Cleveland Browns: Is the Colt McCoy Era Over Already?
Notable Free Agents: RB Peyton Hillis
Yes. Yes it is. Colt McCoy struggled as his receivers struggled to stay healthy, but even then, he just doesn’t have the arm to carry the Browns to the next level. He is a good game manager and is someone that can be counted on to fill in, but handing the reigns of the team to McCoy just won’t do it. The Browns defense was one of the best in the league last year and they have the same crew back for this year. (They just resigned stud LB D’Qwell Jackson to a five-year extension.) So now it’s about strengthening the offense.
The Browns are in heavy talks with the Rams for the #2 overall pick so they can draft QB Robert Griffin III and add a Cam Newton-like athlete leading the team. If they do this, they will instantly become a team that other teams will have to watch out for. They might not be a playoff team (in a division that has the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers and the resurgent Cincinnati Bengals), but they won’t be a team to look past on the schedule.
If they stay put at #4, they better hope WR Justin Blackmon falls to them. Adding him will give the Browns that deep threat they so desperately need. McCoy just needs the arm strength to get the ball to him, which I don’t think he has.
Then there is the question of RB Peyton Hillis. Things did not end so well last year with Hillis missing much of the season with a leg injury (and one game for strep throat). That’s why despite the Browns need for a running back, they will let Hillis go and look to the free agent market for their RB issues. RB Montario Hardesty is next on the depth chart, but saying he’s an injury risk is like saying that your mom’s favorite china is fragile. It’s a given. RB Chris Ogbonnaya is the other running back and he’s average at best. The Browns should make a play for Raiders free agent RB Michael Bush. The guy is a beast and the Raiders can’t afford to pay two backs (Bush and Darren McFadden) top ten money, which they both deserve. The Browns make a play for Bush, draft either Griffin III or Blackmon and their offense instantly becomes better and they become a team that will be on the rise.
On the Clock: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Pick #5)
