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2005 Team Report: Cleveland Browns
Quarterbacks
Starter: Trent Dilfer
Starting QB: With the release of Jeff Garcia, Kelly Holcomb's free agent departure to the Buffalo Bills and the trade of Luke McCown to Tampa Bay, the Browns enter 2005 without any of its three starting quarterbacks from 2004. Looking again to bring in a veteran to fill the revolving door at quarterback, Cleveland was quick to sign journeyman Trent Dilfer. Dilfer has never been a flashy fantasy quarterback. His success has always come with efficiency and an uncanny ability for game management. But it remains to be seen if Dilfer will be a good fit for Cleveland's offense. With a quartet of talented receivers and an improved offensive line, he very well could be if he remains healthy.
Backup QB: The Browns must have a certain amount of confidence in the ability of Trent Dilfer in order to trade backup quarterback Luke McCown to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a late round draft pick. That trade left them with two backup quarterbacks with no NFL experience whatsoever; Josh Harris and rookie Charlie Frye. But in June the Browns added veteran Doug Johnson, who served as a backup in Tennessee last year but has experience as part time starter in four seasons with Atlanta. Romeo Crennel named Frye as the backup to open the season, with Johnson serving as the emergency QB. Josh Harris failed to make the 53-man roster, outdueled by his fellow MAC alum.
Running Backs
Starter: Lee Suggs
Starting RB: Lee Suggs finished 2004 in strong fashion, running for over 100 yards in his final three games. With the Browns employing a running-back-by-committee approach, Suggs provides the outside rushing threat to complement Droughns' ability to break tackles up the middle. The acquisition of Reuben Droughns via trade with the Denver Broncos will bring an interesting dynamic to the Browns' training camp. Droughns was the most recent in a long succession of 1,000 yard rushers for the Broncos. While Suggs appears to have the initial edge, Romeo Crennel has indicated that he plans on using both backs no matter which is named the official starter. Fantasy owners should expect the rushing carries and opportunities to be shared. Backup RBs: Once considered the future of the Browns' rushing game, William Green nearly faded out of the picture. He's getting a second chance with a new coaching regime, and he's spent many hours in both the weight and film room. Unlike Suggs and Droughns, Green stayed healthy during camp and as a result raised his status among the new Browns regime.
Fullback: Smith bring a nasty attitude to the field. He is an excellent blocking FB but is not worth considering as a fantasy option.
Wide Receivers
Starters: Antonio Bryant, Braylon Edwards [r]
Starting WRs: The Browns have not one, but two Belitnikoff winners on their roster. Braylon Edwards, this year's 3rd overall selection won the award playing for Michigan a season ago. But Antonio Bryant, acquired midseason in 2004, won the award for Pittsburgh a few years back. Presuming Bryant can come to terms with his maturity issues, he and Edwards give the Browns a dynamic pair of receivers to build around. As a rookie, Edwards shouldn't be expected to dominate initially, but he's talented enough to be the team's leading playmaker by mid season. Backup WRs: Dennis Northcutt led Browns receivers last season with 55 receptions for 806 yards, a career best. With the addition of Edwards in the draft, Northcutt can assume his role in the slot; where he's ideally suited. Frisman Jackson and Josh Cribbs round out the roster; but both will make their marks on special teams.
Tight Ends
Starters: Steve Heiden
With Kellen Winslow out for the year, the Browns are going to try to compensate with volume over quality it seems. Incumbents Aaron Shea and Steve Heiden remain in the mix, but are now joined by Texans' castoff Billy Miller. What's interesting about the Miller acquisition is his significant weakness as a blocker. The Browns clearly view Miller as a weapon in the passing game, otherwise there was no point in adding him to the mix. Place Kicker Phil Dawson : Dawson has been Cleveland's kicker since their return to the league in 1999. Most years they were near the bottom of the rankings, however last year they crept up to the middle - scoring 100 kicking points (16th in the NFL). Dawson has done a decent job with his limited opportunities - hitting over 80% on FGs in four of the last five years. Tyler Jones was in camp and considered as a possible kickoff specialist, but Dawson has been doing a very effective job. Jones was waived. Kick and Punt Returners Kick Returners: Josh Cribbs [r], Frisman Jackson, Reuben Droughns, Antonio Perkins [r] WR Josh Cribbs has emerged in camp to take the top spot. WR Frisman Jackson (4 returns, 17.5 avg), and recently acquired Reuben Droughns (14 returns, 24.6 avg) are likely competitors. WR Andre Davis, who led the team in 2003 (38 returns, 21.1 avg), is also an option. None of the candidates are explosive returners. Rookie Antonio Perkins is also got a chance to work on KRs during minicamp. Punt Returners: Dennis Northcutt, Antonio Perkins [r], Josh Cribbs WR Dennis Northcutt has been the team's primary PR for several years. His 12.0 average led the AFC last year. He can take it the distance (having done so twice in 2002). Fourth round draft pick CB Antonio Perkins returned punts for Oklahoma. He scored three times his sophomore year and four as a junior, but a sprained knee limited him to one TD as a senior. WR Andre Davis has returned punts in the past, but he did not have any last year as since Northcutt handled them all. Offensive Line
Projected Starters: RT Ryan Tucker, RG Cosey Coleman, C Jeff Faine, LG Joe Andruzzi, LT L.J. Shelton
With two new starting guards (Joe Andruzzi and Cosey Coleman), it may take sine tune for this unit to come together, but once they do gel, expect this unit to be much better than they have been in the past. Neither newcomer is an elite lineman, but both bring experience and good run blocking ability to the table and are upgrades over the previous guards. The center position is manned by a future All-Pro in Jeff Faine. RT Ryan Tucker is a role player who has overachieved but does play with aggression (which should at least help improve the Cleveland ground game). The Browns signed former Cardinal L.J. Shelton as the replacement for departed tackle Ross Verba. Chambers, Pucillo and Dorsey provide the team with solid, albeit unspectacular, depth. Team Defense In 2004, the Cleveland Browns were a league-worst against the run, allowing nearly 150 yards per game and gave up almost 25 points per game. What did the front office do? For starters, they revamped the coaching staff, naming Romeo Crennel the new head coach. Crennel previously coached the Browns in 2000 as their defensive coordinator and most recently served as the Patriots defensive coordinator during their three Super Bowl seasons. He obviously brings a defensive mindset to the team. Todd Granthem joins the team as its new Defensive Coordinator. Granthem was previously the defensive line coach for the Texans. Cleveland will be moving from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defensive alignment under the new coaching staff. No matter the changes, the team lacks dominant players and needs Crennel to work some Patriot magic to make this a top unit. Crennel and Granthem will certainly shake things up and make changes. They've already done so by getting rid of almost the entire defensive line from last year. How it all plays out is the $64,000 question for Browns fans. Crennel is as qualified as anyone to improve things, but exercise caution in expecting things to turn around quickly. Defensive Line
Starters: DE Orpheus Roye, DE Alvin McKinley, NT Jason Fisk
Starting DL: Orpheus Roye might very well be the player around whom DC Todd Granthem builds the line around. Roye is athletic and actually was a productive DE for the Steelers several years ago. Roye is 32 years old though and hardly the type of talent one would normally want to build a line around. He has only 14 sacks in nine NFL seasons. Kenard Lang has been the Browns best linemen for several years but was moved to OLB in the Browns new 3-4 defense. Alvin McKinley takes over the other end spot. He is young and has shown some promise in the middle as a DT. He seems to get himself into a lot of plays. He has a decent combination of strength and speed and plays against the run effectively. McKinley has had problems against the pass though and is not very durable. NT Jason Fisk is a 10-year veteran who will be playing with this fourth team. Fisk might be a natural nose tackle, and could enjoy the change of scenery, but he's not exactly a world-beater. Still, Fisk is a durable player and should provide consistent effort. Backup DL: After losing much of its line to Denver, the Browns are thin on the defensive front. DT Nick Eason is quick and fairly active, he's got a good motor but he gets hurt a lot. He enters the season as the primary backup at both DE positions. On the inside, the team signed Ethan Kelley to backup at NT after he was released by the Patriots. Kelley was a 7th round pick in 2003 who didn't get a chance to play on the loaded defensive line in New England, but he could push Fisk for playing time since he knows the system.
Linebackers
Starters: OLB Matt Stewart, ILB Ben Taylor, ILB Andra Davis, OLB Chaun Thompson
Starting LBs: HC Romeo Crennel continues to dramatically alter the entire landscape of the defense, and this includes the LB corps. Gone are Kevin Bentley, Warrick Holdman and Barry Gardner. Former Atlanta Falcon Matt Stewart starts the season at one outside position, mainly because Kenard Lang needs more time learning how to play standing upright. Stewart been a reliable player and fits in well with the philosophy of GM Phil Savage and Crennel, who are looking to supplant the defense with reliable veterans. On the opposite side, Chaun Thompson gets the starting nod. Thompson started the better part of the last half of 2004 and had some big games. The team is hoping that Thompson, a second round draft pick in 2003, continues to show improvement and becomes a mainstay in the Browns defense. Thompson has an unbelievable combination of size and speed and could turn into a special player with improved coaching. On the inside, Andra Davis and Ben Taylor will begin the year as the starters. Davis, also very young, had a huge year in 2003 and played pretty well in 2004 before a knee injury cut his season short. Ben Taylor, yet another relatively young starter for the Browns, also had a nice start in 2003. A chest injury caused Taylor to miss most of last season but not before he had a spectacular game (16 solo tackles) against New England. Backup LBs: Eventually, the Browns expect and hope that former DE Kenard Lang will take over one outside linebacker spot. Lang has been the team's best pass rusher with 15 sacks over the past two seasons. Being a converted DE, he struggled in camp with pass coverage and playing in space. Orlando Ruff, formerly of the Saints, adds valuable depth. David McMillan was a 5th round pick this year who will likely serve as the #4 OLB. Nick Speegle, who is tall but lacks athleticism, might see some backup duty, but in a limited role. Mason Unck is primarily a special teams contributor.
Defensive Backs
Starters: S Sean Jones, S Brian Russell, CB Gary Baxter, CB Daylon McCutcheon
Starting DBs: The Cleveland secondary should be vastly improved from last season's group. The big addition for the Browns in the offseason was CB Gary Baxter. Baxter came over from Baltimore and is a big and physical presence. He's a lock to start on one side. At the other corner spot is Daylon McCutcheon, who hasn't always been that reliable and has missed a considerable number of games over the years due to injury. Some believe that McCutcheon is better suited as a nickel CB but the Browns won't have the luxury to use him as one. At safety, it will be a completely revamped squad, and that's probably a good thing. On one side, the Browns will start 2nd-year player Sean Jones, who missed all of 2004 due to injury. Jones, although unproven, comes highly touted and was widely regarded as one of the best safeties in the 2004 NFL draft. He has excellent size and can play either safety spot. At the other safety spot, former Viking Brian Russell will begin the year as the starter until rookie Brodney Pool is ready to take over. Russell brings a veteran presence to the unit and demonstrated his playmaking ability with nine interceptions in 2003. Backup DBs: The Browns released Robert Griffith and Earl Little, who started for them at safety last year. 2nd round pick Brodney Pool was expected to take over the starting FS spot right away and was considered by many as the best pure safety in the draft. He'll start off the year as a backup, but is a versatile playmaker who could see time in nickel and dime packages. Safety Chris Crocker is coming off a nice year where he filled in admirably in mid-season before he was hurt toward the end of the season. Despite only playing in 12 games and starting four, Crocker had 56 total tackles. Crocker is a bit undersized for the position, especially as a starter, but fills in a pinch as a starter and fits nicely in some nickel packages. While the Browns appear to have improved their overall depth at the safety position, they still appear thin at CB. Leigh Bodden is entering his 3rd year and will be the primary backup to Gary Baxter after a strong preseason. Ray Mickens has been one of the league's best nickelbacks for a long time, but was released by the Jets after they signed Ty Law. He is 32 years old and missed most of the 2004 season to injury, but will be a solid veteran addition if he's healthy. Michael Lehan, a fifth round pick in 2003, has some speed but needs to gain strength.
Last modified: 2005-09-07 08:03:10
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