When a team starts 0-10 and the odds in Vegas favor them going 0-16, it is hard to salvage much. However, because of the age of team, the amount of room under the salary cap, a good head coach and an abundance of picks, all is not lost for the Browns.
While some will suggest that they once again blow up the entire roster, they would be wise to keep quite a few people. While there is no doubt they have holes at every single position, most notably QB, RB, Offensive Line, CB and DL. They still have improving stars on the team as well that are just beginning solid NFL careers, or in some cases, solid veterans.
Here are the 6 offensive players the Cleveland Browns must keep heading into next season. Some of which will be easy because they are under very affordable contracts.
Terrelle Pryor Sr – This is a guy who couldn’t make the team last year, and this season has become their sole bright spot. He can go over the middle, he can go deep and if he can continue to learn, develop and stay healthy, he can be an all pro receiver next season. He has 51 catches for 627 yards and 4 touchdowns. He has also played crucial time at quarterback and running back when needed.
Corey Coleman – Clearly, this is a no brainer as he was the first round pick this season for the Browns. Despite his injury woes, he has showed flashes of brilliance this season when healthy, including a monster game in Week Two against the Baltimore Ravens. Coleman has only played in 4 games, but has 13 catches for 231 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Gary Barnidge – Lasts years All Pro Tight End is having a down season for his standards. Only catching 37 balls for 434 yards thus far. Although despite the numbers, he is still a valuable asset to this team and a leader that they sorely need.
Joe Thomas – Speaking of leaders, it is hard to argue against this man not being a first ballot half of famer one day. Mix that in with the fact that he has never missed a snap on an injury prone team, and you must keep him.
Joel Bitonio – He is the anti Joe Thomas, good at his position but can’t stay healthy. However he is the only other person on the O-line that has shown he can produce, so we must stick with him,,, for now!
Duke Johnson – Get this man the ball, so much speed but as his second NFL season begins to wind down, the Browns coaches have yet to utilize the proper scheme to use him at his best. They need to stop wasting time, and get him 10-15 touches if not much more every single game.
You will notice no quarterbacks made this list. Very simply, none of them have played well. Sure, Kessler has only thrown 1 interception. True, but he has also thrown 119 passes for a total of 1241 yards. That is only an average of 10 yards per pass attempt.
Until he starts throwing the ball down field, he is of no use to this team. He can be as accurate as he wants, but so can a basketball player standing two feet from the hoop. When it comes to winning, if you have no range / arm, you have nothing.
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