Free Agency and College Draft
CLEVELAND, O.H. - Contrary to expectations, the Browns front office decided to go older during the off-season, picking up a handful of veterans through free agency and trades. The biggest addition by far (literally as well as figuratively) was Ty Warren, formerly a defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ty Warren tackles Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger
Director of player personnel Howie Craig said, "Ty fits perfectly into our 3-4 scheme. His ability to stop the run at the line will allow our linebackers to show how versatile they really are." Sources say defensive coordinator Lee Sims, the only survivor of the front office purge that took place at the end of last season, is already at work designing new blitz packages for linebackers Chaun Thompson, Kamerion Wimbley, and D'Qwell Jackson.
Chaun Thompson stops LaMont Jordan, former Raiders RB
Warren is expected to make a big impact in the locker room as well. Many players and coaches in the league speak highly of his leadership both on and off the field. "He's actually a quiet guy. Put him in a room full of people, and you wouldn't notice him. But he's the kind of guy who leads by doing. I'll take that kind of leadership any day," said Craig.
The Brown who is perhaps most excited about this addition to the roster is offensive line leader LeCharles Bentley. "You mean I don't have to line up across this guy two times a year? That just made my job two times easier."
As exciting as it is to see Warren in a Cleveland uniform, the question on a lot of people's minds is, "Why so many veterans?" The players joining the Browns this year have an average of 8 years of experience in the vNFL.
Craig was confident that the Browns made the right moves. "Look, we're not trying to make a run at the playoffs this year. Let's be realistic. We've got to win a division game first before we can even think about that. When we evaluate players, we look at the whole package. We look at what they do for us both on and off the field. Right now, we've got a lot of youth and talent but not a whole lot of experience. We thought we could use a couple old hands to show them the ropes."
Only time will tell whether the investment in experience will pay off.
In the vNFL draft, Cleveland acquired three late 1st round picks after some last-minute jockeying for position. Craig said, "We had some needs to fill in the trenches, and we saw a lot of talent in this year's draft on both sides of the line." This is Craig's own debut in the vNFL as the head of a scouting staff. He was an internal promotion after former director of player personnel Frankie Jeans was fired in the purge.
Cleveland welcomes:
1.20 - Oscar Hitchcock (G) - The 6' 6", 347-pound lineman from Northwestern will be competing with his former college teammate Joey Cooley, drafted in the 7th round last year, for a starting job on the offensive line.
1.22 - Al Smith (DT) - Depending on how this Blue Raider does during training camp, the Browns may move to a 4-3 to take advantage of the talent the team now has on the defensive line.
1.31 - Daryl Nied (TE) - With this pick, the Browns went with the best player available. The rookie from Purdue is expected to pull double duty as a run blocker for Devin Fox, and a pass blocker and receiver for Brady Quinn. Look for offensive coordinator Jack Forbes to start using more two TE formations in his schemes to take advantage of Kellen Winslow's and Nied's versatility.
3.30 - George Halkin (CB) - Though Halkin played cornerback for the Terps, Craig and his scouting staff were more impressed with Halkin's ability to cover large areas of the field and stop the run. Defensive coordinator Lee Sims is reportedly considering trying Halkin out at SS to utilize his skills better.
