Cleveland Browns: 5 free agents to stay away from
By Thomas Moore
Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins in the latest in a line of quarterbacks that goes back to at least Scott Mitchell in 1994 who are hit free agency at the perfect time.
Cousins is coming off a 2015 season that saw him start 16 games for the first time in his career. In leading Washington to a 9-7 and a playoff spot, Cousins threw for 4,166 yards, 29 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. The yardage total and touchdown passes easily beat the totals of his first three years combined with the Redskins.
A winning record and a playoff berth sound tempting to a team like the Browns, who have not made the playoffs since 2002 and have posted just one winning season since then.
But scratch a little bit below the surface and Cousins does not look so good.
For starters, the Redskins did not beat a team with a winning record. And in those seven losses, Cousins threw 10 of his 11 interceptions and just seven of his 29 touchdown passes. While that is not all Cousins’ fault, of course, that is not a recipe for success in the AFC North Division, where a team needs a quarterback who can find a way to win when it matters most.
The other factor that should slow the Cousins to Cleveland bandwagon is the fact that the Redskins may not want him.
Washington is in just as horrible of a situation when it comes to its quarterbacks as the Browns are, as behind Cousins they have Colt McCoy and Robert Griffin III, who the team is expected to release. But after developing Cousins for four years, and having no viable option if he leaves, the Redskins are still unsure what to do with him.
That should be enough of a warning to a team like the Browns that they need to stay away.
Next: Running back Doug Martin