Daily Dawg Tags: Browns quickly rebuilding the secondary

The Cleveland Browns have been busy rebuilding the defensive secondary, although not every move has made the most sense.

Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey has wasted little time in putting his stamp on the defensive secondary.

First up was a trade with the Green Bay Packers for Demarious Randall, who will reportedly switch from cornerback to safety, the position he played in college.

The fun continued with the official start of free agency on Wednesday as the Browns have reportedly signed cornerback T.J. Carrie from the Oakland Raiders and cornerback Terrance Mitchell of the Kansas City Chiefs.

While the Browns have yet to acknowledge the signings, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM reports that Carrie is getting a four-year deal worth $31 million, which includes $10 million in guaranteed money.

A seventh-round draft pick by the Raiders in the 2014 NFL Draft, Carrie played in 60 games and made 36 starts for Oakland as he bounced in-and-out of the lineup. He had his best season in 2017, finishing with 70 tackles while starting 15 games.

That effort earned him an 84.3 grade and a rank of No. 21 among cornerbacks from Pro Football Focus. That puts Currie right in line with current Browns cornerbacks Briean Boddy-Calhoun (84.1 grade, No. 24 rank) and Jason McCourty (83.9, No. 27).

Mitchell is a different story, however, as he has bounced around from the Dallas Cowboys to the Chicago Bears, Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs, where he finished the 2017 season with a grade of 52.3, which ranked him at No. 94 among cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

Currie should be in the mix for a starting spot along with Boddy-Calhoun, McCourty and 2017 draft pick Howard Wilson, who missed his rookie season with a knee injury. It is unclear how Mitchell will fit into the picture, but it is safe to say that cornerback Jamar Taylor may not be long for the Browns roster.

Even with the new guys joining the incumbent cornerbacks and safeties Jabrill Peppers and Derrick Kindred, the Browns might still be looking for secondary help come draft night – especially if Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick is sitting there where the Browns are on the clock with the No. 4 overall selection in the first round.

Cleveland Browns news:

End of an era: Joe Thomas retires

The inevitable became a reality on Wednesday afternoon. Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas is retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons.

Browns to sign cornerback Terrance Mitchell

The Cleveland Browns have reportedly made another minor splash in free agency as the club is poised to sign much-traveled cornerback Terrance Mitchell.

Is the door open for the Browns to draft Denzel Ward?

Could missing out on cornerback Trumaine Johnson in free agency lead to the Cleveland Browns drafting Denzel Ward with the fourth overall pick?

NFL news:

Sam Bradford to sign with Arizona (ESPN)

"As the NFL’s quarterback carousel keeps turning, Sam Bradford intends to sign with the Arizona Cardinals, a source tells ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Cardinals don’t have any other quarterbacks under contract."

Broncos agree to terms with Case Keenum (denverbroncos.com)

"John Elway promised at the 2018 NFL Combine that the Broncos were going to “explore all options” at the quarterback position. He and the Broncos did just that."

AJ McCarron shuffles off to Buffalo (NFL.com)

"AJ McCarron finally found a home. The Buffalo Bills announced Wednesday night that they have agreed to terms with McCarron on a two-year deal."