Linebacker competition looks to be fierce for Cleveland Browns heading into camp
Armonty Bryant, OLB
Career stats: 31 games, 4 starts, 41 tackles, 8.5 sacks
Contract status: Bryant is in the final year of his contract. This season, Bryant will earn a base salary of $675,000 and a roster bonus of $16,375. Bryant has a cap hit of $691,375.
Armonty Bryant enters his fourth year in the league and with the team. In his first three seasons he has excelled on the field in a situational role with the team, providing great production out of a part-time player. The problem here is between the ears.
Bryant was in trouble while in college as he was arrested for selling marijuana to an undercover officer. Then, in 2013, he was hit with a DUI before the start of rookie minicamp.
Related: Armonty Bryant suspended four games
Bryant, a seventh-round pick in 2013, was able to skirt trouble the last couple of years, but at the end of the 2015 season he had another run in with the law. Bryant and former teammate De’Ante Saunders were pulled over on Christmas Day while speeding on a Cleveland highway. They were arrested for drug possession and firearms violations. In February, Bryant was indicted on felony drug charges.
Bryant then followed it up by being suspended in March for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances and will miss the first four games of the 2016 campaign.
Talent isn’t the question with Bryant, as he boasts the athleticism and motor to be a very good player in this league. The question is can this guy walk the straight and narrow path to be successful and stay out of trouble.
It’s hard to believe the new regime will tolerate any more transgressions from Bryant. If Bryant gets it together and stays out of trouble, he could be a big piece to the puzzle. If not, he will be gone by September if not sooner.
Nate Orchard, OLB
Career stats: 15 games, 11 starts, 24 tackles, 3 sacks
Contract status: Orchard is in the second year of his four-year rookie contract. This fall, Orchard will earn a base salary of $638,014. Orchard has a cap hit of $1.01 million while his dead money value is $1.76 million.
Nate Orchard enters his second season in the league in 2016 out of Utah. Orchard excelled for the Browns down the stretch in 2015 and figures to be a big part of the team’s plan at the position moving forward.
Orchard came on for the Browns in the final three games of 2015 after beginning the season slow while recovering from a back injury late in camp. Orchard capitalized on his increased playing time with Armonty Bryant sidelined with legal issues, and also seems to boast the high-character trait that the new regime covets from the players.
Overall, it’s hard to imagine Orchard not being on the roster and further improving his craft. He is a young, hungry linebacker with impeccable character and a love of football the fits the bill of what the regime wants from their players. Orchard’s role should continue to expand as he capitalizes on his increased playing time.
Tank Carder, ILB
Career stats: 62 games, 2 starts, 20 tackles, 0 sacks
Contract status: Carder is in the first year of a two-year contract. This fall, Carder will earn a base salary of $900,000, a signing bonus of $300,000 and a workout bonus of $50,000. Carder has a cap hit of $1.1 million while his dead money value is $300,000.
Carder enters his fifth season in the league, all of them spent with the Browns. Carder, who has been mostly a situational player, has made only two career starts and hasn’t been able to crack the starting lineup for the squad.
An excellent special team’s player, Carder will look to impress the new regime with his play at linebacker as it would be hard to see him on the roster as a special team’s specialist only. He will have to really show out in camp and the preseason to make this roster moving. It’s hard to see Carder on the opening day roster as of now, with the body of work to date.
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