Armonty Bryant Signed: Mingo and McFadden Remain
By Peter Smith
Jul 30, 2012; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns president Mike Holmgren walks around his players during training camp at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
As the Browns open up rookie camp, only three of their five draft picks are signed (Jamoris Slaughter, their sixth round pick, Garrett Gilkey and just announced Armonty Bryant, their seventh round picks). There are obviously a number of undrafted free agents there as well, but the two biggest building blocks from this draft of only five players are still not there. Leon McFadden‘s deal should be done any moment now but Mingo might take until next week. Three down, two to go.
The big focus will be on Barkevious Mingo but the deadline for him seems to be for the first day of training camp when veterans get there on the 25th. That seems to be the deadline for all of the seven unsigned picks from the top ten. Obviously, the Browns are not alone as there are six other teams in the same circumstance with their top pick, so it is not time to get worried or concerned, but it would be nice to have Mingo there and working to get off on the right foot. If for whatever reason, the deal is still not done in time for the 25th, at that point, that is the appropriate time to get annoyed and start asking some serious questions. After all, the amount of money the Browns would be potentially losing over the offset language would maybe amount to $1 million and the whole idea is for Mingo to be good and that to never come up as a possible outcome.
The larger concern is with Leon McFadden who was picked in the third round. That deal could be done at any time from now until the first day of camp, but it would seem like they will get done sooner than later. The Browns are expecting contributions from McFadden, so their leverage is somewhat limited in this negotiation and really would like him to be in camp, so he is ready to make a difference as a rookie.
As it is, if Slaughter is healthy, he has a chance to be a factor at safety and Gilkey is going to be someone worth keeping an eye on for the guard position, but is a developmental project. He should be fun to watch in run blocking and in the preseason as he is an impressive athlete with a mean streak but he needs work on technique as a pass blocker. If he can keep his nose clean, he could be a player to keep an eye on as his athleticism is impressive and could be another pass rusher in the rotation. Hopefully, a few of these undrafted free agents are making the most of their opportunities as well. With Bryant done, the Browns have two draftees left to go, but they are the two most important.