If the Browns had not traded for Deshaun Watson, he would not have gotten a fully guaranteed contract and Lamar Jackson most likely would have reached a multi-year contract with the Baltimore Ravens.
#HeyTony: Would the Browns have pursued Lamar Jackson if they hadn’t traded for Deshaun Watson?
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Hey Tony: If the Browns didn’t make the Deshaun Watson trade, would they be going after Lamar Jackson this year.
-- Charles, Houston, TX
Hey Charles: At NFL owners meetings in Arizona, Jimmy Haslam explained the Browns’ aggressive pursuit of Watson this way: “Quarterbacks in their prime don’t come in the market when they’re 26. So we reached out and grabbed Deshaun.” Using that logic, you’d have to assume, yes, they would have pursued Jackson, who is 26 and in his prime. But here’s the thing: If the Browns wouldn’t have guaranteed Watson the whole deal, Watson probably would have signed with the Falcons, who offered two years in guarantees. If that were the case, I don’t believe Jackson would have demanded a fully-guaranteed contract and he probably would have re-signed with the Ravens by now.
Hey Tony: Why do the Browns insist on 1.) never having a dome or retractable roof, and 2.) having the stadium downtown instead of out in the suburbs?
-- Todd, Santa Ana, CA
Hey Todd: First, the Browns have not insisted on never having a dome or retractable roof. Their proposal simply is to renovate the outdoor stadium. As for location, they believe a Browns stadium can serve as a major attraction in the development of the lakefront property surrounding it.
Hey Tony: A new domed stadium would obviously be best for all involved (fans, Browns, Cleveland, Haslams, Ohio), so why is it so hard for them to all work together to make it happen?
-- AJ, Avon, OH
Hey AJ: Exact costs of renovation of outdoor stadium vs. newly built dome stadium have not been adequately detailed. But the early estimates are that building an indoor stadium would be approximately double the cost. We’re talking in excess of $2 billion. So, that cost would be passed on to taxpayers, along with the Haslams, etc. I asked Haslam what if Mayor Justin Bibb concludes that an indoor stadium is in the best interest of long-range lakefront development. How would Haslam react to that? He replied, “Depends on how much he wants to fund. Listen, construction costs have gotten very high lately. And so I think everybody has to be practical. Cleveland would benefit tremendously from the development of the waterfront. Having the stadium down there seems to be in everybody's best interest. So we're committed to redoing the stadium. In all likelihood, it's not going to have a dome, but it'll be a substantial remodel of the existing facility and we're probably 3, 4, 5 years away from that happening.”
Hey Tony: What can we expect from Jakeem Grant this year? Can Bubba [Ventrone] find creative ways to use him? Should he return both kickoff and punt returns?
--Andy, New Albany, OH
Hey Andy: At the conclusion of last season, Grant was determined to come back from Achilles tendon surgery and re-establish himself among the league’s elite return specialists. If he regains his prior form, I would think he would return kickoffs and punts. He could also be used as an offensive specialist as a receiver.
Hey Tony: Five names to watch at pick No. 74?
-- Mike, Charlotte, NC
Hey Mike: I don’t have names. How about positions? Defensive end, defensive tackle, wide receiver, linebacker, safety.
Hey Tony: I know its early, but if you had to pick one player to have a surprise breakout season, who would it be?
-- Leonard, Troy, OH
Hey Leonard: You ready for this? Perrion Winfrey.
Hey Tony: Haven’t heard much about this. Has Jim Schwartz brought in a lot of his own coaches or did he keep most of the positional coaches that Joe Woods had?
-- Joe, Long Island, NY
Hey Joe: The Browns allowed defensive line coach Chris Kiffin and defensive backs coach Jeff Howard to leave. They replaced them by moving inside linebacker coach Ben Bloom to defensive line, adding Utah State defensive coordinator Ephraim Banda as safeties coach, and promoting assistant DB coach Brandon Lynch to cornerbacks coach. To my knowledge, none has previous associations with Schwartz.
Hey Tony: Whatever happened to the hiring of Dennard Wilson as a defensive coach and has Schwartz brought in any of his coaches on D?
-- Jay, Lagrange, OH
Hey Jay: Wilson, who was Eagles defensive backs coach, was a finalist for the Eagles defensive coordinator position. When he didn’t get it, he moved on to Baltimore as Ravens defensive backs coach.
Hey Tony: What was the purpose of the Browns keeping Kellen Mond on their active roster most of last year (deactivated on game days) if they weren’t planning on having him as their backup QB with Josh Dobbs coming back?
-- Josh, Galena, OH
Hey Josh: This actually was a miscalculation on the part of GM Andrew Berry that turned out in the Browns’ favor. Waiving Dobbs seemed the wrong thing to do at the time. But it created an opportunity for Dobbs to get invaluable playing experience in Tennessee at the end of the 2022 season that he wouldn’t have gotten had the Browns kept him as a backup to Watson. Berry realized his mistake and gave Dobbs a guaranteed $2 million contract to return. To his credit, Dobbs felt it was better for him to serve as the No. 1 backup on what he thinks will be a winning team than to play sparingly with Arizona or Tennessee, which also sought him. It all worked out for the Browns.
Hey Tony: When playing in the HOF game, is there any documented advantage / success in the season by having that extra time in camp?
-- Rick, Avance, NC
Hey Rick: I don’t believe so. It just seems that the more game reps the Browns can get the better. I’m fairly sure Kevin Stefanski will hardly play regulars in the HOF game. The HOF game enables the Browns to start camp one week earlier. Stefanski is approaching the HOF game as an opportunity to celebrate Joe Thomas’ induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He said he is still formulating plans on how to do that. I would suggest the Browns send their entire to team to Canton for Thomas’ induction.
Hey Tony: After three years, what is your assessment of the play of Jedrick Willis? In some videos I have seen, his effort level can often be questioned.
-- Tim, Dana Point, CA
Hey Tim: I guess I would put it this way: He’s better than any tackle cheaper than him, and cheaper than any tackle better than him.
Hey Tony: Name three accomplishments of John DePodesta since he’s been with the Browns.
-- Jesse, Spring, TX
Hey Jesse: First, it’s Paul DePodesta, not John. Second, I don’t like being in the position of defending DePodesta’s record. But here goes: As the head of the coach and GM search committee, DePodesta was the person who partnered Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski in 2020 as a collaborative tandem. Haslam was sick and tired of confrontation between coaches and the analytics department, and DePodesta found a coach and GM who embrace analytics. As chief strategy officer, DePodesta established what he calls “guardrails,” which are a series of nine goals the franchise seeks to cling to. Such as: Collect as many draft picks as possible, rely on free agency less over time, keep the team young and hungry, and write contracts with a team-favorable exit in Year 3. One other guardrail: No media leaks.
