Cleveland Browns Rumors: Jermaine Gresham, Cecil Shorts, Mark Sanchez Free Agent Targets With Sam Bradford Trade Over Brian Hoyer?

Feb 06, 2015 02:51 PM EST
Jermaine Gresham #84 of the Cincinnati Bengals
Jermaine Gresham #84 of the Cincinnati Bengals runs the football upfield against Tashaun Gipson #39 of the Cleveland Browns during their game at Paul Brown Stadium on November 6, 2014 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Browns defeated the Bengals 21-3."

The Cleveland Browns are coming into 2015 looking to bounce back from a miserable season and with a ton of cap money to spend, names like Jermaine Gresham, Cecil Shorts, Mark Ingram, Mark Sanchez, Julius Thomas and Jeremy Maclin could be potential free agent targets and this comes as Brian Hoyer may return, while trades for Kirk Cousins, Sam Bradford or Jameis Winston are also possible.

Pat McManamon at ESPN.com writes that the Browns could have over $30 million in cap space and that he expects the team to use most of it. Names like Ndamukong Suh and Julius Thomas could be potential big name targets, while Jermaine Gresham Jeremy Maclin, Randall Cobb, Mark Ingram, CJ Spiller and Cecil Shorts are also options on the market. The Browns will be without Josh Gordon for a year and that could lead them to look at wide receivers in the draft and in free agency. Gresham is a target if the team lets Jordan Cameron walk as a free agent.

The Browns also have some major questions at QB, as right now they have Johnny Manziel and Connor Shaw on the roster with Brian Hoyer a free agent. According to ESPN.com, Ray Farmer said that the team will look at bringing Hoyer back, but only at the "right price" Hoyer has said that he would be willing to return, but like last year he wants a chance to compete for the starting job. Hoyer won it last year and started the season 7-4 before faltering down the second part of the schedule and the team finished 0-5 with him, Shaw and Manziel all playing.

According to McManamon, the Browns will consider numerous options, including Mark Sanchez and Jake Locker in free agency, while Sam Bradford could be a potential trade target or an option if he is released. McManamon writes that Bradford will be "in the conversation" but that after two knee surgeries it's likely the Browns pass on that option. Hoyer could be hit with the franchise tag, but that would be for over $16 million and that could be too high of a price to pay for him.

The Browns were terrible at the end of last season and even though they have some major issues at QB, they are well-positioned to turn it around. Obviously it depends on making the right decisions and while Ray Farmer and Jimmy Haslam have shown they have not done that yet, there is still plenty of time to work things out. Johnny Manziel is young and could still develop into a solid player, while the Browns have cap space and the most draft picks of any team this year.

The Browns can use their draft picks to move around, up or down, in the draft and they also have two first round picks, meaning they can jump up if they want to grab one of the top QBs. While that move is unlikely after taking Manziel in the first round last year, no one would put it past the team to do something that drastic. Pro Football Talk adds that the Browns could look at Kirk Cousins, as he was a target for the team last year and they could pick up on that as a trade option this offseason. 

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