Taking a look at which members of the Cleveland Browns will be trying to prove they deserve a long-term contract following the 2018 NFL Season
The 2018 NFL Season has yet to kick off, but it’s never too early to look ahead and see which members of the Cleveland Browns could be in for a big pay day.
Good news for fans is that while this roster is on of the strongest they’ve had in recent memory, they still have plenty of cap space to extend players they deem worthy. Currently the Browns are just north of $70 million below the cap, and the news even gets better.
Most of their stars are under contract beyond 2018. That means they’ll be able to keep the players they want, and could finally be headed in the right direction.
Let’s take a look at the few key members of the roster who could be looking to get paid once this season is in the books.
Donald Stephenson, OT
Offensive tackle Donald Stephenson may not be a household name, but he was brought in for a good reason.
Cleveland paid Stephenson $2.5 million as insurance for Joe Thomas, who hadn’t officially retired at the time. Thomas did end up leaving, and one option for replacing him has been to move Shon Coleman from right tackle to left.
In order to do so, the Browns needed a player they could trust. They signed Stephenson, who has 37 career starts to compete at that spot. Worst case scenario is they have a great backup tackle as there are other options available.
That includes Chris Hubbard and rookie Austin Corbett. The Browns can use some combination of these aforementioned players to field a strong unit. It looks like Stephenson is the odd man out, and will be playing for a new contract elsewhere. That can have a positive effect however as he could have extra motivation to prove his worth in 2018.
Nate Orchard, DE
All offseason there’s been strong talk of defensive end Nate Orchard being on the chopping block. Originally drafted to be a pass rushing outside linebacker, Orchard moved to the defensive line in 2016.
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That change was necessitated by a switch in philosophies once Gregg Williams became the defensive coordinator. Orchard was still getting used to a new position that season before an ankle injury limited him to three games — which set back his transition.
With the team set at end with Myles Garrett and Emmanuel Ogbah, Orchard presents nothing more than a depth piece. With Carl Nassib already on the roster, Cleveland also added Chris Smith in free agency and Chad Thomas in the draft.
Orchard may not make it to the regular season, but if he does it will be all about trying to prove himself before hitting the market in 2019.
Jamie Meder, DT
Defensive tackle Jamie Meder is another player who was here before Williams, but he found himself on the field a lot in 2016. He had 48 tackles and a sack in 16 games — 15 starts— that season, but primarily backed up Larry Ogunjobi in 2017.
Meder is a a strong player and provides solid depth. Still, he will have to prove his worth to convince the Browns to keep him beyond this year.
Briean Boddy-Calhoun, CB
An underrated player in the Browns secondary is Briean Boddy-Calhoun. Formidable in the slot, Boddy-Calhoun seems to be forgotten about when discussing the revamped secondary.
After playing well as a rookie, Boddy-Calhoun performed better in year two — although it doesn’t look like it as his interception total fell from three as a rookie to none as a sophomore.
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That’s misleading though as he was playing a tough position and according to Pro Football Focus, he graded out as a highly respectable 84.1. That landed him as the No. 24 player at his position.
Boddy-Calhoun needs to return in 2019, barring a huge meltdown in performance of course. The positive about his status however is that he’s a restricted free agent, which means Cleveland can match any contract offer and control whether or not he plays here beyond the 2018 campaign.
E.J. Gaines, CB
After a long wait this offseason, cornerback E.J. Gaines signed a one-year deal for $4 million to join the Browns. By going to Cleveland he reunites with his former defensive coordinator with the Rams.
Gaines will likely start opposite rookie Denzel Ward, and with the main trio of corners also including Boddy-Calhoun, there’s potential for a strong unit.
Talent has never been an issue with Gaines, but injuries have. He missed all of 2015 and has played in just 11 games in each of the past two seasons. If he can stay healthy, the Browns should be willing to spend some of their cap space on keeping their secondary menacing.
Duke Johnson, RB
Suddenly the Browns have a powerful group of running backs. In the offseason they signed Carlos Hyde away from the San Francisco 49ers. He’s likely the starter and should he go down, there’s a good chance rookie Nick Chubb steps in to be the workhorse.
While those two can be bruisers, Cleveland also has a guy who can destroy defenses with his speed. Duke Johnson brings a completely different element to the position and can be even more dangerous as a pass catcher — not only out of the backfield, but in the slot as well.
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Johnson enters his fourth NFL season and it should be interesting to see how this year goes for him. Used more as a receiver in 2017, Johnson had a career high 74 receptions for 693 yards and three touchdowns.
That job could be in jeopardy thanks to the addition of slot receiver Jarvis Landry. Should he take many of the catches over the middle of the field from the speedy back, his value could feel diminished. That means he has to do all he can in year four to prove he needs to stick around.
The best way for him to do that is continue to evolve running the ball. Johnson had a career-high of four rushing touchdowns, but had a long of just 19 yards. While he’s still averaging more than four-yards per carry, he has to show that explosion of his can translate to the running back position — especially with Landry in town.
Fortunately, should he do that Johnson is also a restricted free agent and shouldn’t be going anywhere unless the Browns want him to.
Josh Gordon, WR
The interesting story of Josh Gordon is about to go into another chapter. Originally drafted in the 2012 Supplemental Draft, Gordon has since embarked on the longest rookie contract in recent memory. Thanks to his off field issues and subsequent suspensions, he’s still locked in on his original deal and will be a restricted free agent in the offseason.
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Gordon’s issues have been well documented and this year will be all about him proving whether or not they’re in the past. He was suspended from Baylor while still playing collegiately for failing a drug test. He then entered the 2012 Supplemental Draft after sitting out the 2011 season with Utah — where he had transferred.
By 2013, the suspensions started in the NFL. He missed two games that year and then 11 the next. He was fortunate to play at all as his original one-year ban was reduced to 10 games. Gordon didn’t last long though as he was suspended for all of 2015 and 2016 before finally coming back late last year.
Cleveland wisely hasn’t put a lot of faith in him being the guy despite him still being eligible to play. They still have Corey Coleman, a first round pick from 2016 on the roster in addition to Landry. Cleveland also added Antonio Callaway in the draft.
If Gordon fails, they can let him go for good and trust their other options. If he finally does get it right, they control his status going forward with the restricted status. This is a huge year for both the player and the team.
Tyrod Taylor, QB
The final player we examine who can be looking for a new deal in 2019 is none other than their current starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Acquired this offseason from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a third-round pick, Taylor is a proven commodity at the position and is arguably the best option Cleveland has had since returning to the NFL in 1999.
Even so, the plan isn’t for him to stick around. That’s nothing to do with his skill as Taylor is fresh off one of his best performances to date. Taylor ended the Bills long playoff drought by leading them to a 9-win season.
He finished the year with 2,799 yards passing in 14 starts. Taylor was highly efficient with a 14-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. The dual-threat player added 427 yards on the ground and four touchdowns.
While all that can help the Browns improve, he’s a placeholder currently as Cleveland spent the No. 1 overall pick on Baker Mayfield out of Oklahoma. What happens with Taylor moving forward is tied directly to the former Sooner.
Cleveland hopes for Mayfield to be ready to take the reins in 2019, but it’s yet to be seen if he can handle the job. While I personally believe that will be a non-issue, a poor performance out of Mayfield could change that.
Should that happen and Taylor end the new longest playoff drought, he could very well convince the Browns to give him one more season.
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Most likely he’s one and done though with Cleveland, but thankfully that one year should look much better under center than many of the recent ones have.