Daily Dawg Tags: Will Cleveland Browns extend Baker Mayfield or Denzel Ward in 2021?
By Randy Gurzi
The Daily Dawg Tags bring you all the Cleveland Browns news you need to know, including a look at whether or not Baker Mayfield or Denzel Ward get extensions in 2021
The NFL salary cap looks as though it will be going down, but not everything is bad news for the Cleveland Browns.
While they won’t have as much cap space as they would have liked, the Browns do have some wiggle room thanks to their salary cap rollover. General manager Andrew Berry made plenty of moves in 2020 but he still had over $30 million in cap space to roll over to 2021 — which is the most in the NFL.
With that extra space for this one season, it’s brought up the idea of extending either Baker Mayfield or Denzel Ward. The two first-round picks from 2018 have earned another contract and Mary Kay Cabot answers one of her readers who asked about locking them up sooner — rather than later.
That story and more can be found in today’s Daily Dawg Tags.
Cleveland Browns News
"“They’ll pick up the fifth-year option for both players by the May 3 deadline and then determine the best course of action. As I wrote this week, in the case of Mayfield, it might be prudent to wait and see how his 2021 season plays out. He has yet to put together a full season at an elite level.”"
Fans won’t want to hear the part about waiting on Mayfield, but Mary Kay is correct. The best approach is to see how he does with a full season under his belt before committing long-term. There’s no rush to extend anyone just yet, so it’s the right move. Also — picking up the fifth-year option for both players is also the right move.
Cody Parkey Replacements: Addressing the Cleveland Browns kicking situation
Cody Parkey played well for Cleveland in 2020, but Nick Pedone thinks the team could look to make a move this season. Here, he looks at the Browns kicking situation and identifies some potential replacements for Parkey.
"“The Browns are still one of several teams in the mix for J.J. Watt, a league source tells cleveland.com.They’re still attractive to Watt as he weighs some of his early options because they have the potential to contend for a Super Bowl, they have a good quarterback in Baker Mayfield, and a good supporting cast that includes one of the premier edge rushers in Myles Garrett.”"
Another offering from Mary Kay here, and it’s a good one. Cabot says the Browns are still in the mix for J.J. Watt, and the reasons she lists have to be exciting for fans of the team. Watt knows Cleveland is building a winner, and joining forces with them could be a great pairing.
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Callie Brownson inspiring women in sports
Callie Brownson made headlines in 2020 when she took the role of Chief of Staff with the Browns and continued to shine as she filled in as a tight end coach and wide receiver coach for one week each. Kayli Long looks back at the big season from Brownson and expresses how inspiring this is for women in sports.