The Cleveland Browns scored big in free agency and they did it sticking by a set of principles established last year in terms of what they value and what they target in players.
While it will look like a radical change in philosophy, the Cleveland Browns stayed true to their vision in free agency. They agreed to terms with free agent wide receiver Kenny Britt and center J.C. Tretter, while also announcing a long term extension to Joel Bitonio. All three of these players fit what they want in players. The team then announced reaching a deal with Kevin Zeitler. He is the exception and, while a good player, doesn't follow quite the same thought process as the other three.
Whether it's been in the NFL Draft or free agency the Browns have put a significant focus on athleticism and in particular explosion. From Jamie Collins, who was signed earlier in the offseason, to the 2016 draft class including Corey Coleman, Emmanuel Ogbah, Ricardo Louis, and Seth DeValve, they all tested extremely highly in explosion.
The best indicators of explosion are the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jumps. For offensive linemen, the larger emphasis is on the broad jump than vertical. Tretter was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2013. He did everything at the combine and it's easy to see why the Browns liked him so much.
The percentiles are compiled by Mockdraftable.com. It's important to keep one thing in mind. The times are not weight adjusted. These numbers do not take into account if the player testing is 300 lbs or 350 lbs. It's just based on offensive linemen that tested, period.
40-yard dash: 5.09s – 85th percentile
Broad Jump: 9'1″ – 88th percentile
Vertical: 29.5″ – 70th percentile
Pretty good. Tretter is able to get off the ball and generate power as illustrated here and shown during his time with the Packers. The added benefit with Tretter is his agility. The 3-cone drill is a good measure of agility and how functional a player's hips are while the short shuttle focuses more on the ankles.
3-Cone: 7.48s – 87th percentile
Short Shuttle: 4.69s – 59th percentile
Aug 29, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers offensive tackle JC Tretter during the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field. Philadelphia won 39-26. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
His hips are fantastic and while his ankles aren't great, but they are at least average for the position. This means he's perfectly capable to slide and operate in pass protection, but that agility combined with his explosion says he can pull, which is valuable for a center.
Last year, the Browns had Cam Erving do some ambitious pulls where he went almost out to the hash marks. It stands to reason they would like to have Tretter step in and do the same thing and basically get an extra lineman on runs and in pass protection.
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Next to Tretter will be the newly extended Bitonio. Bitonio was a second-round pick by the Browns in 2014 when Ray Farmer was the general manager. This regime couldn't be happier to have him, because Bitonio is one of the best offensive line athletes in the entire league.
40 yard dash: 4.97s – 95th percentile
Broad Jump: 9'6″ – 97th percentile
Vertical: 32″ – 90th percentile
Bitonio is the dream for this front office. The second they decided how they were going to evaluate and target players, they were locked in on keeping Bitonio. He's been good on the field and his potential is incredible.
3-Cone: 7.37s – 92nd percentile
Short Shuttle: 4.44s – 94th percentile
When Bitonio was initially drafted, the question was if he was coming in to play right tackle and move what was then an up and down Mitchell Schwartz inside. It turned out Schwartz was playing hurt and he bounced back in a big way, but it's easy to see why Bitonio can play tackle. The only thing he lacks is height.
Now, along with Joe Thomas, who is an athletic dynamo who does everything from a biomechanical standpoint correctly, the Browns have as athletic a left side of the offensive line as anyone in the league. Everyone is explosive and everyone is light on their feet.
At wide receiver, Britt is coming off a career season where he had 1,002 yards and five touchdowns on 68 receptions. This is an aberration relative to his career production. There are also a litany of arrests in Britt's career. The last of his nine total incidents with the police came in 2014. On its face, this is extremely out of character for what the Browns have done to this point, putting a lot of emphasis on character. Signing Britt flies in the face of that trend.
Supposedly, Britt's last arrest was the one that finally got him to change and been a reformed player with the St. Louis, now Los Angeles Rams. Britt's issues came almost entirely with the Tennessee Titans. Obviously, the Browns have access to Gregg Williams among a number of coaches who were with Britt the last couple years to consult on that subject.
Now, the athleticism. Britt is just under 6-3 and was 218 pounds at the 2009 combine.
40 yard dash: 4.59s (Combine), 4.47s (Pro Day)
Broad Jump: 10'4″
Vertical: 37″
Looks good there. Britt only did the short shuttle, running a 4.47-second there but never did the 3-cone, so in terms of agility, they are going off the tape. Again, the Browns want explosion and it's clear that Britt has it.
Nov 27, 2016; New Orleans, LA, USA; Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt (18) is tackled by New Orleans Saints cornerback B.W. Webb (28) in the second quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
If it turns out the Browns don't resign Terrelle Pryor, Britt can step in and play across from Corey Coleman without really missing a step. Britt is 28 years old whereas Pryor is 27. They both play on the outside and can provide a physical presence underneath and provide a deep threat.
The difference is Britt has been in the NFL for eight seasons, all at wide receiver. Pryor has more potential by virtue of being an unknown combined with his impressive athleticism, but that's part of what makes Britt attractive. It's clear what he does well and he knows how to do it.
On a team full of young receivers, it's not the worst thing in the world to have a guy at a featured spot who is a known entity. If the Browns were to also bring back Pryor, it gives them a ton of size and speed and options all over the place. Pryor certainly fits their mold of players they like.
The outlier for the Browns is Kevin Zeitler. Zeitler is a talented, tough right guard who is looking to beat the guy up across from him. He also played for Hue Jackson when Jackson was the offensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals.
This move has Jackson's fingerprints all over it, which is not to say it's a bad thing. It's just that when looking at the numbers, it suggests Jackson may have been a big part of the reason they went this route.
40 yard dash: 5.39s – 26th percentile
Broad Jump: 8'5″ – 49th percentile
Vertical: 29″ – 65th percentile
The contrast is pretty stark compared to the other two offensive linemen. Zeitler is not nearly as explosive as Bitonio and Tretter. He has been a powerful right guard as part of a good unit but that says more about who he is than it does his athleticism.
3-Cone: 7.77s – 56th percentile
Short Shuttle: 4.61s – 74th percentile
His agility is a little more promising. He's got good ankle flexibility and hopefully he's worked to improve his hips since he's entered the league.
Oct 11, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals guard Kevin Zeitler (68) runs on the field before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Paul Brown Stadium. Cincinnati defeated Seattle 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
It's interesting that of the signings, it was Zeitler who got the biggest contract. At least from an athletic and potential standpoint, he is the worst of the group.
Having said that, there's tape to look at these players now and Zeitler has gotten a ton out of his body in his career. That is what Jackson liked about him and obviously there were multiple teams willing to pay out a ton of money to get him.
And while it is not the be all end all, Pro Football Focus is a metric evaluation of tape and the Browns do at least reference it. There, Zeitler graded out at an 87.1 for the 2016 season, which is a testament to his performance on the field.
That doesn't mean those athletic numbers should be thrown out the window. More likely, what it means is Zeitler as likely reached his peak as a player, and his peak is a very good guard. If the Browns can get five years of that, the contract will be worth it. It's just not too likely that he takes another step forward as a player.
Zeitler could be a great signing and the Browns are certainly banking on that to be the case, since they gave him the biggest contract of anyone they signed in free agency. But specifically looking at what the front office tends to target, Bitonio, Tretter and Britt are exactly type of players they love.
So with all of these things in mind, let's go ahead and make a prediction for a player on the Browns roster that should be getting an extension shortly based on how this front office thinks and values players.
Here's a look at his explosion.
40 yard dash: 4.58s (Pro Day)
Broad Jump: 10'2″ (Combine) 10′ (Pro Day)
Vertical: 32″ (Combine) 36″ (Pro Day)
Looks more than good enough from this standpoint. And now his agility.
3-Cone: 7.11s (Pro Day)
Short Shuttle: 4.42s (Pro Day)
Solid there. So who is it? It's linebacker Chris Kirksey, who is coming off a first season when he's a full time starter, producing 96 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three pass deflections.
Kirksey is also regarded as a growing leader on the defense. He was a two-time captain at Iowa and he's still only 24 years old. With Jamie Collins on a long term deal, the Browns will look to get the captain of the defense locked up and have their linebackers set for the foreseeable future. Kirksey is also a player who loves Cleveland and the Browns and really wants to be here, so look for this deal to get done sooner than later.
The analytics the Cleveland Browns utilize focus on explosion, production and then they weigh character. They may tweak it, but it's effective and it's easily repeatable. The team has brought in some players that fit in the draft last year, but for the most part, this is how they operate. There's little reason to believe they will change that anytime soon.
