CLEVELAND, OHIO (TheOBR.com) - Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
Today's a big day on the OBR, as we've lifted the paywall and made everything accessible to Browns fans on the site, so, for those not in the know, they can start to see the value of a subscription. At the same time, we're running a 75% off sale for annual subscriptions. Monthly customers can still purchase a sub at full price, giving them immediate access to the Paramount+ benefit. Check out this article to see the benefits of a VIP subscription.
While we invite Browns fans to join our VIP community, the Browns themselves continue to tweak and fine-tune their roster to enhance their chances for 2025 and beyond. The team signed Bailey Zappe yesterday, made some waiver claims, and more.
Today's news will be featured on our front page as well as the OBR Daily News Ticker, updated sporadically throughout the day.
As for yesterday's news? I have thoughts.
BAILEY ZAPPE IS ABOUT SHEDEUR'S DEVELOPMENT
Why Bailey Zappe? The new Browns quarterback has some experience with Kevin Stefanski's system, but I think that the actual reason he's joining the Browns has more to do with Shedeur Sanders. While Sanders is diligent about his development as an NFL quarterback, game three of the preseason showed that he's not yet capable. It also showed that a lifetime of success may collide with the challenge of the NFL game and have the young man reeling mentally. All of this suggests that the Browns shouldn't put Sanders out there until he's ready.
The problem is that the team has no idea when that will be. Obviously, the hope is that Sanders will be ready by the end of the year, so the Browns can evaluate him against NFL competition if they're out of contention. However, if he's not ready and Flacco/Gabriel can't play, the team needs a shield to prevent Sanders from being forced into service before his time.
Enter Bailey Zappe. I would postulate that if we see either Zappe or Deshaun Watson on the field in 2025, it's a sign that the season is effectively over. But the Browns prize Sanders and don't want to wreck his development by putting them out there before he's ready. Zappe will need to be ready if that's the case.
THE BROWNS ARE GEARING TOWARDS 2026
There's a bit of enthusiasm around the Browns as we head towards what the team hopes is a bounce-back year for the franchise after last year's Watsonian disaster. While the off-season defensive investments and even mediocre quarterback play should yield better results, the team seems realistic about its chances.
An indicator of this is the sheer number of young undrafted free agents who have made the roster, as well as the dice rolls the team is making with players like Malachi Corley and Cole Strange, former high picks who might be able to restart their careers in Cleveland. The Browns are not loading the bottom of the roster with veterans to win now. They're clearly focused on developing high-potential athletic players, whose payoff will come in the future.
This team has its eyes on next year and another good draft before they really start to make their mark. Watching college football will be fun this year for Browns fans, as we eye a deep quarterback class and support a team loaded with draft picks.
DUSTIN HOPKINS IS A CAUTIONARY TALE
The fall can come fast. None of us really knows what happened with Browns placekicker Dustin Hopkins, who has a good-enough leg but can't seem to put the ball through the uprights with regularity anymore. The kicker was waived by the Browns yesterday.
Dustin Hopkins
Dustin Hopkins (Photo: Getty)
I'm not sure whether Hopkins' problems started with the injury he suffered during the playoff loss to the Texans at the end of the 2023 season, or if something got inside his head that derailed his career. I'm pretty sure that if it were a mechanical issue, the Browns could have resolved that. Instead, the wheels came off, and we don't know why.
It's the truth of life in the NFL. Even if you're flying high, as Hopkins was in 2023, the good times can end at any moment. Fortunately for him, Hopkins got a final good contract before his implosion. Not every NFL player is so fortunate.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
Newswire Bloviation Archive
OBR STUFF
VIDEOS
Inside The Browns Beat - Ft. Scott Petrak! - (youtube.com)
Garage Beers Live - Episode 278 - Ft. Nathan Zegura! - (youtube.com)
Browns Sign a Running Back as Key Players Return to the Field - (youtube.com)
Browns 3D - Cleveland Browns try to fill roster needs and practice squad through waivers - (youtube.com)
ARTICLES
UPDATED Browns Make More Moves Sign Bailey Zappe Add RB CB Sign Kaden Davis Julian Okwara Others to PS - Fred
What Other Cleveland Browns Moves Are Coming Before Week One - Jack
Cleveland Browns Fans Get 75% off an OBR Subscription Now - Barry
Cleveland Browns Awarded Two on Waivers - Pete
The Day After Rolling Blog of Cleveland Browns Rumors As the Team Adjusts the Roster - Barry
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 8/27: On DeAndre Carter, Michael Hall, and Deshaun Watson - Barry
FORUM POSTS
ASK THE INSIDERS (VIP)
Judkins contract
Hall status for week 1
Are the Browns built to lose gracefully?
WaiversRB
Is Zappe insurance for Sanders ?
In what world do the Browns see Malachi Corley as a positive?
Why roster Sanders ?
Malachi corley
What about Luke Floriea on PS?
Waiver help? Chris Paul Jr and Eli Ricks
Why Shedeur was not in last drive?
Anyone's eyebrows raised over KS and Huntley?
Is Isaiah Simmons washed up?
Please explain the specifics on Waivers
THE WATERCOOLER Guys on the 53 That Still Needs Replaced
13 rookies on our 53
OT: Drew Allar
Browns Claim RB Raheim Sanders
Nice of the commish to inform chiefs
Browns also sign Cole Strange
Nice of the commish to inform chiefs
LiveWire Thread for 8/27 - Twitter, Video, Articles
NFL Waiver Claims Process
THE LIFT
Positive news from the world of sports and beyond...
'A remarkable discovery': Astronomers find 1st exoplanet in multi-ring disk around star - (space.com)
Warped spacetime with surprise 'double-zoom' reveals radiation around distant supermassive black hole - (space.com)
That mysterious 'Wow! signal' from space? Scientists may finally know where it came from — and it's… - (space.com)
Today's lifts come from the domain of astronomy and space science. As with the medical articles that often appear in this space, it seems like human knowledge is constantly accelerating. I sometimes wonder if the firehose of change is too much for many folks, who wish for simpler times. Still, the knowledge we're compounding seems to be increasing at an exponential rate in many areas (space, AI, physics), and our place in the Universe seems less and less defined with each new discovery.
FEATURED LINKS
ESPN's bold prediction for the Browns in 2025: Harold Fannin might catch a lot of passes. Got it. Thanks for the update. - (espn.com)
Buster Skrine's story is a sad one for the Browns' former draft pick (On3.com)
Imagine if there was a place you could have heard about Adin Huntington before last weekend (ABJ)
YouTube = ATT Uverse it seems. The carriage battles continue regardless of technology - (frontofficesports.com)
WRAPPING UP
*When not crawling on a weird blue dot in a corner of a non-descript galaxy, 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. *
CONTACT Barry to sponsor the OBR. We have plans for nearly any budget!
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