Not Again: Cleveland Browns Update

It’s been awhile, so time for a quick Cleveland Browns update!  And, spoiler alert, things have not gotten better.

Ray Farmer

As we discussed previously, there was an indication that the NFL will come down hard on the Browns for GM Ray Farmer allegedly trying to text playcalls to the sidelines during games.

Well, Farmer came clean while at the Combine and admitted texting playcalls to the sidelines during games.  And his reasoning?

“Sometimes, the emotions get the best of you.”

Wonder how emotional he’ll be once he gets fined and the Browns lose draft picks.  One has to worry about a GM that doesn’t trust his coaching staff to call the appropriate plays AND who doesn’t know how to avoid creating a written record when breaking the rules.  Come on Farmer, next time just follow the Jerry Jones method and walked down to the sideline to call plays.  Everyone knows that.

Jordan Cameron

Following up on the rumors that Jordan Cameron did not want to return to Cleveland, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora added to the evidence that Cameron is “not interested” in re-signing with the Browns.  Not like it’s hard to believe.  I mean, at this point, why in the world would he want to return to Cleveland?  In his four seasons, Cameron has had nine quarterbacks (most of which were barely qualified to be in the NFL), four offensive coordinators, three GMs and three head coaches.  And it seems like there’s a fair chance that if he stays in Cleveland, he may have a few more quarterbacks (see below regarding Manziel).  Heck, in light of Farmer’s actions, he may have a new GM soon too.  The question, though, of whether the Browns actually want Cameron back is also still up in the air.  Mary Kay Cabot reported this:

#Browns Pettine on bringing back Cameron: "It's being discussed…Gotta be the right price.''

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) February 18, 2015

If nothing else, at least the Browns aren’t letting on if they’re interested.  Of course, if the Browns aren’t interested in haggling with Cameron, they can always use the franchise tag on him.  Franchising a tight end would carry the lowest cost of any position in the NFL.

If the Browns fail to retain Cameron, which I think would be a mistake regardless of his injury history, there will be plenty of suitors come March 10.  One landing spot may be the Seattle Seahawks.  Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network noted that in October, the Seahawks tried to acquire Cameron in exchange for Percy Harvin.

#Seahawks need TEs because of injuries. Among names floated during #Browns talks for Harvin? Jordan Cameron. Deal never materialized.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 19, 2014

And with Zach Miller potentially cut in Seattle, there may be room for another tight end to go with Luke Willson.  Cameron did play for coach Pete Carroll while at USC, so there’s potential that Cameron would want the reunion as well.

Justin Gilbert

We already discussed how Gilbert fell short for a first round draft pick.  But Farmer still believes that Gilbert can get better, and even hinted that Gilbert was dealing with a “very personal” issue last year.  He went on to state:

“I think the player is in there.  I really do. I think he’s capable and credible.”

Of course, Farmer was partially responsible for spending the No. 8 overall pick in last year’s draft to get Gilbert, so he has every reason to find a silver lining.  Particularly because there are so few silver linings left in Cleveland.

Johnny Manziel

As a quick update on Manziel, at the Combine, Coach Mike Pettine stated:

“He’s in a much better place now than before he went in.  He’s very determined to come out of it in a much better way.”

That’s great.  However, more importantly, it looks like Pettine believes the Browns are still looking to add quarterbacks.  When asked about quarterbacks, Pettine said in the New York Post:

“It’s a position we’re going to look to address.  All options are on the table.”

We’ve discussed a few times how slim the free agent class for quarterbacks is, and although the Browns could trade up with Tennessee or Jacksonville to grab whoever the Buccanneers don’t select at No. 1, I’ve already discussed how I think it would be a mistake to take yet another rookie quarterback in the draft.  I still believe that Brian Hoyer should be re-signed as a bridge quarterback and that the Browns should focus on everything else they need to fix.

Of course, who knows what the Cleveland Browns are thinking…

By Ha Kung Wong

Twitter: @FBGarbageTime