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.