The 2010 season gave the Browns some hope looking towards the future. At QB, Colt McCoy showed Browns fans something they haven’t seen in a few years. At running back, Peyton Hillis seemed to come out of nowhere and is now one step away from being the cover athlete on Madden 2012.
While these, of course, are steps in the right direction, the Browns still have a long way to go if they want to catch up to the Ravens and Steelers. The plan to switch from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 will make their off season quest for improvement even more interesting.
The Browns have some great young players like Joe Thomas and Joe Haden, but in order for their stars to really shine, they need to fill in players around them.
Defensive End
Whenever a defense moves to a 4-3, teams typically find themselves in need of more defensive linemen. The Browns had seven players play most of their snaps on the defensive line in 2010 and of that group, Shaun Rogers and Kenyon Coleman have been cut while Robaire Smith is a free agent – and at the age of 33 it’s not likely he will come back.
This leaves four players who all weigh 295 pounds or more and are projected to be defensive tackles. If Matt Roth returns to the Browns in free agency, he would take one of the defensive end spots despite a terrible end to the season that started out great. Another 3-4 outside linebacker Marcus Benard is projected to move to defensive end, but is more of a pass rushing specialist and probably shouldn’t be an every down option.
Even with those two players, the necessary depth at end is not in order. The Browns need to bring in at least another pair at this position and if Roth isn’t around, they could need three. The Browns potentially have a very good core of linebackers, but they won’t be able to make the plays they need if they don’t have a defensive line in front of them.
Offensive Line
The Browns have two very good offensive linemen. At left tackle, Joe Thomas rated as one of the best in the league even though he had a shaky start to the season. At center, Alex Mack also had a rough beginning to his year, but improved as it went on. While he isn’t one of the great centers in the league, he is above average and clearly is the second best offensive linemen the Browns have.
Over the last three years, Eric Steinbach has consistently been down on the left guard list yet the Browns have continued penciling him in as a starter. At the age of 30 he likely isn’t getting any better, and his replacement isn’t currently on the Browns roster. At right guard was Floyd Womack who had his own struggles as a run blocker. He is 32 years old, a free agent, and isn’t expected back. The Browns have 2010 3rd round pick, Shawn Lauvao, who didn’t look good in his one start against Jacksonville but will likely get a chance to take the right guard job.
The 2010 right tackle, John St. Clair, has already been cut and Tony Pashos currently figures to be next in line, though he didn’t show himself to be an improvemnt in the time he had. The reserve players are all either undrafted or were waived by their original teams and brought to the Browns.
In order for the Browns to solidify their line, they need help for sure at the left guard and right tackle spots as well as some general depth.
Wide Receiver
While the Browns’ lack defensive ends and offensive linemen make them very big needs, many would view wide receiver as another. The starters in 2010 were Mohamed Massaquoi and Brian Robiskie. In PFF’s pass ratings for wide receivers they ranked 89th and 87th respectively.
Both are young players that the Browns aren’t likely to give up on in the next year or two, but neither seems particularly worthy of being the team’s top receiver and behind them, there isn’t much depth. Their slot receiver Chansi Stuckey is a free agent, and it doesn’t look like he is coming back.
The only other receiver with more than 15 snaps for the Browns in 2010 was Josh Cribbs who could become a bigger part of the offense, but the Browns have been saying Cribbs would be a bigger part for a few years now so it’s hard to believe that he would.
2010’s 6th round pick Carlton Mitchell hasn’t had much of a shot and Demetrius Williams seems a fit for a backup role, but not much more than that. The Browns would love to get their hands on a true number one receiver, but if they can’t, just getting more depth would be a wise move.
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