#HeyTony: Why didn’t the Browns make a trade?

Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.

Hey Tony: Do you think the Browns were reluctant to make a move due to the increases in COVID and potential to not finish the season?

-- Jeff, St Louis, MO

Hey Jeff: Andrew Berry will address media in a Zoom call on Wednesday. I don’t think COVID was the reason for no Browns trade, though the uncertainty of finishing the season certainly had to play some role with all teams. I would expect Berry to say that he talked with a lot of teams and he did what was best for the organization. My feeling is price tags were high because teams in “sell” mode wanted to stockpile high draft picks to correct past mistakes. Uncertainty about the 2021 salary cap also restrained teams from acquiring players with high cap numbers. The Browns do have a long-range plan to build their team. I’m sure they were not going to deviate from it just because the team got off to a good start in the first half.

Hey Tony: What is Berry’s No. 1 priority in the offseason?

-- Dan, Charlotte, NC

Hey Dan: In a word, defense. Specifically, pass rusher. Finding a young complement to Myles Garrett. The cost of ascending pass rushers in free agency is extremely high. So teams constantly seek to “grow their own” in the draft. Thus, I think pass rusher would be the No. 1 priority in the draft, but best available defensive player – depending on where the Browns land in the draft order -- would work on a defense that needs everything.

Hey Tony: The front office clearly doesn't think that linebackers are very important. Are they out ahead of the competition or being too clever for their own good?

-- Patrick, Boston, MA

Hey Patrick: When teams allocate salary cap dollars across the defense, most pay high for defensive linemen and cornerbacks. For that reason, linebackers have to be found on the cheap. Several teams specialize in drafting linebackers in middle rounds and developing them into playmakers. A lot depends on draft order. If you’re drafting in the lower 20s, you’re more likely to take the best linebacker on the board if it’s a need. If you’re drafting in the top 10, you’re more likely to take a flier on a linebacker later in the draft.

Hey Tony: Who do we miss more – Nick Chubb or Wyatt Teller?

-- Don, Columbus, OH

Hey Don: Chubb. What a lift to get them both back after the bye.

Hey Tony: What is your feeling after 8 games? Kevin Stefanski and front office committed to Baker after a 5-3 start after this year?

-- Matt, Lima, OH

Hey Matt: Committed to pick up the fifth-year option? Possibly. Committed to negotiate a $100 million-plus contract extension? Not yet.

Hey Tony: What position do we need the most help on defence?

-- Tyson, Toronto, Canada

Hey Tyson: Defensive end. In Garrett’s four seasons, the other starting defensive end was Emmanuel Ogbah for two seasons and Olivier Vernon for the other two. Ogbah’s sack totals were four and three; Vernon’s were 3.5 and two so far this year. They need to find a more productive complement to Garrett. Of course, linebacker is a position of great need, too.

Hey Tony: Are you allowed to ask Baker questions directly this year?

-- Dan, Bay Village, OH

Hey Dan: Yes. Of course. I’ve chosen not to, so far.

Hey Tony: I am making 7 the over/under for Njoku’s dropped passes for the rest of the year, do you think it will be higher or lower than 7?

-- Dave, Berea, OH

Hey Dave: Lower. I don’t foresee a lot of targets over the last eight games.

Hey Tony: What is your outlook for our Browns? Do we ever get better or is it the same Ole same Ole?

-- Ken, Lorain, OH

Hey Ken: They indeed are getting better. The lopsided losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh may shade that sentiment, but the reality is the football organization is aligned and making good decisions and that will translate to a turnaround on the field.

Hey Tony: Do you think future opponents will see how the Browns d-line and linebackers were exposed with runs up the middle by the Raiders and employ a similar game plan knowing we can’t stop it?

-- Andrew, Parma Heights, OH

Hey Andrew: No doubt they will try.

Hey Tony: Would giving Nick Chubb a big contract hurt the Browns as far as cap space?

-- Kyle, Cleveland, OH

Hey Kyle: For the first time in a long time, the Browns are approaching some difficult economic decisions. Mayfield, Chubb, Denzel Ward and Larry Ogunjobi are coming due for new contracts while other existing deals (Austin Hooper, Jack Conklin, Case Keenum) have sizable, built-in increases that add to a salary-cap crunch. Of the four players eligible for new deals, however, I would prioritize Chubb. He’s signed through 2021, but an early overture to extend his deal would send the message of his value and probably save the team millions. In all deals, the longer you wait, the more expensive it becomes.

Hey Tony: In Stefanski’s scheme, shouldn’t the tight ends be open in the middle of the field? Seems like all of Baker’s targets are outside the numbers. Man shrugging.

-- Howie, Wadsworth, OH

Hey Howie: In any scheme, really, the tight ends should do most of their work in the middle of the field. Throwing to the middle is a part of Mayfield’s game that needs major improvement.

Hey Tony: With the pandemic changing how business works across the world, I imagine you have had many significant changes with job. What have those changes been like and how have you had to adapt to continue to get inside information and build stories of substance?

-- Eric, Belmont, NC

Hey Eric: The biggest change is the pandemic has built a wall between media and team (players, coaches, executives). Locker rooms are off limits and in-person interaction has been eliminated. All interviews are in group Zoom calls. As a result, relationships suffer. The days of “working a locker room” – visiting players for individual interviews, on and off the record – have ended. Since everybody shares in the same interview, stories among competing media tend to be homogenized. In my case, I rely on my experience and contacts to take stories and analyses to the next level. Simply regurgitating the same quotes doesn’t bring anything new to the reader. Often, those quotes are tweeted across the Internet within minutes. Putting those quotes in proper perspective is more necessary than ever. Another change is not being able to attend road games. There is no point to it right now because even those intrepid reporters still being sent to road games get no better access than those of us watching from home.