Daily Dawg Tags: The real work starts this week
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns are about to embark on an extremely busy week as the NFL Scouting Combine gets underway in Indianapolis.
The calendar is almost ready to turn to March, which means we are almost over with the quiet period of the NFL offseason.
This week brings the annual NFL Scouting Combine, where Cleveland Browns head coach Hue Jackson and executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown will meet with the media. The players will begin to take the field for position group workouts starting on Thursday.
March also brings the opening of free agency on March 9. The Browns still need to determine what they want to do about wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, and with more than $108 million in cap space, have the capacity to be very active in free agency if they so choose.
That is all prelude to the 2017 NFL Draft, which is sure to be a wild weekend as the Browns currently hold the No. 1 overall selection and five picks in the first 65 selections in the draft.
But before we can get to all that, we have to make it through the final two days of February, starting with today’s edition of the Daily Dawg Tags.
Cleveland Browns news:
Browns: Franchise tagging Terrelle Pryor may be smartest play
The Cleveland Browns entered the offseason with a long list of priorities, two of which involved free agents Jaime Collins and Terrelle Pryor. While the Browns moved relatively quickly to reach a deal with Collins, a former Pro Bowl linebacker acquired from the New England Patriots in a mid-season trade, the situation with Pryor has moved much slower and much quieter.
Wide receivers are not a liability for the Browns
With the recent success of Cleveland Browns receivers under poor circumstances, it is impossible not to wonder how much potential has been lost due to poor quarterbacking.
What would it mean if Browns pursued Kirk Cousins?
The Cleveland Browns are looking for a quarterback, and Kirk Cousins could be an option if the Browns want to commit to a long-term option.
Cleveland Browns
Browns should give Nick Mangold a call
The Cleveland Browns are in the market for a center. Centerville, Ohio native and former Ohio State Buckeye Nick Mangold was recently released by the New York Jets. Could this be a match made in heaven?
Browns are running out of excuses on draft day
The Cleveland Browns own 11 selections in the 2017 NFL Draft, meaning there will be no excuse for not finding some legitimate starting talent.
Is Derek Barnett a consideration at No. 1?
The Cleveland Browns are expected to select Myles Garrett with the top pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, but should they also look at Tennessee’s Derek Barnett?
Browns too smart to overspend on Jimmy Garoppolo
The Cleveland Browns have plenty of cap space in 2017 and beyond, but the front office is too smart to invest in a backup quarterback like Jimmy Garoppolo.
Browns should sign Jared Odrick
The Cleveland Browns need defensive line help. With the hiring of new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Browns will be switching from a 3-4 base defense to a 4-3 base defense. The scheme shift will require current Browns defensive linemen to play a different style of football. To help ease the transition, the Browns should consider bringing in recently released lineman Jared Ordrick.
NFL news:
NFL right to bench troubled prospects from the Combine (USA Today)
Chad Kelly had visions of showing off his rocket arm and convincing decision makers at the NFL scouting combine next week that he’s worth taking a chance on, but the Ole Miss quarterback will have to wait. Kelly’s camp is hopping mad – and he might just show up in Indianapolis, anyway – that an invitation and travel arrangements to attend the combine were rescinded by the NFL because of a relatively new policy banning prospects who have been convicted of violent crimes.
Multiple reasons why Julius Thomas didn’t pan out (Florida Times-Union)
When the Jacksonville Jaguars made tight end Julius Thomas the centerpiece of their March 2015 free-agent frenzy, the talk was about how he would improve the team’s passing game, the kind of player who could create match-up problems and catch touchdown passes from quarterback Blake Bortles. The fit never materialized although Thomas did catch 76 passes in 21 games.
The NFL’s best quarterbacks by route type (PFF)
Which quarterbacks were the most successful passing to each route type in 2016? Eliot Crist looks at the different types.
Ravens say they are done with Matt Elam (PFT)
Technically, Matt Elam is still a Baltimore Raven. But in 11 days, he won’t be. Elam, who was arrested on drug charges early this morning in Miami, becomes a free agent on March 9. And the Ravens issued a statement following his arrest making clear that they will not re-sign him.