2022 preseason
Well, after a little while away, I have decided (unexpectedly) to crank things up here again, and we’ll see where our Browns can go with yet another title defense.
One note – this is after applying patch 5.0d, and this is the first time I have ever seen my Superbowl-winning team earn anything but a “100” for performance – we got only a 66. Interesting – wonder if that evaluation has fundamentally changed somehow?
Transitions and League Observations
Our only retirement was LB Darrin Regalado – who was with us for nearly all of his 13 years. 398 career tackles places him seventh on our team’s list, and his 26 sacks put him tenth. Solid player, never a superstar, but pretty good.
A couple of former Browns, RT Donnie Thornton and TE Jonathan Holmes, have also decided they’re done.
Front Office Decisions
Our defensive coordinator, Ted Keith, is up for a new contract. He remains very solid, and we will pursue him aggressively. At 67, though, he is in his final stages, we suspect. He accepts a modest three year deal – we will actually cut costs by re-signing him.
I decide to use the franchise tag on S Kenneth Eskridge – partially because the cap number for a franchised safety will be under $4 million. I expect to work out a new long term deal with the 11th year star – but that number is a good starting point for us, and I do not want to lose him, under any circumstances.
Roster Review
Here’s our financial situation heading into the FA process – with S Eskridge already counting in the figures.
Code:
Players Under Contract: 36
Salary Cap: $75,000,000
Cap Room: $14,110,000
Maximum for New Player: $11,580,000
Cap Room Lost (to old contracts): $950,000
Not a great deal of room to move, but we may not have a lot of pressing needs.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Brock, Deion 2 QB 10 56 56 1 yr.
Dixon, Glenn 19 QB 3 50 67 1 yr.
Lyons, Justin 16 QB 13 33 33 ---
Starks, Will 6 QB 2 9 38 1 yr.
Well, we have our co-starters from last year returning for this season, with both seeking a new deal starting next year. We’re in great shape for right now, and we’ll see how it plays out as the season goes on – Glenn Dixon certainly seems capable of heading a top-tier team, so I’m not worried either way.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Stewart, Gus 39 RB 9 75 75 1 yr.
Barker, Terrance 44 RB 8 50 50 ---
Sims, Daryl 37 RB 4 30 34 ---
Charlton, Mitch 42 RB 2 21 29 2 yrs
Gus Stewart has been eclipsed a bit by the QB situation, but let’s not forget what he has brought to this team: eight seasons, 128 starts, and 12,000+ yards rushing. He’s got 13 lines on his personal awards list but perhaps most telling of all is this fact:
Supewerbowls won with Gus Stewart: 4
Superbowls won without Gus Stewart: 0
Barker and Sims will have a shot at getting the backup role, but I’d also be comfortable looking for a rookie to step in as the #2 guy. Might be a function of contract demands.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Beers, Preston 48 FB 4 50 51 2 yrs
McConnell, Joseph 38 FB 12 40 40 ---
Sellers, Karl 80 TE 7 80 80 3 yrs
Bleeck, Rod 86 TE 2 27 33 1 yr.
Preston Beers is practically my ideal fullback. We love Karl Sellers and his contributions to the offense, but I’m worried about his health, which is showing signs of weakening. We may need to pursue a solid backup TE this season.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Tilton, Cornelius 83 FL 10 39 39 ---
Parker, Dwayne 88 FL 2 33 47 2 yrs
Pritchett, Don 89 SE 5 64 64 2 yrs
Pendleton, Ted 82 SE 6 50 50 1 yr.
Foug, Gino 85 SE 2 27 41 1 yr.
This WR group has been pretty solid, and we’ll try to bring group leader Tilton back on another cheap contract. Will this be the year for Don Pritchett? 1,000 yards isn’t really all that lofty a goal, but regular readers here know how much of an issue it has become. 993 last season left a sting… if he stays healthy, I think he’ll pass the mark this season, finally.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Beyer, Jackie 57 C 3 70 70 2 yrs
O'Donnell, Earl 54 C 4 48 52 1 yr.
Thornton, Mickey 53 LG 12 32 32 ---
Somerville, Moe 68 RG 6 72 72 2 yrs
Cunningham, Ted 56 RG 4 39 52 ---
Aneigh, Bart 73 RG 2 21 28 2 yrs
Hammond, Lonnie 74 LT 2 19 26 2 yrs
Wilson, Irv 66 RT 5 49 49 1 yr.
Glaspie, Nathan 78 RT 10 36 36 ---
We could really use a boost at left tackle – Irv Wilson played there last season, but if we cannot re-sign Nathan Glaspie, we’ll have a new hole. Ideally, landing a solid true left tackle will be possible in this off season, either by the draft or through free agency. Inside, we look good – Moe Somerville is excellent, and Jackie Beyer is starting to dominate from the middle. We look good, but could use one more productive starter.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Burnette, Lance 17 P 5 46 46 ---
Bass, Peter 14 K 2 62 71 2 yrs
Okay.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Quinn, Kim 71 LDE 8 57 57 ---
Lane, Blake 70 LDE 8 29 29 1 yr.
McKenzie, Emmitt 79 LDE 3 26 30 1 yr.
Finch, Zach 77 RDE 3 59 71 3 yrs
Worsham, Drew 92 LDT 8 77 77 4 yrs
Capstraw, Donovan 95 LDT 6 45 45 1 yr.
Alston, Leo 90 LDT 11 37 40 2 yrs
Cash, Floyd 76 RDT 2 26 34 1 yr.
We always are looking for decent depth on the line. Kim Quinn has been an excellent run stopper on the end for us, but he’ll ask for too much to come back. This is the last year we will be able to afford DT Drew Worsham – he rockets to over $10 million next year. Adding a quality defensive end this year would be a great plus – young DT Zach Finch has been very good, but getting a second true contributor from the outside is a top priority.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Michl, Gino 59 WILB 7 65 65 1 yr.
Wallace, Andrew 55 MLB 11 55 55 ---
Gunn, Brandon 52 MLB 7 46 52 1 yr.
May, Steven 50 SLB 9 64 64 2 yrs
Dodge, Kurt 91 SLB 12 47 47 ---
Wilkerson, Russell 97 SLB 3 29 34 1 yr.
Here is our biggest issue right now. Michl is a quality starter, but our other two starters are unsigned. We need to come up with guys to step into starting roles here. My guess is that we will be able to sign one guy – maybe Wallace. Stephen May isn’t exactly the right guy for a starting job, but he is solid all around, and we will be okay if he has to take a starting role – he actually filled in for half of last season. So, re-signing Wallace would probably be fine – but he’s looking for pretty big money, so this is an unknown.
Code:
Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Enochs, Ty 28 LCB 8 48 48 2 yrs
Furr, Randy 32 LCB 10 46 47 1 yr.
Diaz, Monty 34 LCB 11 45 45 1 yr.
Cottle, Bucky 40 LCB 14 38 38 ---
Mascorella, Stanley 47 RCB 2 9 41 2 yrs
Weed, Kirk 24 SS 14 46 46 1 yr.
Eskridge, Kenneth 20 FS 11 69 69 1 yr.
Helmuth, Pat 35 FS 5 34 53 ---
We have our starting four returning, and should be fine here. My long-run strategy of spending only modest money at CB has worked out well here, and our long-standing safety tandem of Weed and Eskridge have been great for us overall.