Alex Mack believes Cleveland Browns going in right direction

Jan 28, 2016; Kahuku, HI, USA; Team Irvin center Alex Mack of the Cleveland Browns prepares to snap the ball at the line of scrimmage during practice for the 2016 Pro Bowl at the Turtle Bay Resort. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Cleveland Browns center Alex Mack can become a free agent if he wishes, but for now he likes the new direction of the team.

Of all the things the Cleveland Browns have to worry about during the offseason, the offensive should not be an item on the checklist.

Unfortunately that is not the case, as not only do the Browns have to work out a new deal with right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who is an unrestricted free agent, but they also have to deal with the possibility of seeing center Alex Mack enter free agency as well.

Thanks to former general manager Ray Farmer’s bungling of Mack’s contract situation two years ago, Mack has the option to opt-out of his current deal and become an unrestricted free agent when the new league year begins in March.

While the Browns can certainly negotiate with Mack if he does exercise his opt-out clause, there is no guarantee that he would resign with the only club he has played for in his seven years in the league.

Things sounded bleak near the end of another lost season for the Browns, when Mack said that “winning is really important to me” and something that he will take into consideration when making his decision.

The Browns can’t really sell winning, at least at the moment, to Mack, but the situation may have taken a turn for the better this, however, because of the hiring of head coach Hue Jackson and the new front office structure with executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown in place.

“It was good to leave the season, take some time off and let that all shake out,” Mack told Around The NFL on Thursday as he prepares for his third Pro Bowl appearance on Sunday. “Really happy they got everything handled early and they found their guy. They’re getting a staff together quickly. It’s going in the right direction.”

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It may not be the same as Mack declaring that he will remain in Cleveland, but it is encouraging that Mack considers the moves as positive ones.

The Browns have not done much right since 1999, but the one unquestioned strength of the current team is its offensive line, which finished the 2015 NFL season as the league’s fifth best, according to Pro Football Focus.

Cleveland has a talented starting five with Joe Thomas, Joel Bitonio, Mack, John Greco and Schwartz, along with solid depth in Austin Pastzor and Cameron Erving, and losing a key member would only make the current rebuilding process even more difficult.

The Browns, to use Mack’s words, appear to be moving in the right direction in the early stages of their latest rebuilding plan.

The next step will be to keep that momentum going by convincing Mack (and Schwartz) that Cleveland is the place to be.

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