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Cleveland Browns: A baseball-style rebuild begins in next phase

By Joel W. Cade

Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, right, talks with executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown during pre-game against the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 18, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam, right, talks with executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown during pre-game against the Atlanta Falcons at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 28, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs general manager Theo Epstein uses his phone in the dugout before the Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 28, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Chicago Cubs general manager Theo Epstein uses his phone in the dugout before the Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

Third, the Cubs used the available salary space to sign key free agents to fill in the remaining holes. The Cubs didn’t hit the free agency market as a major player until there was a threshold of young talent in their minor-league system and major league roster. Only when they were poised for a “leap year” did the Cubs’ front office seek to fill in the roster with key free agents.

The Browns are nowhere near this position right now. They are still in the position of filling their roster with young talent via the draft. But here is where baseball and football takes a steep divergence. Major League Baseball has a minor league developmental system as where the National Football League currently does not.

When the Cubs draft players, they were not expected to contribute for a few years. In the NFL, a player drafted day one or day two is expected to start or make a serious contribution to the team that year. This is both good and bad for rebuilding. It is good because, if one drafts correctly, a rebuild can take significantly less time in the NFL than in MLB. It can be bad because if one does not draft well, it can set the rebuild projects behind for years.

Needless to say, the Browns need to draft well over the next two drafts for the rebuild to be successful quickly.

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