Cleveland Browns franchise tag candidates David Njoku, Jadeveon Clowney
How John Dorsey screwed up Cleveland Browns compensatory picks in 2019
In 2019 the Browns lost two free agents, Tyrod Taylor and Breshad Perriman were both worth a sixth-round compensatory pick. Had the Browns signed no free agents, they would have been awarded to sixth-round picks in the 2020 draft. Hey, great!
But Dorsey wanted to sign Sheldon Richardson. Okay, we all think highly of Sheldon, so we lose one of those sixth-round picks, and we have to ask the Haslams to write a check for $11.9 million bucks. Hey, Dee and Jimmy, it’s worth it! Trust us!
Okay, but now the fat kid has his face pressed against the window of the candy store. Oo! We want Demetrius Harris! Great tight end! You can’t have enough tight ends, you know.
Before you know it, the team just coughed up another sixth-round draft pick and Dee and Jimmy have to write another $3 million dollar check. Well, now that the compensatory picks are gone, let’s sign Adarius Taylor ($2.5 million), Kendall Lamm ($2.2 million), and Eric Kush ($1.3 million).
Richardson was a quality player, but among those second-tier players, none of them amounted to anything important other than depth. Hence the case for blowing the first compensatory pick was somewhat logical, but blowing the second compensatory pick was just an extravagant waste of money.
Those roster spots should have been used for holdovers and undrafted free agents like Ray-Ray Armstrong, Carl Davis, Seth DeValve, J.T. Hassell, Montrel Meander, Bryan Witzmann, and Willie Harvey. They were among the last players cut, and were about as good as the players Dorsey paid money for, anyways.
Dorsey can rightly argue that sportswriters have the advantage of 20-20 hindsight. True, sir. Nevertheless, you overspent the cap allowance by over $20 million bucks and didn’t come particularly close to a Super Bowl run while also trading away a first-round draft pick as well as a few late rounders that just sort of slid by for such luminaries as Taywan Taylor and Justin McCray. Yeesh.
The options involving compensatory picks are summarized below. Scenario 3 is the actual one chosen by Dorsey, and in this fan’s opinion, was by far the worst choice.
Scenario 1
Browns lose: Tyrod Taylor and Breshad Perriman
Browns Gain: Two sixth-round draft picks in 2020
Scenario 2
Browns lose: Tyrod Taylor and Breshad Perriman; $11.9 million dollars
Browns Gain: Sheldon Richardson; one sixth-round draft pick in 2020
Scenario 3
Browns lose: Tyrod Taylor and Breshad Perriman; $20.9 million dollars
Browns Gain: Richardson; Demetrius Harris, Adarius Taylor, Kendall Lamm, Eric Kush
Net difference:
Two sixth round picks + $20.9 million dollars for Sheldon Richardson +Demetrius Harris + Adarius Taylor + Kendall Lamm + Eric Kush
Next. Browns should target WR Mike Williams in free agency. dark