Cleveland Browns: New Regime, Same Old Team
By Nate Ellis
Browns Get In On The Action
The Cleveland Browns re-signed Tank Carder. Carder, up to this point, is the only Browns player to have re-signed. On Friday, March 11, they finally gave us a sign of life with signings of players who did not play in Cleveland last season. Now, they were not the big splashes by any means, but it was something. Let’s discuss where these two players fit in and where they might contribute.
Alvin Bailey, Offensive Tackle
The Cleveland Browns signed the former Seattle Seahawk to hopefully fill the hole that Schwartz left. Bailey has seen action in 43 games, while making eight starts.
Bailey served mostly as a swing tackle for the Seahawks, especially when left tackle Russell Okung went down with an injury. Something more significant that should be noted from Bailey is his attitude problems during his tenure. Bailey reportedly was very fed up with Seattle and even let Twitter know about his frustration.
However, the few games Bailey has started in, he has done pretty well. In 2013, beat writers were even calling for him to gain the starting right tackle job. He should transition to right tackle like any other left tackle would. This is a low risk/high reward signing. Bailey might have the potential to be a solid option at right tackle. If he comes out and struggles, the Cleveland Browns can cut him without baggage.
Justin Tuggle, linebacker
Tuggle started seven games in three years for the Houston Texans. At 6’3, 237 lbs. he has the size of a bruiser at linebacker. Tuggle finished with 71 tackles in Houston and one interception.
In an ideal world, Tuggle would sign on to be just a special teamer to help fill the void that Bademosi left. However, Craig Robertson is a restricted free agent and Tuggle may be insurance in the event Robertson were to leave. This is another low risk/high reward contract, where Tuggle might be able to help out at the inside linebacker position. If not, Tuggle can stick to special teams where he is already a proven player.
Obviously, this was a tough couple first days for Sashi Brown. That is not to say he cannot bounce back and find some nice pieces with the team’s 10 draft picks. There is also some bargaining to be done with some second tier free agents. Finally, and most importantly, Hue Jackson is a great coach who can win and inspire his players to play. He has a thing for making less talented teams overachieve.
The road to winning in Cleveland got a lot longer with the early free agency debacle, but the Cleveland Browns fan in me still has a little hope left for this season. Hang on Cleveland because this is going to be one hell of a rebuild.