Cleveland Browns: Joe Thomas is not going anywhere in 2016
The Cleveland Browns make a great decision by keeping Joe Thomas on the roster heading into the 2016 season.
The Cleveland Browns are in the midst of a youth movement. The selection of 14 players in the 2016 NFL Draft is a clear sign of the new era in Cleveland, but there is something else that makes the movement evident.
The Browns have been shedding veterans like crazy since the beginning of free agency, which worried fans at first. Not going after Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz seemed to dismantle the offensive line, while releasing Donte Whitner and Karlos Dansby seemed like the same was happening on defense.
But it was hard to argue with the moves after noticing how bad the team has been when those players were on the roster. The new front office came in and decided that an overhaul of the roster was needed, meaning no player was safe, except one.
Joe Thomas was a name that was brought up as a possible player to be traded, which would have been a horrible mistake by the Browns.
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Letting Mack and Schwartz go came down to money being a factor as much as anything else, with the front office choosing to pay younger players less, allowing them to develop in Hue Jackson’s system.
Thomas’s situation is different as he is still under contract with the team this season, so getting rid of him when he is already on the payroll would have been a major mistake.
His tenure with the Browns has only included one winning season, when the team went 10-6 in 2007, but he has been a constant at the left tackle position throughout all the bad years. He plays arguably the most important position on the offense, and has never missed a Pro Bowl since entering the league.
Now that he is still on the roster following the draft, it is hard to see Thomas going anywhere this season. With the addition of Robert Griffin III to the roster, it would be unfair to leave him with an inexperienced left tackle when the legendary Thomas is already here, ready to protect him.
A great deal of talent has been let go, or allowed to walk, but Thomas is a Browns legend who should be kept on the team until he is not at his peak anymore.
That day will come eventually, but it would be foolish for the Browns to give up a player who will hold together the offense and allow whoever lines up at quarterback to actually have some time to let plays develop in the pocket.
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Thomas’s past shows that he is likely on his way to another Pro Bowl this season, while he will also be doing a great deal to help this young offense continue working toward the ultimate goal of a playoff berth.