CLEVELAND, Ohio – There is a cost to being good in the NFL. You have to make difficult decisions. These tough decisions sometimes come at the top of the list, but usually these are the guys you have to keep around, the guys who take you from good to great. A dominant-edge rusher. A shutdown corner. A franchise quarterback.
Difficult decisions come down a notch. The Browns face some of those decisions this off-season, as they venture into the 2021 season, where they are expected to compete and win the AFC North and have a good run in the Super Bowl.
A player like Terrance Mitchell, who has been so important to this team as a reliable cornerback, can become a victim if the Browns chase a veteran holder and use a draft choice in a corner. Or maybe Mitchell is too valuable on the depth chart to just let it go.
BJ Goodson played his role admirably this year. Is he back for another contract or are the Browns exploring their options elsewhere?
Even Rashard Higgins, who once again had to prove his worth to a board that waited forever to hire him and a technical team that waited weeks to give him meaningful photos, could have an uncertain future. What is your long-term role and what are the Browns’ long-term plans in the position? It is hard to believe that he would not return, but you never know what can happen when the off-season comes.
That’s the task of building a list, managing a limit, and finding out who you really need to have, even if it happens at the expense of someone you really care about.
Mary Kay Cabot, Scott Patsko and I reviewed the Borwns’ top free internal agents in our Wednesday edition of the Orange and Brown Talk Podcast. Tim Bielik joined me in the second half to talk about the NFL Draft. Listen using the player below or click here to listen if you don’t see the player.
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