By John Sarianides

Contrary to what we have thought in recent years, the Cleveland Browns do in fact have a plan and it is starting to come to fruition. 

After suffering through a 1-15 season in 2016, many people thought the Browns were going to be stuck in football purgatory forever. Fast forward two months later and the Browns are the toast of the football world today. 

Thanks to an abundance of cap space along with having the number one pick in the draft and some shrewd manuerving, there is now hope in Cleveland.

The Browns used the available cap space at their disposal to re-sign linebacker Jaime Collins and guard Joel Bitonio. They then signed wide receiver Kenny Britt, center J.C Tretter and guard Kevin Zeitler today. Zeitler got the largest contract in league history for a guard signing a 5 year, $60 million dollar deal. 

Perhaps the best move the Browns made today was acquiring quarterback Brock Osweiler and a 2018 second round pick. from the Houston Texans for nothing. Houston wanted to get Osweiler’s money off of their books and Cleveland had the cap space to absorb his contract for next season. The Browns didn’t want Osweiler. In fact, they are probably going to release him. They wanted the pick. 

Cleveland now has 11 picks in each of the next two drafts. They have three first round picks and five second round picks among those picks. They have now the arsenal necessary to make a run at Patriots back up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. If they don’t get Garoppolo, they are in prime position to make another deal or stand pat and draft players. 

A year ago, the Browns were starting over with a veteran head coach and an inexperienced front office. The union of old school football and analytics seemed like an odd marriage. Now it seems like Hue Jackson, Sashi Brown and Paul DePodesta have a plan and that plan is coming to fruition before our very eyes.

The Cleveland Browns are getting better and for the first time in a long time, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The Browns may finally be heading in the right direction. 

What do they say in Philadelphia? Trust the process? It’s time we trusted the process in Cleveland. 

Draft pick photo courtesy of NFL.com