The Cleveland Browns signed three major names to contracts on the first day of the NFL free agency period, yet how did each of them grade out?
The free agency period is off and running and so far no one but the Cleveland Browns have rocked the headlines quite as they did. The team walked away with FanSided’s No. 6 ranked free-agent quarterback in Case Keenum, the No.1 ranked offensive linemen in Jack Conklin, and the No.1 ranked tight end in Austin Hooper.
All three moves work. All three moves are exactly what the team needed, but not all three moves came with the right price tag in mind. To be clear, Hooper, Conklin and Keenum are all top tier talent at the positions they were brought in at; tight end, tackle and back-up quarterback. Back-up, quarterback.
So does every talent make the A-Grade? Well, what makes a player an ‘A signing’? Firstly, are they talented? Are they the top of their respective positions? Do they make the team better? Are they a position of need? Are they a younger, better option than what you had? Lastly and most importantly, did you have to vastly overpay for the production the players provide to the team?
These are all the criteria to determine if the team made the right moves. So follow along with us as we dive deep into day one of the Cleveland Browns wild first day of spending during the start of the NFL’s Free Agent period.
This won’t go badly. Cue the Men in Black references no one will get.
The best of the best – Jack Conklin
It’s ok to be high on Jack Conklin. It’s ok to think he’s the best free-agent available. It’s even ok to have a bit of the ‘ol-man-crush on Conklin. Why? Because Conklin is a murderer. Not in the literal sense, but in the proverbial, ‘will rip your head off and feed it to his pigs to make sure his team scores a touchdown’ kind.
Conklin helped anchor an offensive line in Tennessee that might need some major overhauling now that Conklin has mosied on up I-71. The Titans re-signed Dennis Kelly to replace Conklin, yet his deal is far less impressive than Conklin’s. According to Field Yates, the deal is worth $21MM with Kelly getting $8.75M guaranteed.
Conklin’s, on the other hand, will be paid $20 million alone in his first season with the Browns. The deal is worth $42 million over three years, with $30 million guaranteed. Pretty high price for a right tackle. The team’s decision to not think of Conklin as a left tackle is interesting and shows you where their priorities lay in the draft. As a right tackle, however, he’s leaps and bounds better than any incumbent they’ve had for years at the position.
He’s young, only 25, he’s powerful and quick. He’s a huge addition to the line, for a moderate markup, and he’s going to make an immediate impact. Yes, he had consistency issues and hopefully, that’s behind him now as his first and fourth years in the league were highly impressive.
He’s the perfect free-agent signing. A guy who has all the talent in the world, tremendous upside and a former team too afraid to pull the trigger.
Sure, worst-case scenario, he bottoms out for the Browns. Thereby never becoming the anchor he’s supposed to be, causing Baker Mayfield to get hit more times than Rocky Balboa in all six Rocky films and the team implodes; leaving the fanbase to die a slow death. Again. For the 26th season in a row.
Best-case scenario? He becomes a versatile starter who leads the Browns to the NFL Playoffs.
Nightmare scenario or pie-in-the-sky optimism. That’s how we roll in Cleveland. No middle ground.
Grade = A+
All hail the light giver – Austin Hooper
Austin Hooper was an unexpected surprise. Not the best on the board to begin the off-season, that was Hunter Henry, but after he was franchised, Hooper became the guy to watch. Thing is, many Cleveland Browns ‘experts’ weren’t really talking about Hooper that much. It was Henry or a tight end in the draft. Even worse, there were some who thought about just running things back with David Njoku.
Those people were mocked relentlessly by a group of Girl Scouts I hear.
Hooper comes in on a good, albeit overpriced deal. It’s a four year, $44 million dollars a year, with $28 million guaranteed. He comes in with some good numbers too, but not top tight end in the NFL money. That’s what he got from the Browns. So desperate to get the girl at prom to dance with you, that you promise her a spin in your dad’s sports car. The only problem, the old man keeps it locked up and now you have to find a way to make this happen.
That’s essentially what the Browns did with Hooper. They promised him the biggest ‘get’ possible, and despite not producing like the top tight end in the NFL, they now have to pay him like one. He’ll never live up to his deal because he’s not as talented as the Travis Kelce’s of the NFL.
Still not as bad as the Paul Kruger contract.
Remember when everyone was wetting themselves over how good that signing was? Well, one specific writer thought it was the worst deal the team had ever agreed to. That writer still feels that way, in case anyone is asking. Come on, who signs a guy to 5 year, $40 million dollar deal off of just what he did in the playoffs? That’s some high-grade idiocy right there.
The Hooper deal, however, isn’t that bad. In fact, considering how versatile he is, how young he is (25) and how good of a blocker he is, the deal feels right. He’s not the top guy in the league at his position and never will be, but he’s a good blocker and receiver and that’s better than the team has had in some time at that position. So what if the guy made three or four million more a year. It’s almost like the Browns have no problem over-paying, someone, sometimes.
No, I’m not still bitter about Schobert. Why do you ask?
Grade = A-
We’ve been doing smart stuff – Case Keenum
Let me be clear before anyone in the comments spin their own narrative. Case Keenum is a fine signing. He’s a good backup. A nice veteran presence. He’ll be there to barely throw touchdowns, and somehow, throw even fewer interceptions. He’ll be a perfectly adequate backup.
Backups don’t get $6 million a year.
Keenum does. That’s the ‘something stupid’ alluded to previously. Giving him $18 million over three years. Now, if this was, say the Tennessee Titans or the Los Angeles Chargers. Sure, ok, maybe you give a backup that kind of money. You have your team mostly set, and now you’re only plugging a few holes here or there.
The Browns are not ‘plugging a few holes’. Counting the positions of need the team took care of yesterday, the Browns have about 22 positions of need to address this offseason. There’s the three taken care of already; backup quarterback, tight end and one offensive starting tackles. Yet, there’s still the fullback, one slot receiver, one backup receiver, two more starters on the offensive line and one (more than likely two) backup linemen, two defensive tackles (more like three), three defensive ends (one starter), three starting linebackers, two starting safeties and for giggles, we’ll say a third general overall defensive back.
So yes, the team has more holes in it than the current administration’s plan for fighting deadly viruses.
If this team didn’t just let Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey go in free agency, never traded for Oliver Vernon, had retained Jabril Peppers somehow, and frankly just been a better ran and managed team, then sure. Give Keenum the money. Yet, that’s not the case. The team prioritized giving big money to a backup who has a history of not being very good instead of bringing back high caliber players, who’s release just created more need.
Keenum is 27-35 as a starting quarterback, and 16-32 without that one season in Minnesota. Which, by the way, was a replacement gig. The guy wasn’t even good enough to beat out hop-a-long Sam Bradford. Throughout his entire run in the NFL, he’s been a barely 60% passer and isn’t someone who can win you a game on his own.
His record is pretty telling about that fact. Signing XFL guys like Josh Johnson of the LA Wildcats, or P.J. Walker of the Houston Roughnecks at least gives you talent with experience, credibility and the chance to win.
Keenum had one good year, with Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and his then-offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. While Browns’ current head coach Kevin Stefanski was on the staff as a quarterback’s coach, he certainly had nothing to do with Keenum’s in-game performance. That’s all on the offensive play-callers.
It does suggest however that Stefanski can prep a quarterback, good news for Mayfield.
The move was a fine one, it fulfilled a need, but at what cost?
…At what cost?