst perusing the dwindling list of National Football League free agents over the weekend, I noticed one in particular who hung on and thought he'd fit in nicely with the Browns' new aggressive approach on defense. 

He fit the profile for the Cleveland secondary from a physical standpoint (5-11, 210 pounds). Starred at an SEC school (Florida). Developed a reputation as a ballhawk with Philadelphia last season (tied for the NFL lead in interceptions, six in only 12 games). Plays with a decided edge.

Thought this 25-year-old free safety was the kind of player Jim Schwartz would love to coach. Yeah, I know the Browns grabbed Kansas City's free safety Juan Thornhill on day two of free agency. So? The Browns like to say you can't have enough cornerbacks. Why not enough free safeties?

C. J. Gardner-Johnson, who spent his first three seasons in New Orleans before being dealt to the Eagles, was still there as of late Saturday. The Browns dawdled. And dawdled. Until the Detroit Lions swooped in and signed him to a one-year contract at the bargain-basement price of $6.5 million with incentives. 

Time to play frivolously with Haslam's billions. With the exception of the bloated contract for defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, who is past his prime, Cleveland General Manager Andrew Berry has played penuriously, relatively speaking, with that money.

Scrounging up  $6.5 million for at least one season -- I'd have given him $8 million guaranteed -- on a young four-year veteran wouldn't have harmed the salary cap that much, if at all. Besides, Gardner-Johnson is a converted cornerback and it seems to me the Browns practically worship versatility.

He is a baller, a battler. He also has a reputation of owning an abrasive personality. Now it's entirely possible Schwartz, on whom Berry is relying heavily to fix a broken defense, said no. If so, that's an error in judgment. (I know, I know. He's forgotten more about football than I'll ever know. Move on.)

He surely had to notice his new team swiped a paltry 11 passes last season. That's got to change. If the Browns are going to be aggressive this season when the opposition owns the football, that number must climb significantly. 

***

The Browns, as you might expect, feel good about their haul thus far. (What else did you expect?) Many fans have latched on to their belief, their enthusiasm. Nothing wrong with that. It's a new year with new faces, new attitude, new hopes. After all, the Browns are currently unbeaten. 

As you might expect, I see it a very different way. 

The most significant signing, actually a resigning, was getting Ethan Pocic back at the pivot on the offensive line. The thought of little Nick Harris over the ball was somewhat frightening. Kudos to Berry for convincing the 6-6 center to stay.

As for the rest of the new group, here's the way I see it. 

They picked up an undersized situational edge rusher (Ogbo Okoronkwo), who had one good half season in his four years as a pro; a free safety (Juan Thornhill) who isn't any better than his predecessor; a tight end (Jordan Akins) hoping to catch some magic reuniting with his former quarterback in Houston; two young defensive tackles (Maurice Hurst and Trysten Hill) who will have trouble making the team; two returning linebackers (Sione Takitaki and Jordan Kunaszyk); cornerback/special teams ace (Mike Ford Jr., the self-proclaimed "best gunner in the league"), who signed Monday for $2.25 million; returning cornerback A. J. Green; and the aforementioned Tomlinson.

That's 11 players, seven of whom will wear Seal Brown and Orange for the first time. It's a group that has garnered high praise throughout the NFL landscape. 

The good folks at Pro Football Focus liked it so much, they awarded the Browns an A-, as did 24/7 Sports; The Sporting News checked in with a straight A; Sportsnaut.com gave it a B-;  Fox Sports lowers the average with a C+; I lower it further with a C-. Still waiting for that WOW! moment; for the needle to move a lot higher. Don't see it happening. Yet.

***

Finally . . . With Akins now aboard, shouldn't be long before Harrison Bryant becomes an ex-Brown. It was difficult for the three-year veteran tight end to produce when his head coach/playcaller seemingly refused to throw him the football much -- only 108 targets in 48 games, catching a very respectable 70% of them.. . . It sure looks as though new special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone is in Berry's ear with regard to what his units will look like this season. The return of Green, Takitaki and Kunaszyk, who was cut a few weeks ago, plus the Ford signing sure points in that direction. Takitaki will also get his share of reps at linebacker. . . . The current active roster stands at 66 with 11 more listed as unrestricted free agents, including linebackers Anthony Walker Jr., Deon Jones and Reggie Ragland, running backs Kareem Hunt and D'Ernest Johnson, safety Ronnie Harrison Jr., offensive lineman Chris Hubbard and tight end Jesse James.

Scoreboard

Keeping score on the comings and goings for the Browns as National Football League free agency rambles on.

WELCOME

Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, who left Minnesota for a four-year, $57 million deal.  

Defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo, lured from Houston by a three-year, $19 million contract.

Free safety Juan Thornhill, who left the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs for a three-year, $21 million contract.

Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst left San Francisco for a one-year (prove it?) contract.

Defensive tackle Trysten Hill departed Arizona for pretty much what Hurst got.

Scorecard: Notice a trend here? Sure you do. Five new faces, all for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. It sure looks as though General Manager Andrew Berry is throwing lots of stuff against a wall in hopes some sticks. Tomlinson and Thornhill are surefire starters.

WELCOME BACK

Center Ethan Pocic is rewarded for his solid performance last season with a three-year, $18 million pact.

Linebacker Sione Takitaki returns with a one-year, $2.43 million deal.

Cornerback A. J. Green is back with a one-year, $1.4 million contract.

Scoreboard: Pocic is making more than a few fans not miss JC Tretter. Green is a solid dime back and valuable special teamer. And Takitaki, another special-team standout, flashed at linebacker when injuries hit the position hard.

STILL OUT THERE

Linebackers Anthony Walker Jr., Deion Jones and Reggie Ragland; offensive linemen Chris Hubbard and Michael Dunn; tight ends Jesse James and Pharaoh Brown; running back D'Ernest Johnson; cornerback Greedy Williams; safety Ronnie Harrison Jr.

Scorecard: A torn quad in week three last season shelved Walker for the entire season. If healthy, he returns and makes a difference calling defensive signals. Dunn and Johnson are most likely back, too. All the others are iffy, if not gone.

SEE YA

Free safety John Johnson III won't be out on the street for long. His reputation alone will land him somewhere very soon. He was hampered (victimized?) in Cleveland by a poor coordinator.

Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney came to the Browns a couple of years ago with the reputation of being a fecal disturber. After a productive and quiet first season, that reputation emerged and greased his exit late in season two. He's someone else's problem now.

Defensive tackle Taven Bryan didn't come even close to making a difference. He was the poster boy for the Browns' weakest position. The Indianapolis Colts will find that out this season.

Quarterback Jacoby Brissett did a nice job warming the position for Deshaun Watson and made a lot of fans in the process. He should do well with the Washington Commanders.

Offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt filled in nicely when Wyatt Teller and Pocic missed several games last season. He has a decent chance to break into the Arizona Cardinals' starting lineup.

Linebacker Jason Kunaszyk, who remains a free agent, should land somewhere this summer. He's good enough to stick due to his strong special teams play.

Defensive end Chase Winovich, now with Houston, spent a significant portion of last season -- his first and only in Cleveland -- with a cranky hamstring.

Scorecard: The only quarrel I have with this group is letting Froholdt go. He provides much, much more quality bench depth than Hubbard. 

Overall, I see only moderate (trying to be kind here) improvement because of Tomlinson and Thornhill. Still looking for the WOW! deal. The one that really excites people. The needle has started to move a little, though. It needs to move a lot more.

It's nice to see Berry finally address a weakness that all but begged to be fixed throughout last season and was totally ignored: Stopping the run. He needs more than Tomlinson to complete that task. The defensive line room in general has plenty of faces, but little talent.

Yes, it's still too early to draw conclusions on what lies ahead this season. With the free-agent market down, for the most part, to scraps, it shouldn't be long before the GM flexes his trading muscles and pulls off a deal similar to the one that brought Amari Cooper to Cleveland a year ago

Current overall scoreboard: A notch above meh.

Jeopardy! free agency

Time to play NFL free-agency Jeopardy! Don't forget to answer in the form of a question.

I'll take Cleveland Browns for $200, Alex. 

Late marginal improvement

Correct question: What did the Browns accomplish when free agency in the National Football League officially kicked off the league's 2023 season Wednesday afternoon?

Cleveland General Manager Andrew Berry was radio silent until early evening after officially announcing what we already knew through leaks during the legal-tampering period. 

Beefy tackle Dalvin Tomlinson and small edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo became the newest members of the defensive line, while center Ethan Pocic, linebacker Sione Takitaki and cornerback A. J. Green returned from last season with small-term contracts.

Not mentioned were the loss of defensive tackle Taven Bryan (addition by subtraction) and versatile substitute offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt (should have kept him) to Indianapolis and Arizona, respectively.

Cleveland Browns for $400, please.

Juan Thornhill

Correct question: Who will replace John Johnson III at free safety after the Browns release him in early June for fiscal reasons? 

The Browns and Thornhill, who has won two Super Bowl rings in his four seasons in Kansas City, agreed to a three-year, $21 million deal early Wednesday evening, a move that provided some salary cap relief compared to the loftier final year of Johnson's contract.

Johnson has been somewhat of a disappointment in his two seasons. The Cleveland secondary has been beset the last couple of seasons by numerous blown pass coverages and the chief culprit, although it has never been publicly revealed, was thought to have been Johnson, the de facto captain of the secondary.

Thornhill, a converted cornerback, is considered more of a ballhawk than Johnson, who has only 12 interceptions in eight NFL seasons, just one last season, But he also compiled 101 total tackles last season, second only to strong safety Grant Delpit. Thornhill has picked off eight passes with the Chiefs.

Cleveland Browns for $800, Alex.

Yannick Ngakoue

Correct question: What veteran -- and very productive -- free-agent pass rusher did the Browns pass on to sign the less productive and much cheaper Okoronkwo?

In an effort to replace the departed Jadeveon Clowney, Berry ignored Ngakoue's seven-year totals of 65 sacks (eight a season, 9.5 last season with the Colts), 65 tackles for loss, 135 quarterback hits and 21 forced fumbles.

His asking price might be somewhat lofty, but the guy produces. And he turns just 28 (his prime) at the end of this month. The Browns' pass rush under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz would thrive with him and Myles Garrett terrorizing opposing quarterbacks. This is not the time to get penurious at that position. He's still out there.

And finally, Alex, Cleveland Browns for $1,000.

John Sherman Smith-Schuster

Correct question: Who is the former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver (better known as JuJu) who won a Super Bowl ring with Kansas City a couple of months ago and was snubbed by Berry before taking himself off the free-agent market by signing with New England Wednesday?

Smith-Schuster, who bedeviled the Browns in his five seasons with the Steelers, agreed to a three-year deal for just $33 million with the Patriots. That's all it took and Berry puzzlingly passed. Sheesh. S-S would have fit in perfectly with Amari Cooper as prime targets for Deshaun Watson. 

JuJu's the guy who dissed the Browns prior to their AFC wild-card playoff game in 2020. "They're still the same Browns I play every year." he said, quietly referring to the Steelers' dominant success against them. "The Browns is the Browns." That's the game the Browns won, 49-37.

Berry will probably wind up with some lesser talent than the abundantly talented and still-young-at-26 wideout at the position instead of loading up for his wealthy quarterback. Sure would have been nice to see him in Seal Brown and Orange playing against his former team twice a season.

Maybe Smith-Schuster was right. In a situation like this, The Browns is the Browns.

Meh at best

Early returns on the Browns' early foray into free agency . . . 

Still waiting to get excited. It's been a yawner thus far with General Manager Andrew Berry only marginally strengthening weaknesses along his defensive line.

Still waiting for that WOW! moment. That moment when Berry, who has maneuvered the first two days in sloth-like fashion, convinces a playmaker that Cleveland is the place to continue his National Football League career. A big name. A difference maker. 

Hasn't happened yet and, as it's looking now, most likely won't since a vast majority of the aforementioned have followed the big money and gone elsewhere. Therein lies the problem. The Browns' days of lavishing mounds of money at free agents are, at least temporarily, over.

Too many holes to fill: Defensive line, wide receiver, deep secondary and backup quarterback. And not enough money to take a shot at a tier one free agent at any position. 

Berry has moved through the first two days with meager results, most likely because he's not coming up with the kind of figures that would lure (bribe?) top talent to Cleveland.

He re-signed center Ethan Pocic to a modest three-year contract in what very well could eventually be his best move. Pocic last season was one of the best pivots in the NFL. He proved a solid anchor after taking over last season for the injured Nick Harris while working on only a one-year deal.

Berry also signed returning linebacker Sione Takitaki to an even more modest one-year deal before free agency kicks in Wednesday. Takitaki played his best football in the middle after a series of season-ending injuries all but emptied the linebackers room before a knee injury ended his season in week 13.

Right now, the only new faces belong to defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (four years, $57 million) and defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo (three years, $19 million). Neither signing moves the needle for me. The only upside with Tomlinson is he's far better than any defensive tackle the Browns employed last season. Consider that a left-handed compliment.

Okoronkwo, a smallish pass rusher at a pinky nail shy of 6-2 and just 253 pounds, is being portrayed as a late comer after a spotty beginning with the Los Angeles Rams and Houston. He recorded five of his career 9.5 career sacks last season with the Texans.

It's difficult to imagine someone so relatively small becoming a top pass rusher with the ability to take pressure off the incomparable Myles Garrett on the other side of the line. Berry's going to have to do a lot better than this to make that happen. Banking on pro sophomores Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas is pie-in-the-sky stuff.

The Browns reportedly had cast covetous eyes at Denver defensive tackle Dre'Mont Jones, So did the Seattle Seahawks, who signed the former St. Ignatius High School and Ohio State star to a three-year, $51 million contract. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, didn't.

The good ones like Cincinnati safety Jessie Bates III, Philadelphia defensive tackle Jason Hargrave, Buffalo linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne, Arizona defensive end Zach Allen and offensive tackles Mike McGlinchey of Denver and Jacksonville's Jawaan Taylor  dropped off the board quickly. The latter two are far better than Jedrick Wills Jr. 

Perhaps Berry will have better luck in the trade market. It's going to be difficult believing the optimistic vibes that are certain to emerge from Berea when Tomlinson, Okoronkwo, Pocic and Takitaki are officially announced Wednesday. Especially the first two.

Smart moves

The word of the day, at least this day, is restructure. As in a lifeline that frees up nearly $36 million toward the Browns' salary cap for this season.

Entering salary-cap hell for the first time in can't remember when with hefty contracts to stars like Nick Chubb. Jack Conklin, Myles Garrett, Denzel Ward, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper, General Manager Andrew Berry would have been fiscally strapped with free agency and the college draft coming up. 

Something had to be done. Fortunately, there was an available and quite sizable target that needed to be, um, restructured. Berry took aim and fired Monday, the first day of legal-tampering in free agency. His target? Watson's bloated $230 million contract.

That is was all guaranteed made it the prime target. What difference does it make how much it is and when Watson gets paid. He's going to get it all eventually because it's all guaranteed.

So after Berry added the roughly $36 million toward this year's cap by reducing Watson's contract this year to about $19 million, the club will owe Watson about $64 million per year for the final three years of his pact. Maybe.

The guess here is the Browns will restructure that contract at least three more times as a salve toward keeping the cap from spiraling out of control. They can keep deferring the money well beyond Watson's stay in Cleveland. After all, it's totally guaranteed. Makes no difference when he gets it.

Theoretically, he can receive the money right up until he retires and beyond. That would be a smart move for both parties. He would technically become a long-term resident of the cap until the money is exhausted.

This situation brings to mind what the New York Mets did with veteran infielder/outfielder Bobby Bonilla back in 1999 when he failed to stick in his second stint with the club and was released with about $6 million left in his contract.

He and his agent negotiated how and when that money would be distributed. The two sides agreed Bonilla would be paid $1.2 million every year on July 1 until 2035. To achieve that, the Mets invested the rest of the money at 8% interest and the accumulated total reached nearly $30 million over the years.

Now 60, Bonilla still gets that check on July 1. Call it a slow-motion restructure because it gave the Mets some salary relief (even though baseball doesn't not have a salary cap) and satisfied all parties.

What's to prevent the Browns from striking a similar deal with Watson and his agent, David Mulugheta, taking all that's left in the final three years ($192 million or whatever that becomes with further restructuring) and invest where they can make money?

What difference does it make over what period of time Watson gets his money? It's all guaranteed. All that needs to be negotiated, in the form of an addendum to the original contract, are the per-year amount, say $5 million a year; date of the annual payment, say Jan. 1; and determine the final year, which probably would be well after Watson's retirement.

That way, Berry or his successor (maybe sooner rather than later) can avoid whatever salary deterrents come their way.

Next: Catching up with the Browns' haul in free agency.

Where's the pressure?

As a general rule, the most pressure to succeed in the NationalFootball League rests predominantly with the players. The level of a team's success lies almost strictly with how they perform.

That will not be the case this season with the Browns. Not after three seasons with the Andrew Berry-Kevin Stefanski regime. That honeymoon is over. 

After one didn't-see-that-coming season in 2020 that fooled a large portion of Browns Nation who believed the dawn of a new era of winning football had arrived, the Berry-Stefanski tandem has descended into mediocrity (15-19) the last two seasons.

The initial luster of 2020 has worn off. How well -- or poorly -- the Browns play this season very well could determine whether there will be a fifth season for them in Cleveland. Owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam III have been extraordinarily patient up to this point with their general manager and head coach.

Of course, they won't share their thoughts publicly. But Berry and Stefanski have to know one more season like the last two will seriously move the needle. And not in the direction they desire. That's where the majority of the pressure lies now.

With quarterback Deshaun Watson primed and ready to put in a full season and Stefanski substantially improving his coaching staff with two new coordinators, whose previous success precedes them, nothing less than a return to the postseason will save their jobs. 

Berry is the key to whatever success 2023 will bring. But his track record of drafting the last three seasons has been spotty at best. He has not drafted one impact player with his 24 selections. Not true? Can you name one? I can't. 

Contributors yes. But not the kind of contributors who can be counted on to change the course of a game; those whose playmaking often means the difference between winning and losing. Berry has yet to land one in 24 cracks.

Jedrick Wills Jr.? No way. The high first-rounder in 2020 is arguably average. You don't want average playing left tackle for a right-handed quarterback. At best, he has been a disappointment in his first three seasons. At worst, a huge disappointment.

Donovan Peoples-Jones? Not yet, but the signs are there for the 2020 sixth-round wide receiver. His only problem is inconsistency. He can be terrific for a week or two, then disappear for the same period when Stefanski reduces his targets for some unknown reason.

The precious few impact players on this team (Nick Chubb, Myles Garrett, Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller and Denzel Ward) were either drafted or traded for by Berry's predecessors. Others (Jack Conklin and Amari Cooper) were obtained via trade by him.

Because a horrible decision by the Haslams to sacrifice the future for the present -- think Watson -- robs Berry of the opportunity to select one of the nation's top players in the first round for the second straight year (with one more after that), the need to win now has a much tighter window.

When Berry arrived back in Cleveland for his second front-office stint in 2020, it was with the belief he could improve on what was becoming a strong contender with a talented roster. He hasn't come even close.

His history of drafting too many cornerbacks, smallish linebackers, speedy wide receivers with questionable college stats, linemen on both sides of the ball who did not excel in college, and constant maneuvering up and down the draft panning for future capital appears to have tarnished what was thought to be his draft savvy.

Unlike a few notable National Football League general managers, Berry has had no luck unearthing a gem or two during the third day of the lottery. -- rounds four through seven. Those taken generally make the final roster to make the GM look good, but no one has broken through and stood out in three seasons.

That needs to change. The question is whether Berry is up to the challenge. The answer could determine his -- and Stefanski's -- future in Cleveland.