Browns Free Agency: June 1st A Key Date
Cleveland Browns Free Agency, and NFL Free Agency in general, has slowed to a crawl. Teams are almost solely focused on the NFL Draft even though a number of talented players are still available to be signed. The Browns have added possible starters in Josh McCown, Brian Hartline, Tramon Williams, Randy Starks and Dwayne Bowe already.
One issue brought up by a number of people related to Browns Free Agency was compensatory picks. Compensatory picks are given to teams when they lost more free agents than they brought in via Free Agency. Players that were cut by another team did not count toward this process. McCown, Hartline, Starks and Bowe were all cut by their previous teams. The Browns signing them did not impact their compensatory picks for the 2016 NFL Draft. Only Williams’ will limit the Browns getting comp. picks.
That is where the June 1st date comes in to play. The Browns could choose to be much more active following this date due to the Compensatory Pick process. According to Over the Cap, players signed after that date do not count against the Compensatory Pick formula:
"If no tender is made, which is usually the case, the player immediately becomes what is referred to as a “street free agent”, meaning their rights were relinquished by another team. This is important because the player, if signed, no longer factors into the compensatory pick equation for the 2015 NFL draft. For teams like the Baltimore Ravens and Green Bay Packers who both do their best to avoid signing true UFA’s due to the compensatory draft this now gives them the green light to go back into the veteran player pool and consider bringing in talent."
The Browns want to be held in the same regard as the Ravens and Packers. They could choose to get “the green light” to jump back into free agency. At that time, after the NFL Draft fills more holes, the Browns could find themselves shopping for players that could impact the team’s 2015 season. There are a surprising number of players still available in free agency:
- Stevan Ridley
- Chris Johnson
- Michael Crabtree
- Greg Jennings
- Denarius Moore
- Donnie Avery
- Jermaine Gresham
- James Casey
- David Ausberry
- Stefen Wisniewski
- Chris Myers
- B.J. Raji
- Brandon Spikes
- Charles Tillman
- Anthony Spencer
- Stevie Brown
- Patrick Robinson
- Danieal Manning
A lot of big names, a lot of players that have had an impact in the league already and a lot of players that could either start of provide immediate role impact for the Browns. While the team may not sign any of the guys listed above, that is just a small list of players that are still out there. Come June, the Browns will still have cap space and no longer have to worry about losing Compensatory Picks.
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Adding depth on both lines, adding players in the secondary that needs to replace Jim Leonhard or players that can impact on special teams, all would be welcome additions. As the league goes more and more toward youth, toward cheap talent, the Browns are already awash with young, cheap talent. Adding a couple other veteran additions post June 1st could make a huge impact on the Browns season next year.
Who do you want to see added in Browns Free Agency after June 1st?