When the 2012-2013 NFL season wrapped up, the Baltimore Ravens were on top of the football world. Their divisional rival, the Cleveland Browns, were among the laughing stock of the league. Well, since the 2013 NFL Free Agency frenzy began, the two teams would be considered very close to each other on paper. Unfortunately for the Browns, Baltimore has a history of always finding the right pieces and being there once the playoffs roll around--while Cleveland has a history of paying more attention to Scarletfever's Annual Browns Draft Watch Thread (which is in it's FIFTH year) than they do of having any hope of making the playoffs.
Baltimore has lost several key players from last year's Super Bowl champion team: Ray Lewis, Dannell Ellerbe, Paul Kruger, Anquan Boldin and it's rumored that veteran safety Ed Reed is extremely close to signing a multi-year deal with the Houston Texans.
Cleveland is entering a new regime, headed by first-year, billionaire owner, Jimmy Haslem III. Haslem's first move was to hire a head coach after deciding to fire Pat Shurmur. He went with long-time Cleveland Browns fan and the "homegrown" Rob Chudzinski, who was an assistant on the Browns staff in '07-'08. Haslem then turned his attention to hiring his General Manager, and decided to go with Michael Lombardi. A lot of Browns fans are up in arms over this move, however I am not one of them. There's no doubt that Lombardi has some blemishes on his resume, but it's my belief that almost any GM would have made some of the moves that Lombardi typically gets crucified for.
Another area that is going to be a strength for Cleveland going forward is the hires of long-time NFL coach, Norv Turner, as their offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator, Ray Horton. Turner has been one of the most prolific offensive coordinators this league has ever seen. Unfortunately for him, he was never able to break through and experience a great deal of playoff success which tarnished his reputation as a head coach. There's no doubt that Browns fans hopes are higher than they have been in a long time.
The first big splash that the Cleveland Browns made this off season came when the aforementioned Ravens released Paul Kruger. Cleveland signed him to a five-year/$40M deal with $20M in guaranteed money. If you haven't followed the Browns--and I have a hunch that most people reading this are not Browns fans--you probably wouldn't know that they are switching from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 defense under Horton. As a result, Cleveland targeted linebackers who are capable of getting after the quarterback. Following in line with that plan of action, the Browns followed the Kruger signing up by inking the former Arizona Cardinals linebacker, Quentin Groves, to a two-year/$2.8M deal. The vast majority of Browns fans believe that this is a great signing for their team.
Another huge signing for the Browns was former Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Desmond Bryant. Bryant signed a five-year/$34M contract with $15M guaranteed. With Phil Taylor anchoring the middle of the Cleveland defensive line, Bryant and Ahtyba Rubin will be getting after the opposing quarterback from their end spots along with outside linebackers Paul Kruger and Jabaal Sheard behind them.
After free agent tight end Jared Cook signed with St. Louis, the Browns have been linked to Washington Redskins' free agent tight end, Fred Davis, who is from Toledo, OH, where Browns first-year head coach, Rob Chudzinski is from as well. Cleveland, who had the most money of any NFL team to spend this off season, is also in the market for a solid number two starting corner back to play opposite Joe Haden. Free agent Brent Grimes made a visit to Cleveland with his wife and son, and reportedly his physical went very well. Whether or not the two sides are able to come to a deal is yet to be seen. Other free agents that the Browns should be doing their homework on is Captain Munnerlyn, Sean Smith or Aqib Talib.
Even though Cleveland has addressed their need to find pass rushers, and by all signs, are looking to address their need for a starting second corner back, it wouldn't shock me no matter what they did in this year's draft. They could go after a dynamite pass-rusher such as Georgia's Jarvis Jones or Oregon's Dion Jordan, though it's not likely both of those guys are going to be available. Alabama's stand-out corner back, Dee Milliner, if still on the board at six, would also be a very realistic possibility.
However, what I think may be best for the Browns is that when they go on the clock with the sixth pick, West Virginia's quarterback Geno Smith and Texas A&M's left tackle Luke Joeckel are still on the board. There are a lot of teams in need of a corner stone left tackle as well as a potential franchise-quarterback. After giving up their second-round pick in last year's supplemental draft by taking wide receiver, Josh Gordon, the Browns would definitely be interested in acquiring a second-round pick to make up for that as well as getting a mid first-round pick back at worst. Who knows, maybe they move down a few spots and use that pick to draft Alabama's elite left guard Chance Womack? I'm sure that sophomore running back Trent Richardson would be in favor of reuniting and running behind his former college teammate.
There are three areas where it's a must for Cleveland to improve upon from last season if they are expecting to compete for a playoff spot. While it's true that receivers Josh Gordon and Greg Little came on a little bit towards the end of last season for the Browns passing game, they lost tight end Benjamin Watson, who was four catches away from leading the team in '12, to New Orleans. Travis Benjamin is expected to play a role in the Browns passing game this season, but I don't think there's any argument to be made that Cleveland doesn't need to add at least one more pass-catcher.
The giant elephant in the room when it has came to the Browns since their return to the National Football League has been the quarterback position. While no decision has been made on whether or not Brandon Weeden will be the starting quarterback, most people seem to think that Weeden will be the man--despite the fact that the organization has said that the spot is going to be up for competition. I'm not convinced that Weeden is going to be the guy.
I'm not a big fan of conspiracy theories, so unless you're told information from someone directly inside an organization, you should never believe anything to be a certainty until it is just that. There are a lot of rumors out there that the Browns are attempting to work out a trade that would land them New England Patriots back-up quarterback Ryan Mallett. IF this deal were to be made, there's absolutely no doubt in my mind that Mallett will be the starter. Lombardi has been a gigantic Mallet fan since the gun-slinger's days in Arkansas and was very vocal in his support of Mallet out of college. One of the reasons that I hold out hope this trade is going to be made is based on the fact that New England is typically involved in at least one draft-day deal. Unfortunately for Browns fans, the Patriots usually end up on the positive side of lopsided trades.
The third area the Browns desperately need to address is when it comes to finding a kicker. Long-time Cleveland Brown, and Pro Bowl kicker, Phil Dawson has signed with the San Francisco 49ers. Dawson has been the Browns most consistent and relied upon player for over a decade, and by losing Dawson, the team no longer has anyone on their roster who was on the new Browns inaugural roster in 1999. If the Browns aren't able to find a reliable kicker, the 2013 season is going to be much more difficult for the team than it needs to be.
Regardless of what happens in the remainder of the free agency period, one thing is for sure; things are definitely looking much more positive for the Cleveland Browns than they have in many year's past. I'm sure I speak for every Browns fan, as well anyone who is a fan of any NFL team, when I say that I can't wait to see what happens in this year's draft.