There's a risk in the way that I do the bloviation, which is basically to spend my morning looking through every bit of Browns news that I can find, letting my mushy brain process it, and then deciding what I'd like to talk about. What comes out of that process is informed by my personal experiences, what I find humorous or interesting, and my lifetime as a Browns fan. Plus, the mushy brain, which increases the humor quotient by getting facts wrong and making me offer up dubious opinions. My brain is the worst enemy of this bloviation.
Sometimes, when I'm looking through these news items, I encounter one that hits me personally and makes it hard to focus on the latest Browns news. Such was the case today, when I stumbled onto this story about the rivalry between upstart recruiting network On3 Sports and 247Sports. There's so much I want to say about this, and so much more to the story, but this is neither the time nor the place. As an executive at CBS/247Sports prior to 2019, I had a front-row seat to see what happened. It was one of the worst experiences of my life, and it led me to focus full-time on the OBR instead.
So, please excuse me if I'm a bit distracted by some memories while I'm trying to focus on the Browns. This is a horrible time for that, because there's a lot going on as the team prepares for two months of rebuilding its offensive roster as it tries to return to competitiveness.
—
The team made a couple of moves yesterday that set itself up to focus on the offense starting Monday, when the legal tampering period begins. They gave a second-round tender to safety Ronnie Hickman, who has been a solid contributor in the secondary since signing as an undrafted free agent several years ago. The Browns took a risk at the time by not drafting him on Day 3 (they considered it), but it worked out very well for them. Hickman had his best year last year, with a couple of interceptions, seven passes defensed, and over 100 tackles. With his signing, one of the few question marks on the defense roster has been erased.
Ronnie Hickman
Ronnie Hickman (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
As Jack Duffin could have told you (and did), the Browns also freed up a bunch of cap space by restructuring the contract of "swing and a miss" quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has never achieved anything remotely close to the level of play that the Browns had hoped for. Watson will continue to be part of the team until March 2027, at which point he's going to be cut free unless he miraculously turns things around on the field in 2026. Which I'm not anticipating. At all. Even if Todd Monken says he's "intriguing", Watson's last bit of league relevance was over half a decade ago in Houston. Instagram videos of workouts are not going to convince me that the on-field version of Watson we saw a couple of years ago will be replaced by the ghost of his former self.
It's over. We're just waiting until it's over. That will come in about 370 days.
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So, the Ravens have given up their future for edge rusher Maxx Crosby. The Cleveland Browns can tell them something about parting with large amounts of draft capital for a single player who is subject to injury and requires a big contract, rather than the cheap rookie deals for first-rounders that the Ravens gave up. While Crosby is a terror, I suspect the Ravens will be recovering from this move in a couple of seasons, as they pine for the yearly injection of cheap talent on five-year deals that they just gave up. There's a reason that teams treat draft picks like gold, and that giving them up creates situations like the Browns have faced.
Edge rushers are important, but it's hard for me to rationalize the cost at any position other than quarterback. But the Ravens clearly see an opportunity in the declining AFC North, and they're grabbing it.
–
The Detroit Lions have released Taylor Decker, and based on this video, I'm not sure how I would feel about signing him. I'm rooting for him, and was really impacted by his emotion in the linked video.
It's a complicated story, and part of the brutal aspect of the NFL as a key contributor for the last decade in Detroit is cut free. If we're looking at him in Cleveland, understand that he's a great player afflicted by shoulder injuries who's expressing concerns about his desire to play. He's a proven left tackle, but he's 33 years old, suffering from wear-and-tear of a long career, and who would have an expectation of a big contract in order to continue his career.
I don't see it happening.
—
It turns out that Myles Garrett wasn't going 94-miles-per-hour when he was pulled over for speeding. It was over 100. Damn it, Myles. Don't let your right foot put your Hall of Fame career in jeopardy. You're important to this community.
Oh, and pick up the damn phone.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR GOODIES
OBR VIDEO
OBR ARTICLES
- Ronnie Hickman To Be Tendered By The Cleveland Browns, What's Next?
- Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 03/06/26: Shedeur Sanders Has Little to do with this Article
- 5 Steps to put the Browns Back on the Road to Winning in 2026 -- Pre-Free Agency NUMBER 4: IOL, Guards, Center
- Cleveland Browns Film Room: Is Braxton Jones a Bust or a Bargain?
FROM THE FORUMS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
- Any truth to Myles rumors? (Not about a trade)
- Hey Pete /Lane
- geno planned release
- Hudson available
- Every player who becomes available…
- Taylor Decker
- Any Interest in IOL Brock Hoffman?
- Inisders, would you make a move for Zion Johnson of the chargers
- Question for lane-browns interest in Geno??
- Myles??
- Insiders: Devin Bush
RUMOR CENTRAL (VIP)
- Get Well, Lane Adkins!
INSIDER DISCUSSION (VIP)
- Makai Lemon Measurements/Numbers, What Matters
THE WATERCOOLER
-OT: Miami-OU in OT
- Crosby to Ravens
- The QB Situation on the Eve of Free Agency
- OT: Any F1 fans out there?
- Maxx Crosby to Ratbirds
- 30 Visit with OT Markel Bell - Browns and Steelers
- Season ticket surprise
- Parcells: Jags Moving on from Brian Thomas
- Per Grok Browns Place 2nd Rd Tender on Hickman
- Bills new Stadium generated $260 million from PSL Sales
- Sherrone "Moore"celain Doll with wrist slap
- Taylor Decker released
- List of Top 30 Cash Outlays for One Year Players
- Schefter Echoes Raiders Releasing Smith
- LiveWire Thread for 3/6 - Twitter, Video, Article
- Watson restructured again, Brown's free up more cap space
- Draft Game
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
- Bumblebees Make Decisions as Efficiently as Humans
- Physicists Uncover How Long It Takes to Get the Last Drop of Syrup
- Did Earth life actually begin on Mars? Asteroid impacts could let microbes planet-hop, study suggests
All kinds of interesting stuff for the lift today, but the key for me, as a fat guy, is the question about syrup, which is receiving the attention of top men. Top. Men.
WRAPPING UP
When not preparing to make some protein waffles, Barry McBride is the Publisher and Founder of the OBR and bloviates this nonsense every morning. You can follow him on Twitter @barrymcbride or write him at barry@theobr.com if you are so compelled.
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