The Cleveland Browns have been praised for free agency moves, but there was a time when they used to miss the mark quite often. Here are 20 examples of them doing just that.
It’s never fun to drift down the ugly parts of memory lane, and unfortunately, the Cleveland Browns have their share of ugly memories. With them gaining all sorts of praise the past two offseasons for their moves, it could bring up bad feelings of other times the team thought they had hit some home runs.
The Browns have stuck their necks out in free agency and it’s hurt them pretty bad. There’s hope this season won’t be like that, mainly because second-year general manager Andrew Berry seems to have the right stuff — and keeps making the right moves.
With all that said, we look back at the less-exciting times with the 20 worst free-agent signings this team has made in their history.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 20: Carlos Hyde, Running Back
Right out of the gate, we have a free-agency bust that really wasn’t on the player. Ahead of the 2018 season, the Browns brought in a popular player in Carlos Hyde, who was a star collegiately for Ohio State.
Hyde signed a three-year contract worth $15 million which signified that he would be the bell cow. But that was before they landed Nick Chubb in the second round of the draft, which should have changed things.
The problem is, it didn’t. Head coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley continued to run with Hyde even though Chubb outperformed him. Eventually, general manager John Dorsey traded him away for a fifth-round pick to force his coaches to use Chubb.
Hyde finished with 382 yards and five touchdowns in six games but had just 3.4 yards per carry. Not what they expected when signing him to that deal.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 19: Brian Hartline, Wide Receiver
One thing that happens a lot with Browns fans — and it could be other fan bases as well — is they get a little overzealous when it comes to the hometown kids getting a shot. it doesn’t happen as much as it would seem with Ohio State being a powerhouse, but the Browns don’t really draft a ton of players from there.
They have, however, taken on some veterans as free-agent additions such as the aforementioned Carlos Hyde in 2018 and wide receiver Brian Hartline in 2015.
A former fourth-round pick of the Miami Dolphins, Hartline spent six seasons in South Beach and carved out a nice career for himself. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Dolphins in 2012 and 2013 and finished his career there with 298 receptions for 4,243 yards with 12 touchdowns.
He was released following the 2014 campaign and went home to play for the Browns on a two-year deal worth $6 million. Things didn’t work out between the two sides as Hartline played for just one season in Cleveland.
During that year, he had 46 receptions for 523 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t terrible but he also didn’t perform the way they hoped and he was released during the 2016 offseason.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 18: Jason Campbell, Quarterback
We all know that things didn’t go the way the Cleveland Browns wanted them to in terms of starting quarterbacks for a very, very long time. There have been several articles and even a dumb jersey in a shop window to remind fans of the football purgatory they were in before Baker Mayfield took the field in Week 3 of 2018.
While we don’t want to re-hash all the issues they had, we will look at 2013 when the Browns signed Jason Campbell — who was supposed to serve as a backup for Brandon Weeden. Of course, Weeden is a sore spot for Cleveland fans since he was nearly 30 when he was drafted and was just 5-10 as a starter when the Browns brought in Campbell on a two-year deal.
By Week 8, Campbell was the starter for Cleveland and he came up short like all the others back in the day were. At first glance, his stats didn’t look atrocious as he had 2,015 yards with 11 touchdowns and eight picks — but his completion percentage was just 56.8 which was nothing to brag about.
As for his record as the starter, well that was the real issue. Cleveland was just 1-7 with Campbell who was released following the season. He spent the next year as a backup for the Cincinnati Bengals before hanging up his cleats after the 2014 season.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 17: Greg Robinson, Left Tackle
This one went from a steal to a bust in no time at all. Back in 2018, the Cleveland Browns signed former No. 2 overall pick to compete for a spot on the roster. He did much more than that, however, after Hue Jackson was let go that is.
Jackson really liked undrafted free agent Desmond Harrison and started him at left tackle as the heir to Joe Thomas. For eight weeks, Harrison struggled to hold off pass-rushers, and when they moved on from Jackson, interim head coach Gregg Williams and interim offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens inserted Robinson.
With the veteran now in the lineup, the Browns blockers went from one of the worst in the league to one of the best. It was crazy how much they improved but given Robinson’s shaky history, there was still an expectation that the team needed to get better at one of the more pivotal spots.
John Dorsey had other plans. He traded away his first-round pick for Odell Beckham, Jr., and avoided taking a tackle until the sixth-round when he took Drew Forbes. That meant they were turning things back over to Robinson who was given a deal worth up to $9 million.
That proved to be a mistake as Robinson started the season off by being kicked out of a game in Week 1 and never got back on track after that. He later found himself in a lot of trouble for trying to smuggle marijuana across the border but he was already no longer associated with the team when that happened.
If there was any positive news from this move, it was that new general manager Andrew Berry used the 2019 offensive line as a reason to invest heavily with players such as Jack Conklin and Jedrick Wills — making it one of the biggest strengths of the team in 2020.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 16: Jim McMahon, Quarterback
If you blinked, you may have missed that Jim McMahon was ever actually in Cleveland. A former first-round pick of the Chicago Bears back in 1982, McMahon won a Super Bowl in Chicago and had an insane record of 46-15 while starting for them. Sure, most of that was the Hall of Fame defense but he still did his job.
He then had stints with the San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, and Arizona Cardinals before joining the Browns in 1995. That year, he was set to play for Bill Bellichick but things got ugly.
McMahon claims the team lied to him and specifically blamed Belichick. He recently spoke up about the issues he had with the famous coach before casually talking about hitting Michael Lombardi’s head against a wall for not paying him while he wasn’t on the team. Yes, you read that correctly.
Of course with McMahon, you might need to leave room for embellishment. He’s always been a character and had a huge presence during his career. That’s why it didn’t make a lot of sense to bring him in as a reserve.
It worked out for McMahon because he was released and won another Super Bowl as Brett Favre’s backup with the Green Bay Packers. Who doesn’t love a story with a happy ending?
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 15: Leslie Shepherd, Wide Receiver
A collegiate star at Temple, wide receiver Leslie Shepherd got his first chance in the NFL when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed him as an undrafted free agent. He never made their regular-season roster and then in 1993, he was with the Pittsburgh Steelers — but again didn’t make the active roster.
Shepherd then got his big break with Washington, joining them in 1994 and playing with them through the 1998 season. As Brian Stepanek of Bleacher Report said, Shepherd’s best season as a pro came in 1998 and Cleveland thought they got a steal when they signed him to their expansion roster.
"“When the Browns acquired the 30-year-old receiver in 1999, they thought they’d uncovered a hidden gem. Tight end Irv Smith nearly out-Shepherded Shepherd in terms of yardage, as the slot man caught only 23 passes for 274 yards and 0 TD’s. By 2002, Shepherd was out of football after a seven-year career.” — Stepanek, Bleacher Report"
After leaving the Browns, Shepherd did rebound some in 2000 with the Miami Dolphins as he had 446 yards and four touchdowns on 35 receptions so maybe not everything was on him. Still, his signing simply didn’t work out the way the team hoped it would.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 14: Donte Whitner, Safety
In 2014, the Cleveland Browns were declared one of the big winners in free agency when they signed former Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner. And the excitement over this signing was for good reason.
Whitner was the eighth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft out of Ohio State and was a star for the Bills. He had 106 tackles as a rookie and in five seasons in Western New York, he racked up 453 tackles, and five interceptions.
San Francisco then came calling, signing him to a three-year deal worth $11.75 million in 2011. In those three seasons, he had 217 tackles, five forced fumbles, and five interceptions. That’s when the Browns came in and gave the 29-year-old strong safety a contract worth $28 million over the course of four seasons.
Whitner played just half of that contract out. His numbers weren’t terrible as he had 187 tackles and a pick but he wasn’t the impact player they had hoped. He was released ahead of the 2016 season and still counted nearly $4 million against the cap that year.
The Washington Football Team signed him in 2016 and Whitner played in just 11 more games before seeing his career come to an end.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 13: LeCharles Bentley, Center
This one wasn’t really a bad move by the team so much as it was just a bad stroke of luck for the player who they landed. Another former Ohio State star, LeCharles Bentley was a second-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2002 and started 57 games over the course of four seasons for them.
Once his rookie contract was up, he hit the open market and the Browns gladly brought the Cleveland kid home to play for them. There was a little drama beforehand as the Philadelphia Eagles had actually agreed to terms with Bentley but before actually signing a contract, he changed his mind and joined the Browns on a six-year, $36 million contract.
Then, things went in the wrong direction. In training camp, Bentley tore his patellar tendon during drills and missed the 2006 season due to the injury. Things got worse as staph infections and multiple surgeries led to Bentley nearly losing his leg.
Bentley was eventually cleared by doctors to play again but his knee was never 100 percent. He missed the 2007 season and finally in 2008, he passed a physical but asked to be released. Cleveland granted him his request and despite having some interest, Bentley never signed anywhere else.
He should have been a stud as the Browns brought home the Ohio State product. Unfortunately, injuries led to his demise as a professional player and the Browns didn’t get a great return on their huge investment.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 12: Tramon Williams, Cornerback
Tramon Williams ended up being quite the success story due to the fact that he was an undrafted free agent who played for 14 seasons in the NFL. That doesn’t mean he was a great signing for the Browns, who picked him up in 2015.
A Pro Bowl player in 2010, Williams spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers and even won a Super Bowl with them while Brett Favre was running the offense. At the age of 33, Williams hit the open market and Cleveland came calling.
The Browns convinced Williams to sign by offering a three-year deal worth $21 million. He ended up playing just two years with the team and while he started all 15 games he played in during his first season with the franchise, he was relegated to the bench for part of the 2016 campaign.
Following that season, he was let go, and then he signed just a $2 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals, a far cry from his previous contract.
Williams still continued to play in the NFL, returning to the Green Bay Packers in 2018 for two more seasons. His final campaign was in 2020 when he played six games for the Baltimore Ravens at the age of 37. He announced his retirement in the offseason and was praised for all his work as a star defensive back for so long. Unfortunately, he just wasn’t a great fit for Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 11: Ben Tate, Running Back
Back in 2010, the Houston Texans added Ben Tate out of Auburn with the 58th overall pick in the NFL Draft. Tate’s career, unfortunately, got off to a rough start though as he broke his ankle in his first-ever preseason game and missed his rookie campaign.
With him on IR, Arian Foster took off and led the NFL in rushing. That meant when he came back in 2011, he was going to be coming off the bench and had to beat out Derrick Ward and Steve Slaton to get snaps.
Tate had no problem doing that and had 942 yards rushing and four touchdowns. His next season was quiet but then his final year in Houston was another solid campaign. That was in 2013 when he had 771 yards and four touchdowns as well as 34 receptions.
He then joined the Cleveland Browns in 2014 but never established himself as the starter there. He did have a 123 yard game against the Titans in a narrow win but was still struggling with consistency. In eight games, he had 106 rushes for just 333 yards with a mere 3.1 yards per carry average.
Cleveland continued to split carries and this frustrated Tate who was eventually released. He had just 13 more regular-season carries the rest of his career, all of which came in 2014 with the Vikings. He did, however, get into the playoffs that same year when the Steelers added him to the roster after an injury to Le’Veon Bell.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 10: Willis McGahee, Running Back
Former Miami Hurricane Willis McGahee was a player that was easy to root for early in his career. He suffered a horrific injury to end his exciting career during the team’s Fiesta Bowl game in 2003. He tore his ACL, PCL, and MCL which severely hurt his stock entering the following season’s draft.
The Buffalo Bills took a flier in the first-round, knowing full well the guy they took at No. 23 wasn’t going to play as a rookie. By his second season though, he proved the Bills were wise to make their decision.
He ripped off 1,128 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Bills and was great for them the next couple of seasons as well.
Then he started saying the team should leave Buffalo, so Buffalo moved him. McGahee spent four seasons in Baltimore before joining the Broncos for two years. By 2012 he had started to slow down as injuries had caught up to him.
Denver let him go, and the Browns came calling. They had just shipped off draft bust Trent Richardson and thought McGahee could replace him. He wasn’t very good though.
In 12 games, the veteran back averaged a lowly 2.7 yards per rush and finished with only 377 yards. It was the worst season of his career, and McGahee quickly exited the league afterward.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 9: Gary Baxter, Cornerback
The Browns seemed to be onto something when they signed Gary Baxter. A second-round pick from Baylor in 2001, Baxter spent four seasons playing well for an AFC North rival, the Baltimore Ravens. He was a solid coverage guy for The Ravens and was unafraid to deliver a hit. His most famous play as a member of Baltimore was when he injured Tommy Maddox, which paved the way for Ben Roethlisberger to get into the action as a rookie.
After his contract was up in Baltimore, the Browns came calling. They wanted to shore up their pass defense and really the move made sense. Baxter was given $30 million over a six-year period and got $10.5 million of that guaranteed. Not long into his career with the Browns, Baxter saw it all come to a halt.
He tore the patella tendon in each one of his knees — a freak accident that sounds as painful as it is rare. He was able to get back onto the field in an attempt to come back after that, but it wasn’t meant to be. Baxter finished his career with the Browns by playing in just eight games.
At least he was good in those eight games, racking up 34 tackles and three interceptions. So this one was just bad for how it wound up going.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 8: Robert Griffin III, Quarterback
There was a point when Robert Griffin II was considered the next big thing at the quarterback position. As the No. 2 overall pick, the exciting young rookie took the Washington Redskins to the postseason. However, it was in that playoff game that it all started to fall apart.
RGIII suffered a knee injury and the team lost. He then started to have issues with head coach Mike Shanahan, believing he should have better protected him. There was then a lot of back and forth between Griffin, the coach, and of course Griffin’s dad because who doesn’t want to know what an NFL player’s parents think?
After eventually proving to be injury-prone and problematic, the Redskins benched Griffin for Kirk Cousins and let him leave in free agency following the 2015 season. The Browns apparently didn’t see any of what happened in D.C. because they gave Griffin a two-year deal worth up to $15 million. He lasted just one season.
He managed to suit up for just five games as he battled shoulder injuries. In those contests, RGIII completed less than 60-percent of his passes for 886 yards. He tossed two touchdowns while throwing three picks. He did add another two touchdowns on the ground and was the guy that led them to the only win in the first two years Hue Jackson era. That doesn’t mean it was a good move though.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 7: Ross Verba, Offensive Tackle
Times change because in today’s NFL paying $4 million a season for an offensive lineman isn’t breaking the bank. Back in 2001 though, that was a healthy deal.
Cleveland gave former Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Ross Verba that much for four seasons after the former first-round pick played out his rookie contract. The Browns did not get a good return on investment.
Verba was like a turnstile for Cleveland and goes down as one of their worst signings ever. He played out his whole contract, but had to sit out a whole season before being given a shot again. That shot didn’t last long.
Since leaving the NFL, Verba has found himself in some hot water due to gambling issues. His run-ins were documented by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk:
"“Prosecutors in Clark County, Nevada, say Verba was arrested in Phoenix this week and is charged with three counts of writing bad checks to the Palms, a Las Vegas casino, in January of 2008. Verba is in jail and is fighting extradition to Nevada. This isn’t the first time Verba has been in trouble relating to gambling debts. In 2007 he was arrested on charges of writing bad checks to pay a $50,000 debt at another casino, Wynn Las Vegas. Verba eventually paid the debt, and those charges were dropped.” — Florio, Pro Football Talk"
Hopefully, he got things in order, but nothing will undo how bad he was with Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 6: Donte Stallworth, Wide Receiver
Usually thinking of Donte Stallworth leads to what happened with the once electric receiver off the field. Formerly considered a real deep threat, Stallworth had several good seasons with the New Orleans Saints. He then went to Philadelphia to help the Eagles replace Terrell Owens.
Stallworth averaged 19.1 yards per catch and then found a home with the New England Patriots. They gave him a six-year deal, but it was heavily geared towards the team and had little guarantees. Stallworth was cut following 2007, his only season with the Pats.
He then landed in Cleveland, again securing a long-term contract. The Browns gave him a seven-year contract worth $35 million. He was less than impressive in his only year with Cleveland, going for just 170 yards on 10 catches. He was then suspended the entire next season after striking a pedestrian while under the influence and was convicted of manslaughter.
After that, Stallworth was cut by the Browns and then bounced around between the Washington Redskins and New England Patriots once again — with a stint with the Baltimore Ravens sprinkled in.
Stallworth was never the same player, but the decline started during his time in Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 5: Jake Delhomme, Quarterback
The first couple quarterbacks mentioned were at least a little younger and had some upside the Browns thought they could work with. That wasn’t the case with Jake Delhomme.
In 2010, Cleveland just got desperate. They went out and signed a 35-year old quarterback fresh off a horrendous season. Delhomme once led the Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl, but by 2009 he was a shell of himself.
Delhomme had started just 11 games for the Panthers and completed 55.5 percent of his passes. Worse yet, he had only eight touchdowns, but 18 interceptions. It was clear any time he had left in the NFL needed to be holding a clipboard, but the Browns ended up having him compete with Seneca Wallace, who the veteran beat out.
He led them to a 2-2 record but had seven picks and just two touchdowns. His body was giving out on him, and after the Browns moved on following the season Delhomme played just one more season as a backup for the Houston Texans.
Since that season the Browns continued to struggle to find a signal-caller to right their ship. They hope the combination of Tyrod Taylor and Baker Mayfield provides that, but even if they don’t, 35-year olds off a bad season probably will never again be attempted.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 4: Dwayne Bowe, Wide Receiver
There was a time when Dwayne Bowe was one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. The former LSU Tiger was picked in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft and quickly became a star for the Kansas City Chiefs.
As a rookie, he had 995 yards and then crossed the 1,000-yard mark the very next year. It was a milestone he hit two other times for K.C. and finished his eight seasons there hauling in 532 receptions for 7,155 yards and 44 touchdowns — including a league-best 15 during 2010.
At 31-years old he was on the market after the Chiefs released him. Bowe found a home with the Browns and was given a two-year deal worth $13 million, $9 million of which was guaranteed. He wound up hardly seeing the field though.
Mike Pettine, the head coach at the time, wasn’t on the same page as general manager Ray Farmer and didn’t want to use Bowe. He ended up getting on the field in seven games and made just five receptions.
It was a far cry from what the Browns thought they were getting and really he never should have been on the team, especially if their coach wasn’t high on his skills.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 3: Kenny Britt, Wide Receiver
This one had disaster written all over it. Wide receiver Kenny Britt seemed to always have trouble wherever he went and even had a couple of run-ins with police while with the Tennessee Titans. Even so, he flashed potential and that made people take notice of him.
After five seasons with Tennessee, Britt hit the open market and not many teams were interested. The St. Louis Rams finally bit and gave him a one-year deal, which he turned into another two years. He stayed with them as they moved to Los Angeles and had his best season as a pro, which caught the Browns’ attention.
During the 2017 offseason, Cleveland reached out to Britt and gave him a four-year contract worth $32.5 million. Unsurprisingly, Britt underperformed and struggled being on a team that wasn’t able to get any wins. He apparently asked for his release and was granted it after just nine games with the Browns.
In those nine games, Britt had just 18 receptions off 38 pass targets. He simply was a terrible fit and a waste of money for Cleveland. As for Britt, he did next to nothing on the field after Cleveland last year, but he managed to find his way to New England and experienced a trip to the Super Bowl. He has one more season on a deal with the Pats.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 2: Jeff Garcia, Quarterback
Another quarterback makes the list here as there was a time when the Browns thought they found something special in Jeff Garcia. After a couple of strong seasons starting for the San Francisco 49ers, Garcia was a free agent following a down year.
The veteran quarterback found a home with the Browns and should have been their starter for the foreseeable future. That didn’t happen though because he wasn’t the player they thought he would be.
Garcia missed several games due to injury and when he was on the field he wasn’t great. He led them to just three wins in 10 starts and completed just 57.1 percent of his passes. Garcia also had issues with ball control, throwing nine interceptions.
He was cut following the season, but that just led to more pain. Garcia had a career rebirth a couple of seasons later when he was thrown into the lineup for the Philadelphia Eagles. He went 5-1 in 2006 for them and then was 14-10 in two seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It may lead credence to the belief the Browns really were the issue, but it sure would have been nice for them to have gotten the player we all saw after he left Cleveland.
Cleveland Browns worst free agents signings No. 1: Andre Rison, Wide Receiver
This one was bad on an epic scale. The Cleveland Browns move to get Andre Rison wasn’t just bad because of his on-field play, but the impact his massive contract had on the franchise and their future.
Nate Peterson of CBS Sports agrees it’s the worst signing in the history of the Browns and details how his contract helped facilitate a move to Baltimore:
"“Andre “Bad Moon” Rison, who went to four Pro Bowls in five seasons in Atlanta but set fires nearly everywhere else he went after that, outside of one final Pro Bowl season with the Chiefs in 1997. Rison caught just 47 balls in his one season in Cleveland, and Art Modell — who took out loans to cover Rison’s $5M signing bonus — held up Rison’s $17 million deal as one reason he had to move the team to Baltimore” — Peterson, CBS Sports"
Rison was a former first-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts but was traded after just one season. He exploded and became a star after that for the Falcons, but it seemed to always be something with him — including an incident when his girlfriend burned his house down.
He had stints with a few other teams after his one year with the Browns, but there’s still only one franchise that had to move after being burned by his contract.
All stats used in this article were courtesy of Pro Football Reference.