The Browns and their fans now head into the quiet period, six weeks before training camp starts in July. The main question for the team, will they get a new deal done with wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Browns and Cooper’s agents are talking, so I’m inclined to think they’ll get it done. If I had to wager a guess, it could be either a three-year deal or a two-year deal. If it’s a three-year contract, the Browns would most certainly reduce his 2024 cap number from $23.8 million (according to https://overthecap.com/salary-cap/cleveland-browns) to around $13.8 million. With incentives and cash, Cooper could increase his 2024 salary to $23 million. That’s still a great deal for a number one WR considering the current market. If it’s a two-year contract, then look at the deal Mike Evans received from Tampa, somewhere in the neighborhood of $20.5 million per year.
Watching the videos from minicamp on social media, I’m even more convinced the Browns will have six defensive ends on the final 53-man roster. I wrote an article about it about a month ago. Here’s a link, https://www.fansfirstsports.com/the-fanatical-elfz-network/browns-way-too-early-53-man-roster-post-draft-browns/. My six are Dalvin Tomlinson, Quinton Jefferson, Shelby Harris, Maurice Hurst, Siaki Ika, and Michael Hall. The team can place Jovon Briggs to the practice squad where I think the seven round pick would be safe from other teams. Add to this, defensive ends Za’Darius Smith and Alex Wright can play inside, and Jefferson and Hall can play outside. Some have predicted Ika would be cut, I’m not going to believe that until I see it. It’s way too early to give up on him. Besides, the Browns need a run-stopper to rotate in on early downs and he was a Jim Schwartz draft pick. All in all, I’m predicting the Browns will have eleven defensive linemen on their final 53-man roster.
If you’re wondering about the new kickoff format the league has implemented, here’s a link to an article I wrote explaining the new rules, https://www.fansfirstsports.com/nfl/get-ready-for-the-new-nfl-kicking-format-browns/. There’s a lot of stats in the article, but there’s one I missed, courteous of Baltimore kicker Justin Tucker. This new format was taken from the XFL and in 2023 XFL kickers were involved in 25% of the tackles on kickoff returns. Browns kicker Dustin Hopkins had one tackle on a return last year, one. Then he got hurt in the regular season game in Houston and was out for the season. No thanks. As I point out in the article, the Chiefs are experimenting with using a safety (Justin Reid) for kickoffs. If memory serves, safety D’Anthony Bell was pressed into service to kick off during the Houston game. Dust off those kicking shoes Mr. Bell. Stay safe and Go Browns.