Who would have thought that LeCharles Bentley would almost be an afterthought in the Browns’ plans at this point?  That’s not to say the team has forgotten about the star signing of 2006, but Phil Savage is certainly keeping the offensive line deep without having to rely on Bentley and what is left of his knees.  Despite a shoulder injury that forced him to miss the last eight games of 2007, the team re-signed Seth McKinney to a one-year deal.
With McKinney and recently signed Rex Hadnot, the Browns run seven deep on the line, and that is not including Bentley.  [...]

With the kind of offseason that the Browns have had, it seems as if someone should pinch all of the team’s fans to make sure they are not dreaming.  How else does one explain the Browns landing at number six in the Yahoo! Sports Power Rankings?  Heading into last season, Cleveland was a perennial cellar dweller and a top contender for biggest laughingstock of the league.  And all of a sudden, only five teams theoretically separate the Browns from the top?  No matter what, it has been an unbelievable turnaround.
For once, the national media is giving the team some much-deserved [...]

If this does not get you pumped up to see Shaun Rogers next season, then I do not know what will. I really don’t.

The Browns have literally been doing nothing for awhile, and their apparent lack of interest in linebacker Clark Haggans makes it hard to believe that the team will sign another name in free agency. Not that it couldn’t happen, but it seems unlikely.
More importantly, this is the time of year when there is this certain event that takes place in another sport. I don’t know if you know it, but it’s usually referred to as “March Madness,” and it is the greatest of God’s creations. This year, I filled out three brackets (a lean year, I know) [...]

Whether or not the Browns nab Clark Haggans will paint the picture for the rest of the team’s offseason.  If he visits and leaves Cleveland with a new contract, then you can believe that the Browns will essentially be done with free agency.  It would be worth it to take another look at Rosevelt Colvin as well.  It’s not like he has nothing left in the tank and he certainly knows how to handle success.  There needs to be a presence like that in the locker room.  Besides, maybe Willie McGinest will see Colvin line up with him and think [...]

Phil Savage would have been content signing Chaun Thompson in an attempt to help solidify the linebacking corps.  However, he just signed with the Houston Texans for a chance to start, and I can’t blame him.  “Say Chaun, would you like to rarely, if ever, start in Cleveland or start near your hometown?”  Yeah, so good luck to Chaun.
However, that puts the Browns into a bit of trouble.  With an improved defensive line, the team needs to address its linebackers.  Without Thompson, the team now has to dip its hands back into the cookie jar of free agency, and hopefully [...]

The Browns signed him to a one-year contract on Thursday, hoping he can complete his comeback with the team.  You know, before he had all this trouble with his knees, he was a very solid cornerback, never missing a game because of injury when he played with the Ravens.  In 2003, he totaled 101 tackles with three interceptions.
Baxter has been trying to come back for years now, playing five games in 2005, three games in 2006, and none in 2007.  What a comeback story he would be, but what will he be able to contribute?

Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports thinks so, at least.  By choosing one player from each team, Robinson picked 32 players capable of raising their games to another level in 2008.  For the Browns, it was linebacker D’Qwell Jackson:
Jackson has already developed into a solid middle linebacker after only two seasons. But with the offseason pickups of Shaun Rogers and Corey Williams, Jackson has something he’s never had: beef on the defensive line that can tie up blockers and give Jackson plenty of space to rack up tackles. This time next year, Jackson’s tackle numbers could be near the top [...]

In terms of available linebackers, the free agency pool is draining quickly.  Phil Savage has hardly any options to choose from, and his best is in the form of a guy who is coming off a neck injury that kept him out for all of the 2007 season.  Therefore, Savage has turned his attention to re-signing Chaun Thompson, a defensive role player since being drafted in the second round in 2003.   He is expected to get a two-year deal.
If the Browns do not manage to sign Wilson – at this point he’s the best available option for the Browns (why [...]

Here is a high risk/high reward option for the Browns.  The team is looking at linebacker Al Wilson, formerly of the Denver Broncos.  Wilson is a former All-Pro linebacker and a former leader of a dominating defense.  However, a neck injury (after running into everyone’s favorite player, Gerard Warren) forced him to sit out all of the 2007 season and he was eventually released last April.
No one knows how Wilson is going to recover from a neck injury.  Even while being cleared to play, it is unclear as to how much he could actually contribute on the field.  He is [...]