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This past Tuesday twitter was filled with pictures and videos of Browns players reporting to the facility in Berea. My favorite part of late July. The players took their covid tests and those who passed were allowed into the facility for physicals. The NFL mandated a player must pass three consecutive tests before entering training camp. Apparently the Browns had arranged prior testing for the players and rookies reporting on Tuesday. Smart move. This front office is ahead of the curve again. Today the rest of the veterans take their third test in four days.

Speaking of Covid, three Browns players so far have ended up on the reserve/Covid list. RB Dontrell Hilliard, S Jovante Moffatt and recently P Jamie Gilliam. According to the NFL, the rules for placing a player on the reserve list are if a player tests positive for covid-19 or comes in contact with a person who tests positive for covid-19. The rules in the agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA, forbid teams from commenting on a players medical status, so teams can’t say if a player has tested positive or is in quarantine. There are reports, that Gilliam tested positive a month ago, then tested negative. He said in a recent interview he feels fine, but this still bears watching.

As of this writing, only two Browns players have opted out for the 2020 season. Offensive linemen Drew Forbes and Drake Dorbeck. I will never fault a player for opting out. I doubt, because of no pre-season games, that Dorbeck would have made the team and Forbes was going to be in the competition for the right guard spot. The Browns still have good depth on the offensive line. Right now it appears Wyatt Teller is the leader in the clubhouse for the RG spot with OL Chris Hubbard as depth. I’m really happy the Browns kept Hubbard. Also, rookie Nick Harris did play guard in college. But because OL coach Bill Callahan loved Teller coming out of college, he has the advantage prior to practices.

As for injured players, WR Jarvis Landry still remains a mystery. Landry assured everyone he would be ready for the season and will take his physical this weekend. It won’t surprise me if ends up on the PUP list for the start of training camp. That’s fine by me, I would rather have Landry ready for the season opener, if it takes place. Because of the continuing problems in Major League Baseball with players testing positive, the Marlins, Phillies and now the Cardinals have all had games postponed. I hope Browns players are paying attention. The players will have to police themselves and make sure no one does something stupid and cause a team wide outbreak. Due to the precautions in the facility, if a player is going to catch covid-19, it’ll be on the outside. This is were veteran leadership comes into play.

Last, head coach Kevin Stefanski held a press conference this week and there was some news. When the players hit the field for conditioning drills, they’ll be split into two groups. One in the morning and one in the afternoon. Stefanski also said he’s been able to meet some players mask to mask. However he said he has not talked to TE David Njoku. Sounds like the Browns are planning on keeping Njoku. I’m sure they’re not comfortable with rookie Harrison Bryant as the number two tight end. The coach also reported no members of his coaching staff has opted out for the season. Good to hear. As for who will call plays, Stefanski says they have a plan for that. I’m sure they do, they’ve had a plan for everything else in this weird year.

Hopefully no more players will be placed on the reserve/covid-19 list and no other Browns will opt out for the season. I have full confidence the NFL will start on time, come hell or high water. However, I’m not really confident they’ll finish the season. Let’s all hope the NFL is paying attention to the success the NHL, MLS and NBA is having, as well as, the failures MLB is experiencing. So everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

It’s almost time Browns fans, quarterbacks and rookies report to Berea today and the rest of the team reports Tuesday July 28. The players union and the league worked out a satisfactory testing program, cutting the roster to 80 players and no pre season games. The last hurdle seems to have been the revenue sharing and next years salary cap, which as of this writing has been resolved. The cut down to 80 players will not happen until August 16, so Browns fans can play their favorite game, adopt your favorite undrafted rookie in training camp. My biggest concern however, is the lack of any pre season games, which would be a definite disadvantage for teams with new coaching staffs, like the Browns. Hopefully, the team will scrimmage enough to work things out. We’ll all find out how well those zoom position meetings went.

Thursday it was announced that the Browns hired Kevin Rogers as senior assistant to the staff. Rogers worked with head coach Kevin Stefanski on the Vikings from 2006 to 2010 as quarterbacks coach. It seems strange that the Browns would hire another coach this close to training camp starting, however with the prospect of no pre season games, it makes sense. Coach Stefanski will need all the help he can get installing his offense. Stefanski considers Rogers a mentor. I’ll be writing an article for http://www.clesportstalk.com detailing the effect of no pre season games on the 2020 Cleveland Browns. Watch for it next week.

In other sports news, today is opening day for the Cleveland Indians. Late July and it’s opening day, wow. The tribe should make the expanded 16 team playoffs solely based on their starting rotation. In an era where switch hitters are a rarity in baseball, their first four hitters are switch hitters. My only concern would be the bullpen. Their greatest strength is their manager Tito Francona. Francona knows how to handle a bullpen and revolutionized how it is used. In 2016 he would bring in reliever Andrew Miller at any time during a game. Since being hired by the Indians in 2013, Cleveland leads the American league in wins with 639. Go Tribe.

So as we move forward, it’s apparent the NFL is determined to play games and stay on schedule as much as possible. Damn the pandemic, full speed ahead. Now that the union and the league have worked out the last of their differences, training camps will open on time next week. We’re still a long way from playing games, but football this fall would be a welcome sight. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

First lets start with the NFL vs. the NFLPA. As I told you last week, the players voted not to have any pre season games. The owners are holding firm, for now, on two pre season games. For teams with new coaching staffs, any pre season games would be very valuable, but the players health and safety take center stage. In that vein, the league still hasn’t addressed certain Covid-19 questions. If a player tests positive for Covid, will they go on injured reserve and not get paid or will there be a special designation? How will testing be done and what kind of turn around time will there be for the results of the tests? In other news, the NFL has given the players until August 1 to opt out of playing in 2020 for health concerns. If players opt out, will they get paid? Theses questions need to be answered prior to Monday July 20, when players for the Chiefs and Texans report to camp. The Browns report Tuesday July 28.

On to some good news. The last two draft picks signed, LB Jacob Phillips and S Grant Delpit. All Browns draft picks are signed and the Browns are the first NFL team to have all their picks under contract. It’s hard to judge how good this draft class is without OTA’s and rookie training camp, but based on their college careers, I think all can be contributors in 2020. First round pick LT Jedrick Wills and second round pick S Grant Delpit are the obvious starters, but I could see third round picks LB Jacob Phillips and DT Jordan Elliot in the playing rotation on defense. Fourth round pick TE Harrison Bryant, if he can add about 10 lbs., could be TE #2 if the Browns trade Njoku and sixth round pick WR Donovan People-Jones will be in the mix at wide receiver and kick returner. Fifth round pick C Nick Harris will be in the mix for the backup center and both guard spots. I just wish Browns fans had OTA’S and rookie training camp to make these judgments.

Last but not least, the BIG news. The Browns worked out an extension with 2017 number one pick DE Myles Garrett. It has been reported to be a five year, $125 million dollar contract with $100 million in guarantees and $50 million due on signing. Those numbers sound familiar to me. Hmmm…. where have I heard those numbers before? Oh, that’s right, in my article for http://www.clesportstalk.com entitled “Pay The Man”. That’s the contract I thought the Browns would offer Garrett. Is that a horn I hear? It sounds like it’s going Toot, Toot. However, I thought the Browns would have either a voidable fifth year or a team option to protect themselves. Nope, what the Browns front office did was even more team friendly. Garrett will play 2020 under his rookie fourth year at $4.6 million and 2021 under his fifth year option of $15.1 million. The contract extension will then go into effect in 2022 and run through 2026. I really love this front office. Of course in Pittsburgh, they want Garrett suspended till hell freezes over. Sorry Big Ben, Myles Garrett is coming for you. Maybe you should have retired, just saying.

So, with all the draft picks signed and with Vernon’s contract restructure, the Browns salary cap space according to http://www.overthecap.com, stands at $38.7 million. Save it for next year Browns, the way things are going this year, the team is going to need it. I can’t imagine the 2021 salary cap going up and it might, for the first time, decrease. Save it and roll it over into 2021. As always, please everyone stay safe, commit to good hand hygiene and please, I’m begging you WEAR A MASK. Go Browns.

Let’s start with the players union. Last Friday, the NFLPA voted to play no pre season games. I seriously doubt the NFL owners will go along with this prospect, but you never know. The union is also stressing the league pay more attention to health officials in order to protect players. The league then issued a statement that any player can opt out of playing the 2020 season. If a player feels it’s safer for himself and his family not to play in 2020, then they can sit out the season. This bares watching.

The big news last Friday was TE David Njoku asking for a trade before training camp. Go to http://wwwCLEsportsTalk.com for my opinion on this. The article covers some potential trade situations. Personally, I don’t think the Browns should trade Njoku, but I hate distractions. Just click on the Browns link to read the article. This week it was also announced that the Browns and DE Olivier Vernon had worked out a contract restructure. Vernon’s contract for 2020 is now $11 million guaranteed. This gives Vernon security for 2020 and the Browns an additional $4.5 million in cap space. It also means the pursuit of DE Jadeveon Clowney is over. Finally. Like I’ve said in previous blogs, I’d rather have Vernon on the the last year of his contract, than Clowney on the first year of his contract. This give the Browns about $41.8 million in cap space.

Also in the last seven days the Browns signed two more draft picks. Third round pick DE Jordan Elliot and first round pick LT Jedrick Wills. Elliot signed a four year contract worth $4.6 million and Wills signed a four year contact, with a fifth year option worth $19.7 million. This leaves only second round pick S Grant Delpit and the second third round pick LB Jacob Phillips unsigned.

Finally, the Browns first opponent Baltimore, announced they would only allow 14000 fans in the stands for game one against the Browns. This years sports landscape is getting stranger and stranger by the day. From the news that the Ivy League is shutting down it’s fall sports, to the possibility that the state of Texas won’t play high school football, to The Ohio State announcing they will only play conference games this year. It appears that fall sports are in serious trouble. So if you love fall sports, wear a mask in public, social distance and wash your hands. Everyone please stay safe and Go Browns.

The Browns news started this week on Monday with the signing of QB Cam Newton by New England. Bill Belichick’s dog Nike may not like drafting QB’s, but he likes signing them. What makes this Browns news? Adam Schefter reported only two teams talked to Newton, The Patriots and the Browns. Immediately Browns twitter went in hyper drive that the Browns had no faith in QB Baker Mayfield. No, Browns GM Andrew Berry was doing due diligence. He’s said many times, he’ll always be looking to acquire talent and upgrade the roster. Sounds like a good NFL GM doing his job. The humorous side story to this news was that Newton and OBJ have been working out this off season so the Beckham to the Patriots crap soon followed. Beckham quickly shot down these rumors by saying he was happy in Cleveland, but why would you believe him right? As I’ve said before, OBJ is all in on the Browns.

Next, Browns center J.C. Tretter, who is the president of the players union, posted a statement on the NFLPA website concerning players reporting to camp on July 28. “Professional athletes in every sport have to regularly fend off criticism that our profession should be considered less of a job and that we shouldn’t fight for protections and benefits,‘’ he wrote. “As we begin our fight for necessary COVID-19 protections, these recycled misconceptions will be used to undermine the strength of our union and the legitimacy of your career.‘’ “We’re not invincible, and as recent reports have shown, we certainly aren’t immune to this virus,‘’ Tretter wrote. “Underlying conditions like high BMI [body mass index], asthma, and sleep apnea are all associated with a higher risk of developing severe symptoms and complications when infected with COVID-19. Those conditions are widespread across the league. NFL players are humans — some with immuno-compromised family members or live-in elderly parents. Trust me: we want to play football. But as a union, our most important job is to keep our players safe and alive. The NFLPA will fight for our most at-risk players and their families.‘’ While the NFL moves forward, the players are preceding with caution, as they should.

The NFL has hit a few speed bumps in their schedule this week. First they cancelled the Hall Of Fame Game and the Induction ceremony in Canton. Then they announced the cancellation of the supplemental draft and finally they trimmed the pre season games from four to two. So now teams will play games two and three of the pre season. This means the Browns will play at Green Bay on Aug. 22 and host the Vikings on Aug. 30. This allows teams to have a 25 day acclimation period for players. By these moves the NFL is acknowledging the seriousness of the pandemic.

Finally, the week ended with noted Mayfield hater Colin Cowherd’s top ten list of AFC quarterbacks. Surprisingly Baker Mayfield made the top ten at number seven. This set off a day long analysis of Mayfield on ESPN and NFL Network on Thursday. Freaking Drew Lock of Denver was at number ten. Lock played in 5 games for the Broncos attempting 156 passes, completing 100 and all the networks can talk about is how to fix Baker Mayfield. Really?

As I write this, Adam Schefter is reporting that Browns TE David Njoku is asking for trade. I guess he thought the Browns signing of TE Austin Hopper and the drafting of TE Harrison Bryant would take away his targets. If he could catch the ball that might really be a concern. I’ll be writing an article about this on http://www.CLEsportsTalk.com this weekend. Browns drama in July, well 2020 is starting feel normal, until the aliens invade or the asteroid hits.

So as we hopefully inch closer to watching pro football, everyone stay safe, please for god’s sake wear a mask and Go Browns.

This week started with a zoom meeting with RB Kareem Hunt and the Cleveland media. The media started with half dozen questions about Hunt’s off season incident in Rocky River Ohio. Hunt expressed his remorse for the incident and again thanked the Cleveland Browns for giving him a chance to play for his home town team. Interestingly he said he would love to sign a long term deal with the Browns. Currently Hunt is under a 2nd round restricted free agent tender for about 3.5 million, which he signed on April 20. Keeping both Hunt and Nick Chubb in 2021 would be any Browns fans dream, but can it be achieved? I’m currently writing an article about that subject for http://www.clesportstalk.com and it should be on the website next week.

The week ended with Head Coach Kevin Stefanski talking to the media. First let me say, I love this guy. When asked about the current situation of coaching players virtually and all the uncertainty of this off season, Stefanski said, “I’m comfortable being uncomfortable.” Stefanski also said, “All off season long, we’ve had a plan, and we’re ready to pivot.” I can’t wait to see this guy coach. There was also news on when the facility in Berea will be opening. On July 24, injured players and quarterbacks can report and all players can report on July 28. The July 24 date is important because if the Browns are thinking about signing another free agent, those players can come in on July 24 for a physical. Finally, the last news items to come from this press conference were some good news and some possible bad news. Coach Stefanski announced Odell Beckham Jr is 100% and ready to go for training camp. The possible bad news is Jarvis Landry is not quite ready yet. Hopefully by July 28, Landry will be ready to go.

The new flavor of the week for Browns twitter is trading for Jags DE Yannik Ngakoue. My question is, why trade a first round pick or more for a one year rental? I wish Browns twitter would please stop. The Browns right now are happy with DE Olivier Vernon. Yes that could change, but he is a good player and I say he stays with the Browns. Remember in the week four win over the Ravens, Vernon got the first sack of Lamar Jackson on Baltimore’s first possession.

Episode five of “Building The Browns” on Youtube aired last Sunday. If you haven’t seen it, please watch it. If you’re a Browns fan it will make you very proud of this organization. This series is always a must see. As always everyone stay safe and if want to watch football in the fall,wear a damn mask.

Go Browns.

First came the news earlier in the week that the Browns offered Jadeveon Clowney a one year deal worth 15 million. Please stop. STOP. If Clowney wanted to play in Cleveland, he would’ve signed the multi year deal that the Browns offered in the early days of free agency. He’s been offered the most money by the Browns with every contract offer. Not going to happen. Next on our list of craziness for the week, should the Browns sign QB Cam Newton? Are you freaking kidding me? Look, I know that ESPN, NFL Network and sports talk radio is running out of content, but Cam Newton? The Browns already have a franchise QB and built an offense best suited for Baker Mayfield.

Finally, Jets Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams has again requested a trade. Of course Browns twitter wants the Browns to trade several first round draft picks for Adams. Safety is not a concern for the Browns. They already have J.T Hassell and Sheldon Redwine from last year and signed Andrew Sendejo and Karl Joseph in free agency. The gem of the safety room is second round draft pick Grant Delpit. He’s a first round talent and will be a force in this defense. Remember, DC Joe Woods last coached the secondary for the San Fransico 49ers. Besides, Adams doesn’t seem like the type of player the Browns want. He’s going to cost too much both in draft capital and salary.

Remember the 2020 salary cap of 198.2 million is based on the revenue to be made in 2020. With the pandemic, this years NFL revenues will be down and the 2021 cap may stay the same or go up very little. The Browns are currently trying to lock up Myles Garrett to a large contract extension and still have the fifth year options for both Mayfield and Ward. Plus the team has to deal with weather to sign Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt to future contracts.

The good news of the week came out of the news conference with WR coach Chad O’Shea. O’Shea confirmed that Beckham and Landry are on schedule with their rehabs. He also said the both are more interested in wining than personal statistics. That’s the kind of news I like to hear. O’Shea also said the RB Kareem Hunt might be used as a third wide receiver. What? I love this idea. Imagine a formation with Mayfield under center, Chubb in the backfield, Hooper as the TE, Landry in the slot and OBJ and Hunt lined up wide. Go ahead NFL defense coordinators try and stop it. I can’t wait to see all the different formations this wide zone offense will produce.

As for the other pro leagues, the MLS and NHL are still on schedule and MLB is arguing over 60 or 76 games. In the NBA, the players are starting to question the league’s plans. Kyrie Irving even proposed the players starting their own league. The most shocking thing I learned about the NBA was that Irving is the VP of the players association. Who in gods name voted him VP of the players association? He’s a member of the flat earth society.

The bad news is more and more college and pro players and coaches are testing positive for Covid-19. Besides the NFLPA calling for only two pre season games, some NFL owners are pushing for a delay to the start of the season. Because this country didn’t take this pandemic seriously and a lot of states opened way too early, the possibility of no sports this summer and fall is realistic. I hope I’m wrong, because I think we could all use the distraction. All I can say is if you have to go out, social distance and wear a mask, use hand sanitizer and please wash your hands. Stay safe and Go Browns.

As the NFL slowly comes back to life with more individuals allowed in team facilities, the NFL announced virtual meetings will come to an end on June 26. That’s a signal that players not rehabbing at the facilities will be heading back to the building, providing the NFLPA also agrees. The NFL also instructed teams that coaches after that date can meet with 30 players at a time. It’s a start. What excites me about this announcement is free agent visits and possible physicals can now be scheduled. The only player I want the Browns to bring in on a visit is LB Nigel Bradham. I understand the Browns don’t put a lot of value on the linebacker position, but the LB room needs an experienced player. On defense the Browns can move second round draft pick Grant Delpit into the LB position on third down due to his coverage and tackle skills, but the team needs one more experienced linebacker.

There were rumors that the Browns were going to bring in DE Everson Griffen for a visit. I can not verify this rumor, so it’s still only a rumor. Although Griffen would be a nice addition, I still think the Browns are happy with DE Olivier Vernon and will let him play out his contract. Besides the linebacker position, I really don’t see a weakness in any other position group, baring injury. As a Browns fan, you always have to add baring injury.

Like I said earlier, the only thing holding up the NFL’s schedule is the players union and I agree with the players. The players are the one’s taking the greatest risk with the reopening of facilities and training camps. The NFLPA has proposed eliminating two preseason games. I think we can all agree two preseason games a year is plenty as long as teams with new coaching staffs get to open their training camps earlier. We’ll all have to wait to see how all this plays out.

As for the other pro sports, the NHL, NBA and MLS are moving forward and MLB is still fighting over money. After shooting themselves in the foot not once, not twice, but three times, MLB is aiming at the other foot. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred stated this week that baseball will be played this year. If no agreement is made, MLB will revert to the March agreement they have with players union playing 50 games. Are you kidding me? 50 games? The world champion Nationals started last year 19-31, so 50 games is not an option. I hope MLS is ready to take it’s place in the big four of pro sports, because baseball is about to have one big funeral.

That’s it for this week. Keep an eye out for my articles on http://www.Clesportstalk.com. My latest is a look at our new rookie head coach Kevin Stefanski. Also you can follow them on twitter @CLEsportsTalk. They post great highlights from Cleveland’s past on twitter. Everyone please stay safe and GO Browns.

Yesterday the NFL announced that coaching staffs can return to their facilities today. It was further noted that teams could have up to 100 people in the facilities at one time. This is subject to local and state regulations. Right now the NFL’s focus is for players and coaches getting together for the start of training camps in July. Currently the only players allowed in the facilities are players rehabbing from injuries. This is both good news and bad news for the Browns. The bad news is no OTA’s or mini camps. However the good news there is going to be a training camp for Kevin Stefanski to install his offense. Hopefully the virtual meetings have been making an impact.

Speaking of virtual meetings, OC Alex Van Pelt told the media this week that WR Odell Beckham, Jr. has been staying as close to the team as possible during the meetings. Van Pelt says Beckham has been a “model player.” Word is both he and Jarvis Landry are ahead of schedule on their rehabs. Browns fans have to admit that the lack of participation in OTA’s and mini camps by Beckham was one of the major factors in the teams downfall last year. Besides Beckham, the poor tackle play, Kitchen’s piss poor play calling and Mayfield’s lack of dedication were the other factors. Glad to see Beckham stepping up.

Van Pelt noted that QB Baker Mayfield has been improving his footwork to handle the west coast offense. I have the feeling the Browns are going to lead the league in play action pass in the wide zone/west coast offensive. Mayfield has excelled in play action in his two years in the league. He also said Mayfield is dropping in on other position group meetings like RB and WR. Hey, look our QB is a team leader. Have you noticed while national media types are tearing down Mayfield, he hasn’t said a word? In his meeting with the media a couple of weeks ago, Mayfield said, “It’s time to shut up and work.” That’s my quarterback.

Hopefully the last Browns/Clowney news. It was reported this week that the Browns offered Clowney 12 million a year in a multi year deal. Of course he turned it down. Like I said last week, they don’t need anymore big signings. The Browns need to sign their remaining draft picks and use any cap left over to address next year. The salary cap is based on future revenue, so the 198.2 million cap for 2020 was based on the revenue the league would generate this year. Obviously because of the pandemic, the league revenues will be down in 2020. So the expected large increase in the cap for 2021 probably won’t happen. Again as I said last week, with carry forward cap space and expiring contracts, the Browns could have up to 100 million in additional cap space. Besides, as my wife, Karen, says if Clowney doesn’t want to be in Cleveland, then screw him.

In other pro sports, It appears the NBA, the NHL and MLS are set to make their returns. Where’s MLB you ask? They’re still arguing over money. It appears there will be no Major League Baseball this year and with the MLB CBA expiring after the 2021 season, a looming lockout is on the horizon for 2021. I’ve never seen a bigger self inflicted wound in pro sports since boxing. There was a time in this country when boxing and baseball were the two biggest sports. Of course all it takes is one positive test and it will all be shut down again. Looks like the cautious approach by the NFL is the smart approach.

Finally, I saw on twitter videos of how the Browns are cleaning their facilities, so it looks like another episode of “Building The Browns” is being filmed. Keep an eye out for it and watch. It’s a great change of pace from watching past Browns games. Also my second article for http://www.clesportstalk.com , (@CLEsportsTalk) just hit the website. It’s about the origins of Browns Backers Worldwide and my personal experiences with the Middle Tennessee Browns Backers. Give a read and give them a follow. It’s a great website for Cleveland sports and much more. I hope everyone is staying safe and Go Browns.

These tidbits are killing me, but we have to keep up with Browns news. First the Browns facilities will open this Monday June 1st. Phase one will include a limited amount of employees. The NFL announced this week, it will be another two weeks before coaches and players can go to team facilities. Of course we haven’t yet heard from players union president, Browns C J.C. Tretter if the players agree to what Roger Goodell said, so grab your popcorn and we’ll wait and see. As a pro football fan, I’m glad to see the NFL taking the necessary precautions to make sure everyone is safe and the season starts on time. God, we need some football this fall.

In other news, the Browns didn’t do the annual purge of the scouting department. Instead of firing everyone, they actually kept people and even promoted some. What in gods name is going on here? You mean to tell me the Browns are trying to have a stable front office? Okay, the weirdness of 2020, just got weirder. Here’s the breakdown:

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah — VP Football Operations

Ryan Grigson — Senior Football Advisor

Charles Walls — National Scout

Josh Cox — Northwest Area Scout

Nate Sterken – Lead Data Scientist

Andrew Jackson – Data Architect / Systems Developer

Kevin Lewis – Software Developer

The following 20 have taken on new roles after their respective promotions and title changes.

Glenn Cook — VP of Player Personnel

Ken Kovash — VP of Player Personnel Process & Development

Andrew Healy — VP of Research & Strategy

Dan Saganey — Director of Player Personnel

Dave Giuliani – Director Research & Strategy

Mike Cetta — Director of Scouting Research

Adam Al-Khayyal — Assistant Director of Pro Personnel

Tyler Hamblin — Football Operations Coordinator

Zach Wigmore — Scouting Research Coordinator

Megan Rock — Player Personnel Coordinator

Shaun Herock — National Scout

Colton Chapple — Southeast Area Scout

Dan Zegers — Midwest Area Scout

Jimmy Noel — Northeast Area Scout

Branden Francis — Pro Scout

Rod Streater – Scouting Assistant

Joe Dever – Scouting Assistant

Debra Kruszynski – Executive Assistant Player Personnel/Coaching

Bradley DeAngelis – Director Football Information Systems

Zach Zelinsky – Senior Software Developer

You have to love Zach Zelinsky as the Senior Software Developer. Let’s break it down, the guy is a stud. Just kidding, I have no idea who the hell this guy is, but I like him because he works for the Browns. What’s great about all this, is continuity. Great teams keep great people. For once the Browns are sticking with the people who helped them have a great off season.

I have to comment on the Clowney situation. Yes the Browns have offered him the most money and a multi year deal. And yes he’s mulling it over. And also yes the Browns are interested in signing Clowney. But here’s the deal, he’s a luxury. Right now, the Browns have somewhere between 40 to 35 million in salary cap space. The Browns still have to sign four more draft picks, including first round pick Jedrick Wills and second round pick Grant Delpit. If, the team doesn’t have to spent a ton of money for players who get injured during the season, that 40 to 35 million will turn into 70 to 80 million in cap space to carryforward into 2021. Add expiring contracts and the Browns will have about 100 to 110 million in cap space next year above the salary cap. Do you still want a luxury?

On a personal note, as I told you previously, I just started writing articles for a great new website for Cleveland fans, https://clesportstalk.com. The people who run this website are true fans. If you’re not reading this website, what the hell’s wrong with you? Friday night I had the opportunity to take part in a roundtable discussion about the Cavs and the Browns for a YouTube show with fellow writers on the site. The show is put together by Joshua Ungar and is called “Ungar To The Max.” It will premiere today, May 31 at 3:00 eastern. Tune in and watch. Also, be watching for a chat I did with John Cahill, Dawg Pound Ireland, @JohnCahill_Irl. John is a great guy and worth a follow. I don’t know what the rest of you are doing with your time but, man I’ve been busy. You know what to do everyone, most importantly stay safe. Go Browns.