The Cleveland Browns are interested in the very thing that your favorite OBR Webdork absolutely does not represent. This, links, podcasts, and the usual tomfoolery in this morning's OBR Daily Newswire.
Barry McBride
THE DAILY BLOVIATION
Good morning, Cleveland Browns fans!
I was chatting with people at a medical appointment the other day, and the subject came up of my working at home, i.e., OBR International Headquarters. I was asked if I started doing so during the Pandemic, and I answered no; my working from home pre-dated COVID-19. I offered that, unlike war or a zombie apocalypse, a pandemic was the one human catastrophe my lifestyle was ideally suited for. Sitting on my butt at home, ordering food and martinis via a phone, playing video games and watching movies, my lazy-ass approach to things was perfectly suited to riding out a wave of disease.
A zombie apocalypse? Not so much. Forget the 28 Days Later fast-running zombies; I would be no match for the Night of the Living Dead shuffling zombies. My foot speed is set on “turtle” and always has been. I remember the kids in the second grade trying to teach me how to run fast. I remember playing intramural football in college, catching a pass, and my teammates yelling, “Barry! RUN!!”.
I was running. Full tilt. As fast as I could go. I had to confess to them that they were witnessing Top Barry Speed. I. Am. Not. Fast.
But in the business of football and covering football, speed really matters. The Browns showed that again yesterday, as they signed their 73rd or so wide receiver, Marquise Goodwin, to a one-year contract, putting a ton of pressure on the bottom-of-the-depth chart receivers already on the team. The signing, just two days after the trade for Elijah Moore, showed the Browns were focused on putting receivers on the field who could create some distance between themselves and the unfortunate defenders assigned to cover them.
Likewise, if you’re in the game of breaking signings, speed matters, too. Witness the time stamps between almost simultaneous tweets from NFL reporter Field Yates and our own Brad Stainbrook.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 24, 2023The Browns are signing former Seahawks WR Marquise Goodwin to a 1-year deal, per source.
After trading for Elijah Moore, Cleveland adds a second WR this week.
A WR move for the #Browns: Cleveland is signing WR Marquise Goodwin, per source. pic.twitter.com/1H0IDYTj0B
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) March 24, 2023
Less than a minute. Or maybe at most a full minute. Brad’s extra time and care to assemble a graphic made the difference between 1,000 aggregators crediting him or Field Yates with the “scoop.” There’s no difference to me, so I’m giving Brad props for being right on top of this like he’s been right on top of so many things this off-season. No one else will, and they would probably credit our hosting company rather than Orange and Brown Report anyway.
At any rate, speed is all-important, whether it’s a race to be first in the NFL or reporting about the NFL. It’s not a game we really play at the OBR outside of our work in Rumor Central, and we hardly promise to be first with everything there since agents and players feed signing info to big national names first. We would just as soon do the deeper analysis to explain the why rather than the quick gratification of beating someone else by 25 seconds.
But, as someone with the foot speed of a three-toed sloth, I sit back and wonder at guys who move at a completely different pace. I’m not built for it. I’m built for slowly drinking bourbon and enjoying an hour-long nap. You must know what you’re good at and refine your skills with constant practice.
Have a good one! GO BROWNS!
YOUR MORNING NEWSWIRE SOUNDTRACK
Jake shares his analysis of the Browns' latest addition to the wide receiver room in Marquise Goodwin. This includes a quick overview of player usage and the reasoning behind the need to sign a veteran at the position. Also some quick salary insights on Mike Ford and Matthew Adams. Lastly, Jake continues the quick Saturday mock drafts as he gives you his current mock, now starting at pick 74, with thoughts on the prospects throughout and selecting based on who is on the roster right now.
FROM THE OBR
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OBR ARTICLES FROM YESTERDAY
Five Steps to put the Cleveland Browns back in the Playoffs in 2023 -- Mid-Free Agency ... STEP NUMBER 2 (Fred)
Cleveland Browns Agree to Terms with Wide Receiver Marquise Goodwin (Fred)
Predicting The Cleveland Browns 53-Man Roster (Jack)
Cleveland Browns Film Room: Elijah Moore And Lessons In Usage (Jake, VIP)
Cleveland Browns: First Full Mock Post Moore Trade #BrownsMockDraftCountdown Day 50, 3/24/23 (Jake)
Cleveland Browns News and Rumors 3/24: Moore Speaks, More Moore, and Serene Unperturbed Webdorks (Barry)
BROWNS SIGN MORE SPEED
The Browns and GM Andrew Berry simply refuse to stop, yesterday agreeing to terms with wide receiver Marquise Goodwin on a one-year deal which will put a lot of pressure on younger receivers to make the roster. I had been following Goodwin via the Buzz Forum, mostly by reading what they were saying about him locally in Seattle. They weren’t happy with him as a third receiver there, so know what you’re getting in Goodwin. He’s still effective, but the big three are definitely set with Cooper, DPJ, and Moore, and Goodwin will have to fight harder for targets against receivers like David Bell.
The notion that there will be competition among receivers who, in prior years, might have felt very comfortable with their chances of making the roster is bracing and new. It’s a sign of how far this roster has come in recent years, much like the team’s opportunity to use the 2023 draft to select the best player available or draft for 2024 and beyond rather than look to fill immediate needs. The game has changed here in Cleveland, and I’m not sure many fans know or appreciate it outside of our readers.
ARTICLES: 92.3 the Fan, Chronicle-Telegram, FOX8, WKYC, Bleacher Report, PFT, Pro Football Rumors, Beacon-Journal, Cleveland.com, Associated Press, NFL Trade Rumors
A COUPLE OF FOLLOW-UPS ON OBO
This was weird, as near-identical follow-ups to an interview earlier in the week with the Cleveland Browns new edge rusher showed up yesterday afternoon. Good stuff, regardless, if you want more information about a key part of the Browns off-season acquisition binge.
Browns edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo confident he and Myles Garrett 'will be a lot for an offensive line to deal with' (Cleveland.com)
Ogbo Okoronkwo expects pairing with Myles Garrett to be ‘a lot’ for opposing O-Lines (Official Site)
EVERYTHING ELSE
There’s a little bit of buzzkill in the remainder of today’s stories as the Chronicle-Telegram throws seeds of doubt into the Browns 2023 roster composition (all legit points, yet debatable). There’s a “film review” you can feel free to compare to the one that Jake did yesterday to see if the conclusions are similar, and more on the new acquisitions Elijah Moore, Dalvin Tomlinson, and the return of Anthony Walker.
Analysis: Trade for Elijah Moore adds to productive offseason, but significant questions linger (Chronicle-Telegram)
New Browns receiver Elijah Moore sees playing with Amari Cooper as a dream come true (Beacon-Journal)
Return of Anthony Walker Jr. gives Browns vital key communicator for new defense (Cleveland.com)
How Elijah Moore can bring easy yards for Deshaun Watson and the Browns offense: Film review (Cleveland.com)
#Browns TE David Njoku on Instagram: pic.twitter.com/pQ38HsyljN
— Brad Stainbrook (@StainbrookNFL) March 24, 2023
FROM THE FORUMS
Want to know the latest from the perspective of the OBR team as we furiously chronicle the 2023 off-season? Then scrape together some quarters and invest a massive $1 in a OBR monthly trial and see if you dig our premium forums like Ask the Insiders, The Buzz, and Rumor Central.
Meanwhile, here are some new threads in the OBR’s free discussion forum, the Watercooler.
OT: Diablo IV
28 Bodies in D-Line and WR Units - What Does It Mean?
OT: Alabama fails to advance beyond Sweet 16
It seems every few days that Andrew Berry is done
OT: Elden Ring
Couch or Baker
Mike Clay's (ESPN) Offensive Unit Grades (some oddballs)
OT: Gird your loins (and your wallet) AEP raising rates
Friday Musings
WRAPPING UP
When not proudly noting that he can outrun nearly every glacier in the North American continent, 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 so compelled.
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