Question: What Are The Browns Going To Spend $31 Million On?

With the release of Jake Delhomme, the Browns are now more than $35 million under the salary cap of approximately $120 million for this season.  The new CBA will require teams to spend 99% of the salary cap this year, with the deadline for that spending towards the end of the season.  That number is a bit misleading because the 99% refers to the league as a whole.  The lowest percentage any single team can spend is 89%.  Applying that to the Browns would result in spending $31 million at minimum.



This requirement is meant to make teams like the Bengals and other small market teams with tightwad owners spend more money.  It should also help veteran players because teams will have to spend the money somewhere and will likely target long term deals with their own veteran free agents.  Coupled with the rookie salary cap, this is a boon to proven veterans as more money is freed up and more money must be spent.

So the big names in free agency are coming off the shelves and the Browns have yet to make a move.  This is consistent with GM Tom Heckert's warning that the team will not be big spenders in the veteran free agent market this year.  It is most likely the team will sign some second tier free agents with an emphasis on youth and depth.

So the question becomes: on whom will the Browns spend the mandated $31 million?  John Clayton of ESPN has reported the Browns rookie salary pool number as $5.2 million.  We can probably assume the team will focus on getting long term deals done with Joe Thomas and Phil Dawson.  Another possible veteran to secure is Peyton Hillis.  After these names, it gets difficult to imagine what other veterans the team views as a priority to sign long-term.  Most of the best players on the team are still early in their rookie contracts, such as Alex Mack, Joe Haden, and T.J. Ward.  Cornerback Eric Wright will likely be re-signed as well.

Even after securing long-term contracts for these key veterans and signing this year's rookie class - there will still be at least $10 million left to spend - check that - REQUIRED to be spent this year.  It would be hard to imagine the team not signing a starting safety, since there isn't anyone opposite T.J. Ward.  If Sheldon Brown is going to move to safety, another cornerback will need to be signed (sorry Buster Skrine & Eric Hagg, not counting on you yet).  The team has also shown they are still looking for a 3rd down type scat back, so that is also a possibility.  Another starting caliber linebacker and some defensive front 7 depth overall would be nice as well.

But one look at this year's free agent crop makes it tough to figure out who the team could get in the second and third tier that would actually help this team or represent an upgrade.  Orange, Brown, and Down has a sneaking suspicion that the team is going to stock the roster with unproven, inexperienced, and cheap players that they can cheaply and easily discard in the next year or two as they continue to fill roster holes with drafted players.  And that is a smart, if unsatisfying, move by the front office if it comes to pass.  While Browns fans watch other teams go from terrible season to winning records in one swift off season, we get to hunker down and wait for draft day dividends for the next 2 to 3 years.  Well, it is high time the Browns built a team the right way - even if it takes a few years.  The payoff will be a roster with a solid foundation that will provide success for multiple seasons - instead of a flash-in-the-pan winning season every 3 or 4 years followed by wholesale reconstruction.  Heckert helped build the Eagles into an organization that contends almost every year, that doesn't overpay for talent, and has more draft hits than misses.  Let's hope that kind of future awaits us here in Cleveland.