Ending the 2006 season at a paltry 6-10, the Browns look to have a lot of promise in the future. Romeo Crennell is setting up his myriad-attack defense with successful results, and the offense that was so pathetic the year before showed some signs of significant growth in the new system with a new QB and RB in Charlie Frye and Reuben Droughns. With a solid young core, the Browns look to be a team to reckon with in the next few years.
Of course, you cannot compete in a few years if you cannot compete NOW. To aid this, the Browns drafted very well and had a decent free agent haul, bringing in OLBs Kamerion Wimbley (draft, 1st round) and Willie McGinnest (FA), ILBs Leon Williams (draft, 4th round) and D'Qwell Jackson (draft, 2nd round), C LeCharles Bentley (FA, since injured and placed on IR), WRs Joe Jurevicius (FA) and Travis Wilson (draft, 3rd round), P Dave Zastudil (FA), DTs Ted Washington (FA) and Babatunde Oshinowo (draft, 6th round), OTs Kevin Shaffer (FA) and Issac Sowells (draft, 4th round), RB Jerome Harrison (draft, 5th round), and QB Ken Dorsey (trade, San Fancisco). While much of this unit will only be coming off the bench this year, the older players are proven leaders and every one of the younger players has considerable promise down the road in the NFL.
Also important to the Browns are players returning from injuries last year, especially WR Braylon Edwards and TE Kellen Winslow, two former first-round draft choices (2005 and 2004, respectively) and two very important cogs in the Browns' offense.
Offense
Quarterback: The starting job is firmly in the hands of second-year QB Charlie Frye, who performed fairly well last season after being handed the job late in the year when the team was firmly eliminated from playoff contention. He shows good poise in the pocket, makes fairly good reads for such a young player, and should be a good caretaker-type of QB, a guy who doesn't make a bunch of big plays, but doesn't make a whole lot of mistakes, either.
The backup role probably belongs to Ken Dorsey, a fourth-year veteran with ten starts with the 49ers on his resume. He's another QB who won't wow you, but if asked to enter the game, he'll do his best to get the job done.
The third QB spot is a toss-up between second-year player Derek Anderson and rookie Darrell Hackney. Anderson is a tall pocket-passing type with some moxie to him, and has some star potential in the NFL if he can work out some mechanical quirks in his play and show his coaches that he can get the job done on Sundays. Hackney is a short, athletic QB with a HUGE frame (240 pounds at just 5'11”). He was the best QB in the history of the University of Alabama-Birmingham, but there's questions as to whether or not his skills will translate well to the NFL given the lack of high-level competition in C-USA.
Running Back and Fullback: Reuben Droughns came in last season with question marks as to whether he could succeed outside of Denver and their seeming production line of 1,000 yard running backs. He quashed his doubters with his second straight 1,200 yard season, the first 1,000 yard rusher for the Browns since Kevin Mack in 1985, and looks poised for even bigger numbers this season.
The backup job probably belongs to former first-round pick (and rather large disappointment) William Green given the team's efforts to try to trade Lee Suggs. Look for rookie Jerome Harrison to take some touches away from Green, however, as Harrison has already secured a third-down role and has done nothing but impress his coaches since his arrival.
At fullback, Terrelle Smith looks to be the starter again, but don't be surprised if he's traded to a team looking for a more traditional fullback, as he is limited as a receiver or runner, and Crennell and offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon prefer their fullbacks to be able to be an offensive weapon in addition to being an able blocker. Rookie Lawrence Vickers fits that mold, and actually brings memories of H-backs to mind when you look at game tapes of him. Count on Vickers seeing significant time in the backfield this season and in the future.
Wide Receiver and Tight End: This might be the team's best receiving corps in their history. Lead by former first-rounder Braylon Edwards once he returns from a season-ending injury in 2005, size and talent is the name of the game for Cleveland receivers.
