Cleveland Browns: Is anyone worth the franchise tag?

The Cleveland Browns can use the various tags on their free agents starting Feb. 16. Are there any players worthy of being a franchise tag recipient?

The Cleveland Browns are focusing a lot of attention on the upcoming 2016 NFL Draft as team officials work to determine if there is a franchise-altering player to select with the No. 2 overall pick.

In addition to setting up the draft board, executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown and head coach Hue Jackson have to determine which of the team’s free agents to retain and which to let walk out the door.

Tuesday is the first day that the Browns and other NFL teams can place the franchise or transition tag on their prospective free agents, with March 1 as the deadline for clubs to designate franchise or transition players.

The Browns currently have eight unrestricted free agents to consider: safety Tashaun Gipson, linebacker Craig Robertson, right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, cornerback Johnson Bademosi, wide receiver Travis Benjamin, linebacker Tank Carder, safety Don Jones and wide receiver Terrelle Pryor.

Teams have the following options to tag unrestricted free agents, according to NFL.com, while negotiating a new deal:

• The exclusive franchise tag is a one-year tender offer to a player for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position, or 120 percent of the player’s previous salary, whichever is greater. The player’s team has all negotiating rights to the player.
• The non-exclusive franchise tag is a one-year tender offer to a player for an amount no less than the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position, or 120 percent of the player’s previous salary, whichever is greater. The player can negotiate with other teams. The player’s current team has the right to match any offer, or receive two first-round picks as compensation.
• The transition tag is a one-year tender offer to a player for an amount that is the average of the top 10 salaries at the position. It guarantees the original club the right of first refusal to match any offer the player may receive from another team. The transition tag can only be used if the franchise tag is not used by a team in that year. Transition tags can be rescinded, but teams that rescind a transition tag cannot use it again until next season.

The Browns have historically been averse to using the franchise tag on a player, mainly because they have rarely had someone worth it. The last time the team was in a situation to consider using the tag, former general manager Ray Farmer bungled the task by placing the transition tag on center Alex Mack, which resulted in Mack signing a contract that allows him to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

The trend of using the franchise or transition tags has declined in recent years, with just six players being tagged in each of the past two seasons, according to NFL.com.

So what about the Browns?

We can rule out Robertson, Bademosi, Carder, Jones and Pryor as candidates to be tagged. While the Browns will probably look to retain Robertson and Bademosi, losing any of the players in this group will not seriously impact the team’s fortunes.

The team has reportedly been working on a new deal with Benjamin, who had a career year in 2015. While the numbers won’t be finalized until the salary cap is updated, the projected franchise tag number for wide receivers is $14.5 million, which should give the Browns incentive to work out a deal with Benjamin.

Gipson would have been a candidate following the 2014 season when he made his first Pro Bowl, but the free safety did not play as well last season as he recovered from a knee injury that ended his 2014 season. He was also turned off by Farmer placing a second-round tender on him as an undrafted free agent, as Farmer was looking to pinch pennies.

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The news has been quiet on a new contract for Gipson, but perhaps the return of defensive coordinator Ray Horton, who helped turn Gipson into a starter in 2013, could entice Gipson to work out a new deal without the use of a franchise tag, especially at an estimated cost of $10.7 million.

Which brings us to Schwartz, the most likely and most deserving of the team’s free agents to be tagged if a new deal can’t be worked out.

Schwartz has developed into one of the best right tackles in the game and is a key member of the offensive line, which is the lone strength on the Browns. With the possibility that the team may see Mack leave in free agency, the idea of having to replace a second high-quality starter on the offensive line should fill the Browns (and their quarterbacks) with dread.

The two sides have been quiet so far on talk of a new contract, and Schwartz may want to see what is out there in free agency before agreeing on a new deal with Cleveland, but if the Browns have any fear that he may walk they should not hesitate to place the exclusive franchise tag and its estimated $13.6 million cost on Schwartz.

Remember, Tuesday is just the first day that teams can start using the tags, but they don’t have to make a final decision until March 1. So if may be a few days or weeks until the Browns make a move, if they make one at all.