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7 worst free agents signed by the Cleveland Browns since 1999

By Chad Porto

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 27: Defensive End John Abraham #94 of the New York Jets tries to get past tackle Ross Verba #77 of the Cleveland Browns during the NFL game at Giant Stadium on October 27, 2002 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Browns defeated the Jets 24-21. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - OCTOBER 27: Defensive End John Abraham #94 of the New York Jets tries to get past tackle Ross Verba #77 of the Cleveland Browns during the NFL game at Giant Stadium on October 27, 2002 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The Browns defeated the Jets 24-21. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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The Cleveland Browns have not always had the best of luck signing free agents.

On April 13, news popped up that wide receiver Marquise Goodwin has yet to officially sign this deal with the Cleveland Browns yet. It’s been about three weeks since the Browns and Goodwin allegedly came to terms but as of right now, no deal has been inked. Why? Who knows.

But it goes to show you that you can’t just assume success from free agents. Goodwin may be leveraging a deal with the Browns against another team. It wouldn’t be the first time a player has verbally agreed on a new deal only to find a better offer later. That said, Goodwin may just be on vacation and fully intends to sign his new deal. Regardless, free agency is not always an easy thing to figure out.

The Browns have had their fair share of bad signings, and that’s what we’re going to be talking about today; free agents that didn’t pan out in Cleveland. Firstly, we’re going to look at two players commonly associated as bad hires but really aren’t.

Not

Robert Griffin

Anyone who thinks Robert Griffin was a bad hire really didn’t see him after his rookie year. He was absolutely a washed-up quarterback due to the injuries he sustained in 2012. What was anyone expecting out of him? Still, he was the man who lead the Browns to their only win that season, and considering how bad the talent around him was, I’d say he did admirably. It’s unfair to expect a damaged quarterback to be a Pro Bowler on that team.

Ross Verba

I’m not a fan of Ross Verba, all you have to do is search “Ross Verba”, “2005” and “party” together and you’ll get some pretty eyebrow-raising stuff. As far as a player, however, it baffles me how with such a bad offensive line, and with so much turnover, how Verba was considered “bad”. That’s what Dawg Pound Daily keeps saying, but having watched Verba through his prime, he wasn’t bad. He wasn’t great, but he was fine. He wanted more money and was replaced by an inferior player. During Verba’s four years on the team, he was the only player to start 47 games on the offensive line. Clearly, talent wasn’t the issue.

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