Browns news: Finally a sensible take on Nick Chubb rumors

It's "hot take" season in the NFL. Every year when he get to the offseason, there are non-stop takes from every outlet you can think of. We all just want to discuss football and what our favorite teams can — and might do. Sometimes, those takes can take on a life of their own, which is what's happened with Nick Chubb and the Cleveland Browns.

With Cleveland seemingly in cap trouble, many have looked for the easy answer — cut the high-priced running back who just tore up his knee in 2023. Sure, this would save the Browns roughly $12 million but we all saw how bad the running game was without Chubb. That's why it doesn't make a lot of sense to just release him — unless there's some legitimate reason to believe he cannot come back from his injury.

As long as the Browns believe he can play, he's going to do so in Cleveland. And rather than save the money by cutting the player, general manager Andrew Berry will more than likely save money by manipulating the salary cap. That take is central in our featured piece in today's news round-up.

Cleveland Browns news

No, it isn't likely that the Browns will cut running back Nick Chubb — Jacob Roach, Browns Wire

"This just doesn’t make sense to me when you look at Andrew Berry’s history as a general manager and his ability to manage the salary cap. There isn’t a team in the league that has spent more cash than the Browns as the team uses void years and rollover cap to manage their overall cap hit."

Berry has something a lot of GMs don't have, an owner who is fine with spending a whole lot of money. Jimmy Haslam is fine with writing fat checks for bonuses, which then get spread out for years — sometimes years after the player leaves. There are those who say the bill will eventually come due, but will it? Is there a limit to how many time they can keep doing this? Perhaps one day we'll know but for now, this team isn't one that wants to cut good players just to save money, so that's why it's safe to assume No. 24 will be back.

Johnny Manziel opens up about Cleveland, a contentious Browns QB room and disappointing LeBron James — Zach Mentz, Cleveland.com

“My quarterback room was not a home for me, because of Brian Hoyer,” the former Texas A&M quarterback said. “Brian Hoyer had been waiting on opportunity to go really provide for his family, get an opportunity, and he saw how much of an upper hand he had on me – and he didn’t hold back when it came to that.

Like clockwork, Johnny Manziel somehow continues to use his two-year stint in Cleveland — the city he apparently hates — to get back in the spotlight. Now he's throwing shade at Brian Hoyer, who was probably just sick of the entitled quarterback who has openly admitted he was unwilling to put in the work. Who can blame him?

7-round Browns mock draft: Explosive wideout, stout run defender address major needs — DPD

Ja'Lynn Polk and Braden Fiske kick off our latest 2024 NFL Mock Draft as the Browns fill two huge holes off the bat. Check out where they go from there as they are able to round out an already competitive roster.

3 moves the Browns can make to get under salary cap — DPD

While not all of these moves could — or should — happen, here's a look at three ways the Browns can save a lot of money ahead of the 2024 season. The cap situation might look bad now, but it won't for long.

Full list of Browns outgoing free agents: Fan favorite, 2023 award winner could exit — DPD

Joe Flacco and Kareem Hunt are two big names set for free agency this offseason as the Browns could lose an award winner as well as a fan favorite. For Flacco, they would like to have him back but he could have more options. Hunt, however, was an emergency option and isn't going to be on the radar this year without another emergency.

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