A look at key Browns players contracts

[OconRecon]

The most disconcerting, and now most reassuring, thing I see in this article is Joe T. may not have stayed without H3. Thomas is the classic low maintenance O-lineman. If he was questioning staying, I'm now more grateful that Lerner hired Holmgren (who hired Heckert & Shumur) than ever before. And Heckert appears to have us in a great position moving forward, while puting a good team on the field today to build upon.

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Jeff Schudel's NFL notes: A look at key Browns players in the final year of their contracts
Published: Sunday, August 14, 2011

By Jeff Schudel
JSchudel@News-Herald.com

General Manager Tom Heckert wasn't kidding when he said the Browns "won't go crazy" in free agency this year, choosing instead to save the bank for what he considers the core of the team already in place.

The Browns are $27,621,161 under the salary cap. The only teams with more cap space are Tampa Bay, Kansas City and Jacksonville.

Heckert was wise to show restraint in free agency, because seven key players are in the final year of their contract. He might add a linebacker or wide receiver before the season starts, but even with those additions, he would have the cash to sign stars Joe Thomas and Peyton Hillis to mega-deals.

In keeping with the thrift plan, the Browns signed running back Brandon Jackson and safety Usama Young before training camp began. When they needed a cornerback, they signed Dimitri Patterson.

Young will likely start. Jackson and Patterson will be key contributors, but would only start if players ahead of them were injured.

Following is a breakdown of key players who would be free agents next winter without a contract extension:

-- Thomas: Signing Thomas to a five-year extension falls into the no-brainer department. He did not miss a snap nor a Pro Bowl his first four years in the league. He is great in the locker room and in the community, not to mention the fact he is Colt McCoy's primary bodyguard.

The Browns could franchise Thomas in 2012 and every year after that, but that is no way to do business. A franchise player's salary is the average salary of the five highest-paid players at his position from the year before, so Thomas would be paid well, but he deserves a long-term deal.

Thomas said he wants to stay with the Browns because he likes the people in charge now. He did not feel the same way two years ago.

-- Hillis: He is in the final year of his contract. He is making $600,000 — way more than the common worker like us make, but a bargain for a 1,000-yard rusher who, like Thomas, loves Cleveland and wants to stay here.

Signing Hillis to an extension should be another priority, but how long to commit to him in a contract won't be an easy decision. Running backs with a punishing style don't last long in the NFL, and Hillis is better running over and through defenders than running around them. Still, Hillis figures to be a focal point of the offense if the Browns are going to make a move in the next two or three years.

-- Ahtyba Rubin: Rubin is making $600,000 in 2011 in the final year of his rookie contract. The switch to a 4-3 defense centers on Rubin and rookie Phil Taylor anchoring the interior of the defensive line.

Rubin blossomed last year and should continue to improve. He is a willing learner, quiet in the locker room, a steady player and all business on the field. He is a good influence on Taylor. He won't command a staggering contract, but after the way he played last season, he isn't a secret anymore.

-- D'Qwell Jackson: The Browns deserve credit for signing Jackson to a one-year, $1.6 million contract for 2011 considering he missed the last 26 games with two unrelated pectoral tears.

Jackson led the NFL in 2008 with 188 tackles. He might never match that number because tackles are subjective and the player is at the mercy of whichever coach is keeping count. But Jackson should be better in the 4-3 defense because he won't be fighting off 325-pound guards. That is the job of the defensive tackles. Jackson has been flying to the ball in training camp. Jackson was a rookie in 2006. He deserves a chance to finish his career with the Browns.

-- Evan Moore: He is working on a one-year, $1.835 million contract. The Browns are stacked at tight end, but Moore is the best receiver in the group after Benjamin Watson. Watson is under contract next season.

Moore will be a tall target for McCoy in a tight-end friendly West Coast offense. California is his home, but he has found a new home here and can grow with the offense if he gets a new contract.

-- Ryan Pontbriand: The long snapper is the longest-tenured Brown with the exception of kicker Phil Dawson. He had one bad snap in eight years. Unfortunately, it was in a critical game in Cincinnati in 2007.

Long snappers are not easy to replace. The Browns would be better off signing Pontbriand to a new deal than they would be searching for a new one.

-- Dawson: The only kicker the Browns have had since their return in 1999 (excluding when Dawson was injured) was declared the Browns' franchise player in 2011. That shows what the Browns think of him.

Dawson is 36 and kicking as well as ever. He has earned the right to be a free agent after this season and sign with a winning team — so have all the players on this list — but if the change in leadership within the Browns is enough for Dawson to want to stay, he should get a contract that would allow him to finish his career here.

http://news-herald.com/articles/2011...mode=fullstory

[hiwaygal]

Originally Posted by OconRecon

-- Ryan Pontbriand: The long snapper is the longest-tenured Brown with the exception of kicker Phil Dawson. He had one bad snap in eight years. Unfortunately, it was in a critical game in Cincinnati in 2007.

Long snappers are not easy to replace. The Browns would be better off signing Pontbriand to a new deal than they would be searching for a new one.

This one's for Riff - GIVE THAT MAN THE BANK!!! lol

[Jax Dawg]

Ocon, thanks for the great read. Jeff Schudel has been writing great articles about the Browns for Lake County papers since I was a teen many years ago. I always thought growing up the News-Herald had way better sports coverage than the PD, don't know if that is still true but it wasn't even close back then.

[Flugel]

It sure would be nice to have our first QB that allows us to celebrate the efforts of Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach on the blind side. Once the clock struck midnight in 2007, DA's initials became the acronym for Dumb Ass. Then we got reality bites in the form of BQ throwing like FAAA-Q. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better when Ken Dorsey's first throw went up into the sky like a kite. At least the next throw found the ground; but it would have been nice if it made it as far as the line of scrimmage. We haven't exactly been spoiled with brilliant drafting here beyond the pick of a litter (and it seems like Joe Thomas was the only pick of the litter we got right BEFORE we upgraded brass)

Today, there's talk of a QB that SEES the field enough for a 9 of 10 performance. BTW, he's also the first QB we've paid who can actually throw a football into Lake Erie from the wet rocks touching it.

[DawgFan]

This is in line with the post I had in the NEW CAP thread...the Browns have much of their top tier talent (no snarking about it, we DO have some top tier guys) are coming due on contracts this year and next. The Browns have done an excellent job of assuring they have the cap space to sign these players, along with any others that may prove themselves worthy over the next year or two.

This is what great teams are made of...taking care of your own talent and STILL having enough cap space to go get top notch draftees (like 2 #1's next year) and fill in the gaps where needed.