Cleveland Browns year in review: The first quarter of 2016

4 of 4

Jun 7, 2016; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) throws a pass as quarterback Josh McCown (13) watches during minicamp at the Cleveland Browns training facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

March brought the start of free agency in the NFL and it was not a smooth time for the Browns, starting with the decision by center Alex Mack to opt-out of his contract.

The idea of losing Mack was not an appealing one, especially when you realized that the options to replace him were very limited.

While it may have been a year early, the Browns were looking at the possibility of drafting a hometown hero to fix the quarterback position.

In one of the most surprising moves of the off-season, president Alec Scheiner announced that he was leaving the team at the end of March. Scheiner left a lasting impact in his three years with the team, having been a part of renovations to the stadium and practice facility, as well as one of the architects of the team’s embarrassing uniform overhaul.

More from Dawg Pound Daily

A month after being indicted on felony drug charges, linebacker Armonty Bryant was suspended without pay for the first four games of the 2016 NFL regular season for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances.

As Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz started to draw interest from other teams, it was fair to wonder how Cleveland’s quarterbacks would perform without two anchors of the offensive line.

Once free agency opened and players were free to sign new deals the exodus was swift as Mack signed with the Atlanta Falcons, Travis Benjamin signed with the San Diego Chargers, Tashaun Gipson signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Mitchell Schwartz signed with the Kansas City Chiefs after the Browns pulled their offer off the table.

Even though it was (mostly) part of the bigger plan, it was still a rough day for Browns fans.

Some of that disappointment was alleviated, however, when the Browns released Johnny Manziel, the failed first-round pick who will go down as the worst draft pick in franchise history.

The Browns were also rumored to be interested in another failed quarterback – this time San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick – and reportedly had a deal in place to make a trade, but ultimately the front office wised up and the deal went cold.

Two months after applying for reinstatement, Josh Gordon’s return to the Browns and the NFL remained in limbo.

For reasons that remain a mystery to this day, wide receiver Dwayne Bowe earned a performance-based bonus from the NFL for catching five passes for 53 yards. The Browns would eventually release Bowe and linebacker Karlos Dansby, but would sign linebacker Demario Davis and safety Rahim Moore.

As the draft drew closer the Pro Days begin and Cal quarterback Jared Goff had a nice showing – even with Browns assistant coach Pep Hamilton squirting water on Goff’s balls.

In a sign of things to come, the Browns brought in quarterback Robert Griffin III for a tryout that, in the words of Jackson, made the “earth move” That tryout led Cleveland to sign RG3 to a two-year deal.

While Hue Jackson may have been excited to sign Griffin, the rest of the AFC North was not very concerned. However, having another quarterback on the roster opened up numerous opportunities for what to do with the second overall pick in the draft.

Showing that he still had some fight in him, Josh McCown closed out the month by saying that he was ready to compete for a starting role when training camp opened.

Coming in Part 2: More draft trades, the Browns draft 14 players and Hue Jackson prepares for his first training camp with the Browns.

Home/Browns News