The Browns are on the board.
With more than $100 million in cap space to spend, Cleveland went after and got former Rams wide receiver Kenny Britt. The wideout's deal is worth $32.5 million over four years, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
While this is not quite the top-of-the-line move to energize the Browns fan base, it does add a capable, big-body receiver still in his prime at an affordable price. Britt, 28, will be averaging a little more than $8 million per season after putting up a career-best 68 catches for 1,002 yards and five touchdowns last season. He also caught a career-best 61.3 percent of his passes.
The thinking here may be that Britt is a good safety net for whomever the Browns bring in at quarterback. To have a career season with Case Keenum and Jared Goff under center is not easy, and showed Britt's continued maturity from raw, late first-round pick in 2009 to now.
The soon-to-be official deal obviously raises questions about whether the team intends to re-sign Terrelle Pryor, who did not get the franchise tag from Cleveland and should get some looks on the open market. Pryor had a breakout year in 2016 after switching from quarterback, and put up 77 catches for 1,007 yards and four touchdowns in his first full year at receiver.
Athletically, Pryor is the better option and can wear more hats in Hue Jackson's versatile offense. However, the Browns are looking for seasoned veterans to upgrade their extremely young roster. Britt immediately fits that bill.
He joins 2016 first-round pick Corey Coleman on a team that many expected would come out of the gates quickly this spring. The problem, of course, is that Cleveland still requires some salesmanship. Like the Raiders in seasons past, they will have to overpay for middle-tier talent until the product catches up with the expectations. If nothing else, Britt will be a presence in the red zone for other teams to worry about. Could that be enough to entice another quarterback to visit Ohio?
