Cleveland Browns: 3 reasons why the 2020 offseason was better than 2019’s
By Chad Porto
Didn’t swap talent to improve positions
One of the biggest issues the Browns committed last year was getting Odell Beckham Jr. and Olivier Vernon by trading away two starters. Getting the players alone is a topic of debate, as Beckham and Vernon came in with big salaries and didn’t produce as they should have. Yet to acquire those two players while giving up a great guard in Kevin Zeitler and a potential future Pro Bowl safety in Jabrill Peppers makes it even worse.
The Browns offensive line went from good in 2018 to awful in 2019. So many people don’t realize that the offensive line, unlike any other position in sports, is dependent on all five players being good to great. If you have just one weak spot, then you have a bad line. It is a symbiotic relationship unlike anything else in sports. So giving up such a needed piece of the team to land Vernon was a mistake.
Strengthening one spot on the team by hurting another is just bad business. That’s like starving one kid to feed another. That’s not how you run a team. Especially when they got rid of players at necessary positions for glamor positions.
Think about it, what two aspects did the Browns struggle with the most last year? Protecting Baker Mayfield and stopping the run. Peppers and Zeitler are the types of players that you don’t want to move on from. While it’s sexy and flashy to get stellar wide receivers and amazing pass rushers, the fact is that overvaluing those positions is exactly why teams fail to win Super Bowls.
The Saints, The Patriots, the Giants, the Eagles, and the Packers didn’t have a top-five wide receiver nor did they have a 15-sack pass rusher (usually). They’re glamor positions. What those teams all had in common were defenses that made plays and an offense that kept their quarterback upright. Not individuals but full teams.