Cleveland Browns: 5 players who could be on their way out
By Chad Porto
Olivier Vernon
What were the Browns thinking…
Somehow both of the major trades that Cleveland made with the New York Giants ended up being disastrous. The Browns gave up a first and third-round draft pick, their second-best lineman and their second-best defensive back. All to get an injury-plagued diva in Beckham, and a do-nothing injury-prone Olivier Vernon.
Vernon has missed 15 games over the last three years. The writing was on the wall when he couldn’t finish a full year in New York. Yet, still, the Browns traded for him. He’s not just injury-prone, he had a career of underachieving before he got shipped to Cleveland. While he was able to get some penetration at times, his lack of ability to generate actual sacks is noticeable. Especially for someone getting paid over $15 million a year.
When former Browns defensive end Carl Nassib is making $13 million less than Vernon and has near-identical stats, the case for keeping an oft-injured, underperforming, over-paid player simply has no merit. Add on that every time he takes a snap in a Browns uniform there will always remain the fact we destroyed our offensive line for him. That kind of stink doesn’t wash off. Sure, it’s always possible he bounces back or even shifts positions and becomes useful, but there are upgrades available this year. His bloated salary could help get the team some extra cap space in order to pursue someone like a Jadeveon Clowney.
If he were to restructure his contract, there’s still value there. He could shore up an outside linebacker spot potentially. Not an ideal 4-3 fit, but if a better one can’t be found, then you gotta make do with what you got. That said, it’s entirely possible that regardless of options, Vernon will be let go. The injuries are stacking up, 15 missed games in three years, and the number has increased over the course of all three. There’s little doubt that Vernon will be injured again if the last three years are anything to consider.