He once stopped the running of the bulls with a deck of playing cards. He played both Danny and Sandy in a Broadway performance of Grease. He got hit by a truck and the truck had to go to the emergency room. He’s the most interesting man in the NFL. He’s Cleveland Browns General Manager John Dorsey.
For several years consecutively I have been optimistically expecting the Browns to rise from the swamp of despair that is their franchise. With so many top ten draft picks on the roster, they would have to eventually become good, right? It worked for Houston and Jacksonville. That is what the entire 76ers organization is doing in the NBA. “Trust the process?” But the Browns have found a way to slam dunk draft day value repeatedly while still being the worst team in football over the past twenty years. The Browns BROKE the process. John Dorsey has given me reason to believe 2018 might be different.
Prior to John Dorsey, Cleveland attempted to build the roster through the draft. A strategy the Packers (the most successful franchise in NFL history) prioritizes and one I would generally recommend. While they traded down on draft day, creating value and looking good in the moment, they repeatedly drafted either bad players or players they could not develop. Even non-quarterbacks like Justin Gilbert, Trent Richardson, and Barkevious Mingo have been blatant whiffs.
One of the fundamental failures of the Browns franchise is the inability to draft or otherwise acquire a competitive quarterback. John Dorsey slayed that demon in the blink of an eye with a third round pick trade for a top sixteen QB in Tyrod Taylor. Taylor has experience playing on a defensive team and can limit turnovers. A third round selection is great value for a starting caliber quarterback. Taylor is a bridge passer, but he’s more proven than most options in free agency and Cleveland can lean on him long term if they need.
Acquiring Jarvis Landry and Damarious Randall not only generates fan excitement but will also encourage the league’s best left tackle, Joe Thomas to come back for another season. Landry provides great synergy with Gordon as Gordon has excelled as a big play threat and Landry shows up for the unsexy eight yard outs. I don’t know that the Randall trade was absolutely necessary for Cleveland but it clears room for Dorsey to draft a quarterback of his choosing rather than being forced to develop Sashi Brown’s leftovers. It also gives DeShone Kizer a clean slate and the chance to learn from Aaron Rodgers while giving Cleveland a starter on defense. The Browns obviously didn’t see the value in retaining Danny Shelton and saw an opportunity before next offseason when they may have felt they had less leverage as Shelton will be due eleven million for the 2019 season. This draft class is deep at defensive tackle and they should find his replacement in round two of the draft. Prospects like Harrison Phillips or Rasheem Green should be available at that slot.
Cleveland still has cap space and Dorsey will look to make Cleveland more competitive as players such as Dion Lewis and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins are still available and could immediately start on the Browns new look roster.
The outlook in Cleveland is as optimistic as it’s been since LeBron came back. Baltimore and Cincinnati have talented but inconsistent teams that will allow Hue Jackson to compete in the AFC North for a wild card spot. All eyes will be on Dorsey as the Browns hold the top pick in the draft and have to choose whether to take Saquon Barkley or do anything else.
Gridiron Seasonal 
