2018 preseason
After a little time away, we’re back in Cleveland, after losing our streak of titles, we will try to regroup and get back into the hunt.
Here is the team history to this point, for a refresher:
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Year Team Eval Perf Diff Proft FrVal Record Playoffs
2017 CLE 69 74 77 71 54 11-6-0 Wild Card Round
2016 CLE 91 100 76 100 52 15-4-0 Bowl Winner
2015 CLE 92 100 74 100 60 17-2-0 Bowl Winner
2014 CLE 89 90 75 100 58 16-2-0 Conference Final
2013 CLE 86 83 75 100 51 13-5-0 Division Final
2012 CLE 89 95 77 100 51 17-2-0 Conference Champion
2011 CLE 79 66 77 97 44 13-6-0 Conference Final
2010 CLE 80 83 78 91 37 12-5-0 Division Final
2009 CLE 83 83 79 99 31 12-5-0 Division Final
2008 CLE 73 69 79 90 22 9-8-0 Wild Card Round
2007 CLE 66 28 79 100 17 7-9-0 None
2006 CLE 58 2 77 100 20 3-13-0 None
2005 CLE 57 17 74 86 28 5-11-0 None
2004 CLE 61 5 71 100 33 4-12-0 None
Transitions and League Observations
We have three retirements – the first time I’ve really had to deal with such things. WR Alex Garcia was brought in as a veteran leader, it’s no shock he’s gone. DT Gary Cascadden had been a dominant player, but injuries made him an afterthought – he quits after two years off, basically.
But the big shock is LB Curtis Davis. He played 12 seasons, and was in great form in his last season – but now he has decided to walk away, after his career year. Very tough loss for us, and our defense.
Elsewhere, Philadelphia QB Jacques Cheatham has also retired – but we’ll see him before long, as he is a HOF mortal lock, a seven-time MVP. Whoa.
Front Office Decisions
Our staff is in place, and I don’t see any reason to upend things. We Stand pat with our front office, and with our ticket prices. Our margin was slimmer yet last season, but we’re not in a financial panic quite yet.
Roster Review
Here is our financial status, to begin with:
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Players Under Contract: 39
Salary Cap: $75,000,000
Cap Room: $25,580,000
Maximum for New Player: $22,130,000
I feel like we ought to be able to do some things, though we might not be able to fill all our holes with veterans.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Glover, Tyrone 1 QB 15 54 54 ---
Brock, Deion 2 QB 6 54 54 1 yr.
Irwin, Melvin 12 QB 9 21 40 ---
Wright, Cary 10 QB 2 11 39 3 yrs
Deion Brock has the job, but also an injury suspicion around him. I’ll need to get a secure backup – preferably better than Glover, though he’s not out of the running completely.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Stewart, Gus 39 RB 5 83 83 1 yr.
Baker, Joe 36 RB 4 41 51 1 yr.
Frederickson, Renaldo 28 RB 3 36 45 2 yrs
Aguilera, Danny 30 RB 8 29 29 ---
Same as usual – Stewart is the man, heaven help us if he goes down. Baker seems to be unable to actually reach his potential, despite getting meaningful playing time every season. I’ll continue my search for an improvement at #2. Aguilera may stay, just for harmony’s sake, if he remains cheap.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Brandon, Dean 45 FB 4 37 62 1 yr.
Sellers, Karl 80 TE 3 71 79 2 yrs
Chambliss, Todd 85 TE 5 45 51 1 yr.
I’m satisfied with Brandon, and am pleased with Sellers’s development. He posted his 600/6 last year – now he can only get better from there, I hope. Good position group, I have guys I like a lot.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Newsome, Joey 87 FL 7 55 55 1 yr.
Tilton, Cornelius 83 FL 6 38 38 1 yr.
Burroughs, Stanley 84 SE 6 42 42 2 yrs
Haass, Austin 81 SE 2 35 45 1 yr.
Lesky, Omar 32 SE 3 29 35 1 yr.
Pendleton, Ted 82 SE 2 27 47 2 yrs
I’m generally fairly pleased with this group – though we don’t really have a true gamebreaker or go-to guy in this lot. Yes, it would be nice to have one guy break through, even if only to post our first 1,000-yard season. But we have a solid, complementary bunch here, and that’s okay.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Nunley, Monty 54 C 8 84 84 1 yr.
Pond, Ellis 57 C 8 57 63 2 yrs
Rowell, Jeff 51 C 5 43 57 2 yrs
Thornton, Mickey 53 LG 8 55 55 1 yr.
Gruber, Lincoln 63 RG 14 44 44 ---
Palmer, Nathan 61 RG 2 19 23 1 yr.
**Heinlein, Bennie 71 LT 14 54 55 ---
Cole, John 68 LT 2 21 28 2 yrs
Glaspie, Nathan 78 RT 6 38 38 1 yr.
Nunley continues to excel and anchor the line for us, while our two long-time veterans are up for new deals. We could have a big loss of cohesion if both of them go – I will make a real effort to return both Heinlein and Thornton to the team. Heinlein is seriously injured, and may not play again – but I think he’d help us retain our astronomical cohesion ratings, which certainly must be helping us. Tackle is a target spot for us, however, no matter how you slice it.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Rinehart, Kyle 5 P 4 47 48 ---
Crain, Mo 15 K 5 92 92 ---
I’d like to re-sign Mo Crain, but expect that his demands will again be ridiculous. I’ll try to pick up a cheap kicker, perhaps to help offset the cost.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
**Hartman, Seth 67 LDE 6 71 84 2 yrs
Fox, Jimmy 93 LDE 12 46 48 ---
Lane, Blake 70 LDE 4 25 30 ---
Limon, Lincoln 79 LDE 15 24 24 ---
Albright, Devin 74 LDE 2 15 24 2 yrs
Jaramillo, Jerome 95 RDE 5 45 45 2 yrs
Kauffman, Bryce 96 RDE 2 14 48 4 yrs
Ashford, Grady 92 LDT 8 44 45 1 yr.
Oliveira, Willie 76 LDT 14 40 41 1 yr.
Farquhar, Omar 98 RDT 2 18 39 2 yrs
Lots of bodies here, not a lot of answers. DE Jimmy Fox played on a one year deal – maybe he will be more reasonable this offseason. DE Seth Hartman is listed as out for 8 weeks – this time, we won’t bring him back until he is totally 100% recovered. Even then, we expect to get something like one game out of him before he’s out again for the year –he’s just done, I think. I think we will need to add a player or two here, just to build depth. Seems we need it every year.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Blackwell, C.J. 97 MLB 7 70 73 1 yr.
Upshaw, Jonathan 50 MLB 8 62 62 2 yrs
Dodge, Kurt 91 SLB 8 60 60 1 yr.
Upshaw, Allen 52 SLB 7 39 49 2 yrs
Sinclair, Curtis 94 SLB 5 30 49 2 yrs
Stuff, Blake 49 WLB 5 35 44 ---
DiGiacomo, Ricky 59 WLB 11 33 33 2 yrs
We’ll have to adjust for the loss of Curtis Davis, which leaves the coveted “blitzbacker” spot open. Kurt Dodge is the logical candidate for that spot – he will get the first crack at it. We’ll use Blackwell at MLB, and Upshaw at the weak side spot.
I think adding one veteran here would be wise – I’m not completely sold on our reserve corps, but it’s not desperate yet.
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Player # Pos Start Exp Current Estimate Future Estimate Cntrct
Diaz, Monty 40 LCB 7 49 49 ---
Caston, Adam 46 RCB 13 47 47 ---
Foreman, Thurman 26 RCB 3 32 42 1 yr.
Callens, Zack 34 RCB 15 30 30 1 yr.
Weed, Kirk 24 SS 10 54 54 2 yrs
Arnold, Jason 47 SS 7 54 54 1 yr.
Eskridge, Kenneth 20 FS 7 76 76 4 yrs
I’d like to re-sign either Diaz of Caston to start for this year, but we’ll need to be sensitive about price at this position – I just don’t budget money for cornerbacks with this team, and cannot afford to be laying out more than $2m for anyone here. We’ll look around for a value pickup here, as well. I don’t think we can coax another good year out of Zach Callens, who is running on fumes.
Free Agency
My main objectives for the free agency period are:
Re-sign G Lincoln Gruber
Sign starting LT
Sign #2 quarterback
Sign starters at CB (Caston or Diaz possibles)
Re-sign DE Jimmy Fox
Add one more decent player on the DL
Add one more decent player at LB
Look for #2 RB
I don’t expect to solve everything here – I’ll leave what’s left for the draft.
I start out with a number of offers to my own players who are being reasonable: DE Fox, CB Caston, and CB Diaz. Unfortunately, G Gruber and T Heinlein are asking for pretty big money, which could prove troublesome.
I put in a two year offer for LT Morris Schwartz, but I don’t have much hope that he is “the answer” for us at LT – just a decent-enough placeholder. I also intend to pursue G Arnold Banks, who could end up being a starter for us in short order, especially if Gruber continues to be difficult. T Conrad Craig looks like an even better deal than G Schwartz, and I decide to start with him as my first FA offer.
After week one – good news. T Conrad Craig signs immediately. I put in my offer to Arnold Banks, who doesn’t have any other teams interested at this point.
My other re-signing pursuits look good (we are atop every list) and only QB Tyrone Glover looks likely to be lured away.
In week 4, G Arnold Banks signs, and so does CB Adam Caston. So, we are on our way to preserving much of what worked last season. We get to week 7, sign G Lincoln Gruber (for more than he is worth) but watch Arizona outbid for CB Monty Diaz. I bump up a bit, only to see Buffalo get into the bidding. In week ten, though, Diaz comes back to Cleveland, as does DE Jimmy Fox.
We still have $14m in usable cap space left – and need a backup QB and perhaps another DL. We sign a cheap DT in Tommy Allen, who could develop nicely for us at a very affordable price. FB Joseph McConnell is a one-year deal, a solid veteran fullback of the mold that I prefer.
I’m now looking at QB, where there are plenty of adequate guys, but nobody who really makes my heart sing with glee. I settle on Mo Treadwell, a 6th year vet who actually did a short stint with us in 2015, just a few years ago. I’m hoping he will fit the “don’t lose game” profile that works for this offense.
2018 Rookie Draft
In the rookie draft, I see the guy I really want. WR Don Pritchett is a total burner, and I’m certain he would quickly become the breakaway threat at WR that we have longed for. I think I’ll try the same thing I did with RB Gus Stewart – if he falls a few spots from the very top of the draft, I will try to make a move to deal up to #3 or #4 to get him, almost no matter the cost. Pritchett looks like a can’t miss pick to me.
He’s still there when Arizona is on the clock – and I decide to make my move now. It takes a lot – our picks in rounds 1, 2 and 3 this year plus next year’s #1 – but we move up to spot #3 overall to select our future WR star, Don Pritchett.
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Amateur Draft Report:
Rnd 1 - Don Pritchett, WR, Sacred Heart (Conn.)
Rnd 4 - Artie Dawkins, G, Temple
Rnd 5 - Dusty Jarvis, QB, Kansas State
Rnd 5 - Blake Garner, OLB, Tulsa
Rnd 6 - Walt Wiggins, RB, Vanderbilt
Rnd 7 - Lance Burnette, P, Arizona State
The trade, of course, basically wiped out our draft this year – but it should be worth it. I think Pritchett will be a major difference-maker for us, probably right away. I got a few role-players in the later picks, but nobody I’m too optimistic about.
Late Free Agency
We have the cap space remaining to still make a pretty big splash, but there simply isn’t anyone out there who would really make a big difference for us.
I put in a modest offer for a decent third-down back Terrance Barker, and expect to see him get some of our utility carries this year, ahead of Danny Aguilera, whom we will not re-sign. DE Adam Pearson will be a cheap fill-in for our defensive line, but strictly a second-teamer, I think.
My final actions are to re-sign T Bennie Heinlein, who finally came to earth, and K Mo Crain, who did not. Crain gets a one year deal – but we won’t be able to afford to pay him $1.6m a year forever. Finally, I ink a deal with DE Dexter Clements, who goes right onto the IR for this year, but might pan out for next season (doubtful, he looks very injury prone as well).