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00:00No Brown signings as of right now for the day.
00:03And I do, the national, I don't really care about the national reaction
00:08to the Brown's free agency.
00:09Like Hayden Winks, who is for one of the big websites,
00:13trashed the Browns for overpaying for free agents.
00:16And I just think we're at a point where outside of Cleveland,
00:20like there are things that I will give the Browns credit for.
00:22There are things that I will bash them for.
00:23But I feel like I do a fair amount of both.
00:26When they praise or when they deserve praise, I'll give it to you.
00:29When they don't, I'm not going to give you praise.
00:31Nationally, I just think it's piling the Browns stuff.
00:34Like I just don't take any national analysis of the Browns seriously
00:37because it seems like everybody's really bitter after firing Stefanski.
00:40How else did people expect us to get free agents?
00:43Yeah.
00:43Like this is the position the Browns are in.
00:45We have to overpay.
00:46That's part of the deal.
00:47And then we also have to take a chance on a certain number of guys.
00:51And maybe Howard fits into this.
00:52Maybe Zion fits into this.
00:54Where you're like, yeah, there's a good player there.
00:55We've got to bring the most out of him.
00:56And Warhop's got to do a good job in order to bring the most out of him.
00:59Like that's the gamble that the Browns have to have.
01:02But like they have to overpay for everybody.
01:04That's the reality right now.
01:05Also, everybody overpays.
01:07Like Elijah Veritaker has not played a football game since 2024.
01:11I think he's got one full season in the last three years.
01:15And he just got $45 million from the Patriots.
01:18Yeah.
01:18Who is everybody's bell of the ball.
01:21And by the way, the Patriots, how did they make it to the Super Bowl last year?
01:23They spent $250 million in free agency, the most in the NFL, and it worked out for them.
01:29Same thing with the Seahawks.
01:30Spent fourth most.
01:30Worked out for them.
01:31Like the odd part about free agency, everyone gets mad about these teams overspending and these ridiculous contracts.
01:38Look at the history of it, though.
01:39Spending a lot in free agency, there's a direct correlation to having success the next year.
01:43If anything, you can make an argument the Browns didn't spend enough to try to make that work out in
01:47their favor.
01:47Well, but that's even the other thing of the, well, have they done enough?
01:50It's like we're not even to the free agency part of this.
01:52Like the Browns, I had said two starters in free agency.
01:57Zion Johnson is one of them.
01:58I don't count Titus Howard, who I think is, I know he's part of this class, part of the offseason.
02:04I need, I kind of put that one in here.
02:07So I need three starters in free agency and probably another competition piece as well,
02:13like a Brady Christensen to battle or Austin Corbett to battle Luke Whipler for the center job.
02:17Beyond that.
02:18Getting Austin Corbett back in the mix.
02:19I mean, it's been a while, right?
02:21Bill Callahan's not here to run him off again.
02:24Maybe George Warhop would.
02:26You just never know.
02:27But no, I mean, I just, I think like overall.
02:29He was so bad with the Browns, but then he was so good in LA.
02:32And he was pretty good when he played in Carolina.
02:34It's just he didn't play very much.
02:35It's just so funny, yeah.
02:36But overall, like the Browns are on track to fulfill what I wanted from them.
02:41The only question I have is, are they going to add a serious competitor in that quarterback
02:45room for Shador?
02:47I still, I'm holding out hope that they are.
02:50Everyone keeps telling me they're not.
02:51But that's the only part of this that I would be left unsatisfied with.
02:54So far, they've done, and by the way, you've got another week of names coming in.
02:59So I like the fact you're replacing Devin Bush with Quincy Williams, who I think is kind
03:03of an underrated player.
03:04So I don't understand like the up in arms thing after one day in free agency.
03:09No, there shouldn't be any up in arms.
03:10And if anything, I think the way it reads right now, and obviously a lot of this can change
03:15because we still have days to go on this, and we'll see how everything plays out.
03:18But the way it reads right now makes a lot of sense.
03:21You get your guards and a lot of the offensive line figured out in this time right now.
03:25And then in the draft, you can get another tackle if you need one.
03:28And then you can also get wide receivers.
03:30And one thing we know about the draft, the draft is where you go out and get these,
03:33the big high-ticket-priced positions, you get them in the drafts, you have them on cheaper
03:38rookie contracts for four or five years, and then you go from there.
03:41And wide receiver fits that to a T.
03:43And so if that's their big plan, like Carnell Tate at six, and then go get a bunch of backup
03:48tackles and developmental guys, that's not a bad idea.
03:51And so let's say this.
03:52Let's say, because I do think at some point, some names that happen have to get you going.
03:59I'm not saying Zion Johnson should be that.
04:01I'm not even saying Quincy Williams, although I think people are going to enjoy his style
04:04of play, because it is fast, it is physical, and it is downhill.
04:08And I think we tend to love that kind of linebacker play.
04:11And again, you're getting him at an incredible discount.
04:14And Rudinsky called him out a week ago.
04:16But like, if you go, did you say Rudinsky?
04:20Oh man, I always mess up his name in my head.
04:22Rudenberg?
04:22Rudenberg.
04:23I've done that 12 times.
04:24That's fine.
04:24I've done that 12 million times.
04:26I didn't know if it was Grant Rudinsky who said something really nice about him.
04:28No, that's on me.
04:30We've done that a lot.
04:31I've done that a lot in my head.
04:32But, like, if a week from now, your quarterback is Mack Jones or Kyler Murray, you make the
04:38Brian Thomas Jr. trade, and let's say you sign a Rasheed Walker, who his market seems
04:44to have stalled right now, I'm going to be really bullish on the Browns compared to everyone
04:48else.
04:48Like, I'm going to look at this team and say, this team can be at least a 500 team.
04:52The Brian Thomas trade, that'd be a massive deal in my mind.
04:54Yeah?
04:54Yeah, that's not a tiny one.
04:55See, but I've got to pair it with a quarterback.
04:57I think that is where I'm at.
04:58That's fine.
04:59But that's me.
05:00That's big game hunting, in my opinion.
05:02Maybe people are sleeping on that.
05:03Maybe I overrate him a little bit.
05:05But that's a big move.
05:06I'm not expecting anything that significant with the Browns.
05:10I'd be thrilled if they did it, though.
05:11Legal tampering continues today.
05:13And it was interesting.
05:15The Browns missed out on Elijah Vera Tucker.
05:17They're apparently in it to the last minute there before he signed with New England.
05:22I wonder if that would have also been overpaid, but it's not in New England.
05:27But Diana Rossini mentioning that while they missed out on Elijah Vera Tucker, the Browns
05:33are continuing to do a lot of background on the other guards in the market, which does
05:39make sense.
05:39I think a big read on this has been they're going to look at interior line and free agency
05:43and then tackles in the draft.
05:46A lot of people took that to mean, you know, today is the void date of Joel Batonio's contract
05:52and that that must mean that Joel's retiring.
05:54Well, it's how it seems like the Browns are operating.
05:56Maybe they don't have a decision.
05:58Maybe they just don't know yet.
05:59I'd be surprised if that's the case.
06:01But if they don't know that, then yeah, you have to operate as if he's not coming back
06:05because you don't want to be left with your pants down in this scenario.
06:07I mean, my initial read was they're doing due diligence on the market because they don't
06:12have an answer from Joel.
06:14But I can't really blame anyone if they go, is this informed thinking by the Browns?
06:19I just don't think we know the state of that relationship and how direct the communication
06:24is.
06:24Sure, yeah.
06:25And how often the Browns have been in communication on this one.
06:28I do think, listen, if you get Joel Batonio back for one more year and then you can move
06:34Zion Johnson to the right guard.
06:36And so basically you're going to the draft with the left tackle spot being the only spot
06:41that's really up for grabs.
06:43And then kind of DeJuan Jones can kind of float between left tackle and right tackle in competitions.
06:47Yeah, because we always got to find a spot for DeJuan in these scenarios.
06:49I think they really, I think they're still invested in DeJuan.
06:51I think him as a combo guard, sorry, a combo tackle or like a swing tackle makes a lot of
06:56sense at this point in his career.
06:57Yeah, like a Chris Hubbard type role.
06:59Yeah.
06:59Yeah.
06:59So like it does, and you also can't rely on him for health at all.
07:02So I think, I think if you're a Browns fan, that should fill you with a lot of hope.
07:06If Joel does come back or if you immediately turn around and sign the other Chris Paul,
07:13I going into the draft with just the left tackle spot open.
07:17If that's all, if you're done after the right guard spot, I think, I think you can have some
07:22confidence that at least you're working with the plan, even if maybe it's going to take
07:25another year of drafting and developing to really get this thing set long-term.
07:28Well, and as we mentioned DeJuan in this scenario, even if the plan was to, let's say, take a
07:32tackle at six and 24 and the board just doesn't fall their way and they're left like, all
07:37right, we have to take this guy instead, then they would just throw DeJuan out there at
07:40left tackle.
07:40Is it the greatest plan in the world?
07:42No, maybe not.
07:43But if this is supposed to be some sort of transition year, these are the type of things
07:46that you can get away with.
07:47But it's weird.
07:47I'm not really living and dying with the Betonio stuff.
07:50I think we're in a nice spot where if Joel retires, I'm going to say,
07:55good for him.
07:56Like, he's earned the right to walk away and I just have a lot of respect for Joel and
08:02what he's meant to the Browns.
08:03Yeah.
08:03If he comes back, yeah, I'm just going to be excited because he was one of your better
08:08players last year and he didn't look as aged as maybe some of the other guys on the offensive
08:13line like Conklin and Posick did for most of that season.
08:17If he goes elsewhere, I'm just going to have to respect that decision too.
08:21Yeah, there's no, neither one of us, I feel like, aren't going to hammer him for going
08:24to a different team if that's how it ends up going.
08:26And all the idea of like, oh, he's got to be a Brown through and through and he's going
08:29to, no, that's nonsense.
08:31Like, if he wants to go play for a contender, let the man go play for a contender.
08:34Yeah.
08:34And now, will I have questions about how long the Browns have seen this coming?
08:38Of course.
08:39And how avoidable was this?
08:42But again, like, maybe it's because I just have so much respect for, I don't expect Joel
08:47just to go literally anywhere.
08:48Like, if Joel went to the Jets, I might kind of scratch my head about that one.
08:53Like, man, you just really didn't want to play for the Browns this year.
08:56That would be, yeah, confusing.
08:57But like, I have so much respect for the Harbaugh's.
09:00I would understand the pull, especially because Mike McDaniel was here when you drafted Joel
09:07and was a big reason why you drafted Joel, him and Kyle Shanahan.
09:10So, if you saw Joel go out West, again, closer to home for him as well, it's funny.
09:17Like, people start using the L word with this, loyalty.
09:19And it's like, guys, it's the NFL.
09:22Joel has shown you countless bits of loyalty, counts of bit of patience with the Browns.
09:28If he wants to chase a playoff run or a ring at this part in his career, it would be
09:33like
09:33if Joe Thomas did it.
09:34Like, it's more special to me that Joe Thomas retired having never left the Cleveland Browns.
09:38But if in 2015, Joel had said, get me to Denver, and you would have been able to see him
09:45win
09:46a Super Bowl before he went out on, like, I would have ended up being really happy for
09:50him.
09:50Yeah, that's a cool, that's a cool.
09:51And I think Joel has earned that same love.
09:52It's a cool, great thing.
09:54Like, I don't know, I wish he had it.
09:56There's a part of me that just kind of does.
09:57I wish Joe Thomas would have gone to Denver, won the ring, and then been able to call himself
10:01a Super Bowl champion.
10:01Like, when they have the scrolls when he's always on TV, he has a Hall of Famer, all these
10:05great things, saying Super Bowl champion, if it's not what the Browns matters.
10:08And that doesn't mean Joe Batonio has, like, a Super Bowl locked in.
10:11He's far from that, especially if you go to the Chargers and Harbert's lack of postseason
10:15success.
10:16But give him an opportunity.
10:17I just, I won't be mad about it.
10:19I don't know that anybody would be mad about it.
10:20The problem is, in hindsight, knowing what Sashi Brown would have done with those first
10:25really would have pissed me off even more.
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