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How Andrew Berry can create additional Cleveland Browns draft picks

By Elliot Kennel

CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 22: Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns catches a touchdown pass against Marcus Peters #24 of the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter in the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - DECEMBER 22: Odell Beckham Jr. #13 of the Cleveland Browns catches a touchdown pass against Marcus Peters #24 of the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter in the game at FirstEnergy Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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Damarious Randall Cleveland Browns
NEW ORLEANS, LA – SEPTEMBER 16: Damarious Randall #23 of the Cleveland Browns celebrates after recovering a fumble during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 16, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

4. Work Compensatory Draft Picks

The NFL awards compensatory picks for players who leave the team as free agents. The owners have a secret formula for determining which team gets picks and in what round. Much is explained in OverTheCap.com.  Here are the basics:

If the Browns (or any NFL team) loses a qualifying free agent, they get a compensatory draft pick, which is awarded somewhere between Round 3 and Round 7 of the Draft. However, if you sign a free agent, it cancels out one pick that you would otherwise get.

Players who made the Pro Bowl or who were first-round draft picks, or who are paid big bucks result in higher draft picks. Up to 32 compensatory picks are awarded each year and no more than four per team.

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A qualifying free agent is one who goes through the Restricted Free Agent process and then later leaves as an Unrestricted Free Agent.

So in the case of the Browns in 2019, they lost Tyrod Taylor and Breshad Perriman, both of whom could have generated sixth-round picks.

However, they also signed  Sheldon Richardson, Demetrius Harris, Adarius Taylor, Kendall Lamm, and Eric Kush. Richardson is worth losing a sixth-round pick for, but the Browns spent almost $9 million dollars for the other four players. The net payroll add is about $7 million if it is assumed that the Browns replace those players with undrafted rookies or other NFL-minimum players.  The Browns also traded three picks for Wyatt Teller and Taywan Taylor. In all, they could have had 12 picks in the 2020 draft rather than seven.

As brilliant as John Dorsey is at evaluating talent, he was not smart at managing compensatory picks.

Berry will have to decide whether to let Joe Schobert walk, as well as Damarious Randall, Greg Robinson, and Rashard Higgins. If they were to sign zero free agents, they could get up to four additional picks in 2021.

For what it’s worth, the Ravens are going to get two compensatory 4th round picks this year for John Brown and C. J. Mosely, and the Steelers get a 3rd rounder for Le’Veon Bell.

The New England Patriots and New York Giants lead the NFL with four qualifying free agents. It’s galling to think that the Patriots are going to have as many as four extra draft picks to compensate them for their losses, and the Browns come away with nothing because they signed extra free agents who did not help the team to win.

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