CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
There's some skullduggery afoot, my friends, and, per usual, it's emanating from Baltimore, Maryland.
The entire NFL world is abuzz about the Maxx Crosby-Ratbird saga, where the Baltimore Ravens supposedly took a look at the knee of the Las Vegas Raiders star edge rusher and said, "Uh, no thanks". That's right, the same Rats that were crowing about their newfound pass rush in the wake of the deal, suddenly got cold feet.
Keep in mind, the Ravens were ready to give up two first-round picks, including a mid-first-rounder this year, for Crosby. I was personally delighted at the deal, although I don't like it when the Ravens have nice things, because of the price they paid for the player. I've seen what happens when teams give up draft picks like that, especially for players with questions around them, and I was happy to see Baltimore pay that price.
So, apparently, were the Raiders, who promptly assumed they had more picks, and more salary cap space, and went out and spent umpteen million dollars on free agents. This was just the start of the ripple effects, as teams like the Cowboys shifted gears due to Crosby's unavailability. Now, all the dominoes that fell because of that deal have to be stood up again, and all thanks to the Rats.
What happens now? Do the Raiders need to undo some of those deals to get back under the cap? Is center Tyler Linberbaum back on the market? If so, it's too late for the Browns, who signed a two-year deal with Elgton Jenkins, in part because of his experience at Linberbaum's position. A lot of things happened because of that deal, and unwinding things will be a mess.
Meanwhile, rumors are already swirling that the Ravens are eyeing a replacement edge rusher in Bengals free agent Trey Hendrickson, but now we have opposing GMs calling BS on the move, and some saying it's more buyer's remorse than true concern about Crosby's health. Crosby's agent says that the edge rusher is right on track in his recovery, which was the general consensus around the league. The backlash, in general, is pretty strong and pretty anti-Ravens.
Maxx Crosby
Maxx Crosby (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Now, the question is whether the Ravens will pay a price for their behavior. Despite warnings and threats, the answer is a firm "no". This is the same team that won a Super Bowl despite the presence of traitor Art Modell, and has built a statue to Ray Lewis. Duplicity and sleaze are all just part of the fabric of the franchise, especially now that Cleveland Browns tight end Ozzie Newsome is gone. They'll back out, cause problems for a bunch of teams, and pay no price. Mark my word.
Meanwhile, the Browns continue to look for ways to rebuild their dead offensive line. The team re-signed guard Teven Jenkins, along with the Elgton Jenkins deal, helping to build up the interior of their offensive line. Things are still thin at tackle despite the acquisition of Tytus Howard. It's all analyzed out the wazoo on these pages, and there's plenty of discussion in the forums about all the moves. So why are you reading this nonsense? Dive in and talk with the more devoted Browns fans on the planet.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR GOODIES
OBR VIDEO
- Off the Leash, Episode 35: Browns strike fast in free agency
- Pete and Joe: Free Agency Continues
OBR ARTICLES
- Cleveland Browns Film Room: Does a Nick Chubb Reunion Make Sense?
- Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 03/10/26: Filling in the Gaps
- Cleveland Browns Re-Sign G Teven Jenkins
- What The Teven Jenkins Deal Means For The Cleveland Browns 2026 Guard Room
- Cleveland Browns Agree to Two-Year Deal with OL Elgton Jenkins
- What The Elgton Jenkins Deal Means For The Cleveland Browns 2026 Center Room
FROM THE FORUMS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
- QBs available in the draft
- Valuing players
- Elgton Jenkins
- Bitonio
- Insiders, Is This Chart in the Ballpark…
- Jack
- 2026 QB Room
- whats next after Geno Smith?
- No way Bitonio comes back at LT right?
- Pete-Is Delp an option @ TE in draft considering FA situation?
- Rasheed walker tackle also njoku
- Question for Pete- Do they wanna compete?
- f/u on Njoku
- Pete oline ?
- "Nothing serious" at QB?
- Actual Tampering vs Legal Tampering
- Any rumblings about Bitonio yet?
- Thoughts on Zion Johnson
- Most Y TEs are signed except Goedert, is Njoku return truly dead
- WR's
- Offensive line
THE WATERCOOLER
-Browns OL FA Done???
- OT: Bam Adebayo scores 83 points for the Heat Tonight!
- 'Off the Leah' Recap of Early Free Agency Moves
- Tate and Lomu vs. Fano and D. Boston
- Up five down two - additions and subtractions
- Elgton Jenkins
- Graph of Bad Throws by '25 QBs Reveals…
- Up four - down two - additions and subtractions
- Cleveland Browns Re-Sign G Teven Jenkins
- What The Teven Jenkins Deal Means For The Cleveland Browns 2026 Guard Room
- Browns Announce Re-Signing Tevin Jenkins
- Up three - down two - additions and subtractions
- BrownsNation: Jason Llyod Reveals Growing Concerns About Shedeur
- OT: Anxiety
- Newsome Signs Prove It Deal w Jints
- I really want Rasheed Walker
- Today is Joel Bitonio decision day.
- LiveWire Thread for 3/10 - Twitter, Video, Articles
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
Kind Restaurant Owners Take Entire Staff on Paid Bahamas Vacation
This sort of thing causes trouble for small business owners everywhere. The best thing I can do is offer a no-expense-paid trip to Cleveland, where the OBR gang can gather and cause trouble on the home turf. Which we really need to do, perhaps when things slow down. I'd say it's an excuse to cause all kinds of trouble, but it would probably wind up with me drunk on bourbon and beer and wearing a lampshade on my head while the rest of the team anxiously eyes the exits. I have that effect on people. But sure, Cleveland is a nice alternative to the Bahamas, and you don't worry about having to get sand in your shoes. Big win.
WRAPPING UP
When not looking around at the available table lamps, 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.
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CONTACT Barry tosponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
OBR Across the Internet
OBR on BlueSky
OBR on Twitter
OBR on Threads
OBR on LinkedIN
OBR on Youtube
OBR on Twitch
OBR on Facebook
Handy Links
Sign up for our newsletter
Sign up for breaking news text alerts
OBR Unpublished RSS Feed
*If you have made it this far, you must subscribe to the OBR. Them's the rules.*