Offseason grades for all 32 teams - NFL Insider

[iowajerms]

Full article attached as .pdf (22 pages)

Offseason grades for all 32 NFL teams

Arizona: B
Atlanta: B
Baltimore: C
Buffalo: B
Carolina: C
Chicago: B
Cincinnati: C
Cleveland: C+
Dallas: B
Dnver: B-
Detroit: C
Green Bay: C+
Houston: B
Indianapolis: A-
Jacksonville: B
Kansas City: C
Los Angeles Chargers: C
Los Angeles Rams: C+
Miami: B
Minnesota: B
New England: C
New Orleans: C
New York Giants: D
New York Jets D-
Oakland: C+
Philadelphia: B-
Pittsburgh: C
San Francisco: C
Seattle: C+
Tampa Bay: B-
Tennessee: C
Washington: B-

 

[Shanemansj13]

New York Jets D-

 

[Across The Field]

lol ok

 

[iowajerms]

lol ok

Cleveland Browns
Grade: C+

Execs who weren't sure whether the 2018 Los Angeles Rams could easily assimilate Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters thought the Browns were taking much greater risks. Cleveland has less stable ownership, a less established head coach, no track record of recent success and a more explosive combination of personalities.

"Handing this roster to Freddie Kitchens, who has never been a coordinator, let alone a head coach, would scare me to death," an exec said. "The talent might be good enough so that it doesn't matter, but it is also combustible. You are already seeing signs with Odell."

Odell Beckham Jr., Kareem Hunt and Sheldon Richardson are talented newcomers who have nonetheless been suspended by the NFL at various points in their careers. While execs lauded GM John Dorsey's eye for talent, they saw the Browns taking a short-term approach that is creating great expectations without necessarily laying a stable foundation.

"I think whatever success they have will be fleeting," an exec said.

A salary-cap administrator thought the Browns' moves created challenges that could complicate their ability to re-sign homegrown talent.

"Face it, with that ownership and these expectations, Freddie Kitchens is coaching for his job in Year 1, which is insane," another exec said. "I give the Browns really high marks for their talent acquisitions at a time when that division is in transition, but it is going to take great leadership to get that done, and there is no track record of that leadership there."

A head coach said he thought quarterback Baker Mayfield had the makeup and personality to roll with whatever waves Beckham and anyone else might make. An exec thought the personalities of Mayfield and Beckham were bigger than the franchise, and he thought there was zero chance Beckham actually wanted to be in Cleveland over bigger, more glamorous markets such as New York and Los Angeles.


"You look at their skill people and it's pretty impressive if the quarterback is the real deal," another exec said. "Defensively, you got the pass-rusher [Olivier Vernon] for a guard [Kevin Zeitler], which is good. I could be dead wrong, but I think they go 10-6 and have a good year. Then I think next year [2020] is the key for them, where they go one way or another."

 

[Across The Field]

Cleveland Browns
Grade: C+

Execs who weren't sure whether the 2018 Los Angeles Rams could easily assimilate Ndamukong Suh, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters thought the Browns were taking much greater risks. Cleveland has less stable ownership, a less established head coach, no track record of recent success and a more explosive combination of personalities.

"Handing this roster to Freddie Kitchens, who has never been a coordinator, let alone a head coach, would scare me to death," an exec said. "The talent might be good enough so that it doesn't matter, but it is also combustible. You are already seeing signs with Odell."

Odell Beckham Jr., Kareem Hunt and Sheldon Richardson are talented newcomers who have nonetheless been suspended by the NFL at various points in their careers. While execs lauded GM John Dorsey's eye for talent, they saw the Browns taking a short-term approach that is creating great expectations without necessarily laying a stable foundation.

"I think whatever success they have will be fleeting," an exec said.

A salary-cap administrator thought the Browns' moves created challenges that could complicate their ability to re-sign homegrown talent.

"Face it, with that ownership and these expectations, Freddie Kitchens is coaching for his job in Year 1, which is insane," another exec said. "I give the Browns really high marks for their talent acquisitions at a time when that division is in transition, but it is going to take great leadership to get that done, and there is no track record of that leadership there."

A head coach said he thought quarterback Baker Mayfield had the makeup and personality to roll with whatever waves Beckham and anyone else might make. An exec thought the personalities of Mayfield and Beckham were bigger than the franchise, and he thought there was zero chance Beckham actually wanted to be in Cleveland over bigger, more glamorous markets such as New York and Los Angeles.


"You look at their skill people and it's pretty impressive if the quarterback is the real deal," another exec said. "Defensively, you got the pass-rusher [Olivier Vernon] for a guard [Kevin Zeitler], which is good. I could be dead wrong, but I think they go 10-6 and have a good year. Then I think next year [2020] is the key for them, where they go one way or another."

I think the whole "explosive personalities" thing is being blown WAY out of proportion. ODB has done nothing wrong since he's gotten here other than not go to voluntary workouts, which is one of the least surprising things a player of his caliber can do. I get that Cleveland isn't glamorous, but they mention how he'd rather be in NY...which is where he was, and he was miserable. Now he's playing alongside his childhood best friend, and he and Baker have been friends for over a year now.

As far as the salary situations go, I'm not sure how they've hampered themselves from being able to re-sign their homegrown talent. Vernon only has two more years on his deal, Richardson's deal is team-friendly and reasonably priced, and he can be cut in two years with only $1.6m left in dead money. ODB is signed for 4 more years, as is Landry, but so what? Garrett isn't due a new contract for 3 more years, while Baker, Ward, and Chubb aren't due for 4 more years. Couple that with the fact that we just brought in several rookies who could very easily be replacing higher-priced players on the roster within the next two years, and the Browns are in fine financial shape.

 

[CaptainStubing]

I think the whole "explosive personalities" thing is being blown WAY out of proportion. ODB has done nothing wrong since he's gotten here other than not go to voluntary workouts, which is one of the least surprising things a player of his caliber can do. I get that Cleveland isn't glamorous, but they mention how he'd rather be in NY...which is where he was, and he was miserable. Now he's playing alongside his childhood best friend, and he and Baker have been friends for over a year now.

As far as the salary situations go, I'm not sure how they've hampered themselves from being able to re-sign their homegrown talent. Vernon only has two more years on his deal, Richardson's deal is team-friendly and reasonably priced, and he can be cut in two years with only $1.6m left in dead money. ODB is signed for 4 more years, as is Landry, but so what? Garrett isn't due a new contract for 3 more years, while Baker, Ward, and Chubb aren't due for 4 more years. Couple that with the fact that we just brought in several rookies who could very easily be replacing higher-priced players on the roster within the next two years, and the Browns are in fine financial shape.

Who is ODB?

 

[iowajerms]

Who is ODB?

I've seen it both ODB (Odell Beckham) and OBJ (Odell Beckham Jr)

 

[jarntt]

I've seen it both ODB (Odell Beckham) and OBJ (Odell Beckham Jr)

You may have seen it both but only one is correct:

OBJ

ODB

 

[Across The Field]

Who is ODB?

It's like how people call Lebron James LBJ. It doesn't make total sense but it's just accepted.

 

[rmilia1]

As long as Cleveland starts well they'll be fine . If they start slow the whole thing could collapse quickly . Outspoken talent , inexperienced coach and high expectations can only go one of 2 ways . Cleveland is one of the rare teams where their first 4 games are probably more important than their last 4

 

[jarntt]

As long as Cleveland starts well they'll be fine . If they start slow the whole thing could collapse quickly . Outspoken talent , inexperienced coach and high expectations can only go one of 2 ways . Cleveland is one of the rare teams where their first 4 games are probably more important than their last 4

Totally agree. I hope they are good, but I think they aren't quite as good as some think. I think the entire NFL fanbase will be pulling for them other than maybe teams in their own Division. Would be fun to see them finally be decent. Hopefully all the new pieces fit together.

 

[handicappers]

Hey Dirty baby I got yer money

 

[jwolt92]

Full article attached as .pdf (22 pages)

Offseason grades for all 32 NFL teams

Arizona: B
Atlanta: B
Baltimore: C
Buffalo: B
Carolina: C
Chicago: B
Cincinnati: C
Cleveland: C+
Dallas: B
Dnver: B-
Detroit: C
Green Bay: C+
Houston: B
Indianapolis: A-
Jacksonville: B
Kansas City: C
Los Angeles Chargers: C
Los Angeles Rams: C+
Miami: B
Minnesota: B
New England: C
New Orleans: C
New York Giants: D
New York Jets D-
Oakland: C+
Philadelphia: B-
Pittsburgh: C
San Francisco: C
Seattle: C+
Tampa Bay: B-
Tennessee: C
Washington: B-

Doing the lord's work out here @iowajerms

 

[Southieinnc]

Who is ODB?

Okinawa Defense Bureau

 

[CouchOnFire]

Who is ODB?

Old Dirty Bastard (R.I.P)

 

[Across The Field]

As long as Cleveland starts well they'll be fine . If they start slow the whole thing could collapse quickly . Outspoken talent , inexperienced coach and high expectations can only go one of 2 ways . Cleveland is one of the rare teams where their first 4 games are probably more important than their last 4

I don't think I would be in this same camp. It's a team with several new faces. I'm not automatically expecting them to come out guns blazing, especially considering they start the year with 4 of their 6 opponents having had winning records just last year, as well as the Jets who made some pretty big offseason improvements. I've said on here before it wouldn't shock me if they went into the bye with a 3-3 record. Hell, they could be 6-0 or 2-4 even. Nobody knows.

They started out last year 2-6-1 before winning 5 of their last 7 games. That's what Baker is able to do as a leader. Just adding ODB isn't going to suddenly change that. You mention the high expectations - outside of the outlandish fans, I think most Cleveland fans are approaching the year with tempered optimism. We know what this team is capable of, but nobody is coming in saying we're a lock to win 12 games or something. The high expectations seem to be more external.

 

[rmilia1]

I don't think I would be in this same camp. It's a team with several new faces. I'm not automatically expecting them to come out guns blazing, especially considering they start the year with 4 of their 6 opponents having had winning records just last year, as well as the Jets who made some pretty big offseason improvements. I've said on here before it wouldn't shock me if they went into the bye with a 3-3 record. Hell, they could be 6-0 or 2-4 even. Nobody knows.

They started out last year 2-6-1 before winning 5 of their last 7 games. That's what Baker is able to do as a leader. Just adding ODB isn't going to suddenly change that. You mention the high expectations - outside of the outlandish fans, I think most Cleveland fans are approaching the year with tempered optimism. We know what this team is capable of, but nobody is coming in saying we're a lock to win 12 games or something. The high expectations seem to be more external.

External forces can impact teams man . Especially when they've got expectations and players who are known to freak out a bit . I think you guys will be ok but it's not crazy to think it could go sideways

 

[PDay8810]

but OSU is not bias at all

nevermind any negative opinions, pure greatness is ahead with the face of the NFL under center

 

[Across The Field]

but OSU is not bias at all

nevermind any negative opinions, pure greatness is ahead with the face of the NFL under center

That was a real stretch dude. Stop being obsessed with me.

 

[Across The Field]

External forces can impact teams man . Especially when they've got expectations and players who are known to freak out a bit . I think you guys will be ok but it's not crazy to think it could go sideways

Oh I get that, that's why I'm in the "tempered optimism" camp. All sorts of things can go wrong every year. I just think the reasons laid out in the article don't seem to add up. If ODB is a headache, thankfully we didn't restructure his contract. If he proves to be a pain in the ass, we can release him after this year with 0 dead cap space, and thankfully the Giants took care of all of his guaranteed money.

I just think the potential upside to pairing him with Baker and adding him to the cast of weapons far outweighs the potential negatives. I also don't think enough has been pointed out how he's playing with two people he's close to, including his best friend, and also has a young, talented QB and not an aging noodle-arm throwing him the ball. I think that will be enough to at least calm him from what we've seen in NY.