Much like the team's quarterback situation, the Cleveland Browns see their running back situation remain unchanged heading into the 2008-2009 season. The Browns broke a 20-year drought of 1,000 yard rushers in 2005 when Reuben Droughns ran for 1,232 yards. However, it was Jamal Lewis' impressive 1,304 yards that gave the Browns the running game they've been searching for since returning to the league.

With pretty much the same offensive line returning, the chemistry can only get brighter in Lewis' second year with the Browns. Unlike the quarterback position though, there are some questions regarding our depth. Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison have their bright spots, but would somebody else -- like the recently discussed Kevin Jones -- help better diversify our backfield?

1. JAMAL LEWIS - STARTING RUNNING BACK

Jamal Lewis (#31)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 245
College: Tennessee
Experience: 7 years
Stats: 1304 yds, 11 TD

There are no "ifs", "ands", or "buts" about it: Jamal Lewis is by far the starting running back for the Browns. It's not a bad thing that we don't have competition for Lewis -- after all, aren't teams that have backs that they're confident in, like LaDainian Tomlinson, Joseph Addai, or Brian Westbrook, better off? Lewis was fifth in the NFL in rushing yards last year, and third in the AFC. Unlike Droughns' season in which he only ran for two sorry touchdowns, Lewis was able to pound it in nine times, even with Derek Anderson tossing 29 scores.

Worst Attribute: Facing the Steelers - I don't care what he did when he was with the Baltimore Ravens. As great at Lewis was last season for the Browns, he failed to deliver against the Steelers. Take a look at his stats against Pittsburgh last year:

Game 1: 11 carries, 35 yards (1 lost fumble)
Game 2: 16 carries, 35 yards (1 lost fumble)

Lewis only lost two fumbles all season, and at least in the second game, it was costly. Whether we like it or not, just like every other season, if we can't beat Pittsburgh, we're not going anywhere. Lewis had two of his worst games against Pittsburgh, and with the type of pressure they bring, we need the veteran back to carry us if necessary. However, the low carries also highlight another issue about Lewis: one that Plain Dealer writer Terry Pluto also pointed out a few weeks ago.

Lewis had less than 20 carries on five occasions last year. Each time, he averaged less than four yards per carry. In 7 of the 9 games that he did average 20 or more carries, he often averaged well over 4.0 yards per carry. Yes, that means the long-heard rumor of Lewis "getting stronger as the game goes on" is true. However, it also means that if Anderson and the passing game run into some road blocks early on, more times than not Lewis is not going to bring us out of a funk in the first half of a game.

Best Attribute: Closer's Role - The Cleveland Indians know all too much about how devastating it is not to have a real closer (thanks a lot, Joe Borowski). In football, the closer's role is very similar to the one in baseball: finish off your opponent at the end of the game when you have the lead. There wasn't a better example of Lewis embracing that role last year than this beautiful highlight against the New York Jets in Week 14:

When playoff season was just around the corner, Lewis only embraced his closer's role even better, including the Snow Bowl against the Buffalo Bills, when he racked up 163 yards on 33 carries. As far as what to look for in training camp this year, there's not much he can improve on at this point his career besides getting more acclimated to the offensive playbook.

Various Concerns / Comments - A popular topic regarding Lewis is what will we do if he suffers another injury. As injury-plagued as he has seemed throughout his career though, he has still participated in 106 out of the 112 games he's been eligible to play in. The big issue when he came to the Browns last season was the downhill spiral he had been on: in his last two years with the Ravens, he only averaged 3.5 yards per carry. He seemed to reach his prime again with the Browns, but there are still people who are weary on whether or not he can deliver two years in a row.

My opinion? I think he's healthy, and I think our offensive line is much better than the Ravens' was in those two down years.

Job Security: A+
Player Quality: A-
Final Roster Odds: 100%

2. JASON WRIGHT - BACKUP RUNNING BACK

Jason Wright (#29)
Height: 5-10
Weight: 214
College: Northwestern
Experience: 4 years
Stats: 510 total yards

The fourth-year back out of Northwestern has drawn different opinions amongst Browns fans in terms of what he's capable of. Some believe he's extremely underrated and could start, while some believe he can't handle the load if Lewis goes down. I wouldn't go as far as saying he could start: it's impossible to make that type of judgment on someone unless they are a Michael Turner. After some solid spot situations last season though, has Wright proven himself to the point where we don't need to sign another veteran back?

Worst Attribute: Middle of the Road - Wright isn't going to drive a pile forward like Lewis will. And, he won't outrun a defense to the sideline like Jerome Harrison can.

Best Attribute: Good Fundamentals - The "worst" section was short for a reason: it quickly leads to Wright's best attribute. Whenever Wright enters a game, he may not have the skills to take over a game, but he understands the role he is playing. Most impressive last season was Wright's ability to have a substantial gain, despite the fact that he received minimal carries:

I've been calling for the Browns to utilize the burst that Jerome Harrison appears capable of providing. When you look at the facts though, isn't Wright already fulfilling that role? He's not too bad of a receiver either: 24 catches for 233 yards last season.

Various Concerns / Comments - Despite Wright's success, will Harrison finally be able to usurp the backup running back role from him? In reality, if Lewis goes down this season and we don't bring in a veteran, you may see Harrison start so that Wright can maintain his effectiveness as a backup / spell back.

Job Security: C+
Player Quality: C+
Final Roster Odds: 99%

3. JEROME HARRISON - BACKUP RUNNING BACK

Jerome Harrison (#35)
Height: 5-9
Weight: 210
College: Washington St.
Experience: 2 years
Stats: 23 carries, 6.2 ypc

Remember my self-addressed question above, when displaying Wright's long-carry statistics, on whether or not that was good enough to hold the backup role to Lewis? In limited action last year, my supposed "man-crush" did everything a guy could do to warrant more playing time. With every time he shined though, it seemed like he would be on the inactive list the very next week. Now, here's the question for Harrison: is his potential, which actually netted a few more yards on average than Wright, worth more playing time?

Worst Attribute: Blocking Skills - Slightly smaller than Wright, the biggest knock by far on Harrison, and probably the sole reason he was inactive so often last season, was the fact that he wasn't a great blocker. Forget "great" blocker -- he wasn't even deemed as a "good" blocker. Various sources have already reported that blocking is something Harrison has worked on in the offseason. It's hard to believe he's significantly better at blocking now though -- of course everyone works on something, but few people see results worthy of an applause.

Now comes my big argument countering Harrison's weakness: why does he need to be a great blocker? The concern is probably this: "if Harrison is in the game and we go for a playaction pass, Jerome will get bowled over and Anderson won't have time to get the ball downfield." My response: if Harrison's in the game, give him the ball. It may seem predictable after awhile, but then again, I watched Cribbs touch the ball probably 95% of the offensive snaps he took while in the backfield or in motion last season, and every time it resulted in a positive gain.

I think the Browns are out-thinking themselves when it comes to Harrison. Utilize his strengths, and when you need a blocker, just assign the appropriate personnel.

Best Attribute: The Burst - I have visions of Harrison racing down the sideline, especially after a defense is gassed. Most of all, in training camp, I hope the Browns focus on working in screen plays to Harrison. Again, I don't doubt teams will know it's coming. However, I do doubt their ability to stop the play from being successful.

Various Concerns / Comments - Harrison has had some ball security issues in the past, which is why I wouldn't give him too many reps in a game. He will get so fired up after a play or two that he'll search for even more on the third play, causing him to lose focus of the players trying to strip the ball away from him. Last year, we heard Harrison would get more opportunities. Nothing truly materialized. We're hearing the same talk this year. Will there be a difference?

Job Security: C
Player Quality: C+
Final Roster Odds: 95%

4. AUSTIN SCOTT - UDFA RUNNING BACK

Austin Scott (#36)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 210
College: Penn State
Experience: Rookie
Note: To challenge JH

There isn't a lot of competition at the running back position beyond the top three guys, but at this point Scott has the best chance to make an impression.

Reportedly, the team sees him as a developmental running back. He's a very tough player and can run through tackles. Unfortunately, too many of his other skills are yet to be polished. One thing to keep a close eye on is whether he takes to the challenge of outshining Harrison, who is usually outstanding in training camp.

The bottom line? He's the only back with a chance to take away Harrison's spot, but the chances of that happening are very, very slim. If he shows enough potential and can contribute on special teams, he could be on the practice squad. Over at our Penn State corresponding SB Nation website, they recently had the following to say regarding Scott:

Of the PSU players who went undrafted but were picked up by NFL teams, which one has the best chance of actually seeing playing time in The League?

"...but I would say Austin Scott probably has the best chance. With his troubles seemingly behind him he can focus on football again. And in a town like Cleveland he won't be as exposed to the temptations of the big city lights and glamor like New York or California. Jamal Lewis is the feature back there, but you have to wonder how many years he has left."

Link (Black Shoe Diaries)

Final Roster Odds: 2%
Practice Squad Odds: 40%

5. TRAVIS THOMAS - UDFA RUNNING BACK

Travis Thomas (#34)
Height: 5-11
Weight: 217
College: Notre Dame
Experience: Rookie
Note: Just a body

Thomas' expectations aren't too high heading into camp. Like Scott and Harrison, he'll have to make his mark on special teams, a role he contributed towards at Notre Dame.

As a running back, Thomas is reportedly a short-yardage back at best who isn't cut to make it at the big league level. Even if he did have the potential to break out, his reps will be limited in camp.

Our Notre Dame SB Nation correspondent over at Rakes of Mellow didn't seem to be too high on Thomas' stay at Notre Dame. Here's an example:

November 3rd, 2007 vs. Navy: The Streak Ends

..."the final score was 46-44 in three overtimes, with the final play a microcosm of the entire season: Travis Thomas sucking really badly as the offensive line got no push, leading to a bevy of text messages from friends that included various levels of capital letters and exclamation points asking "Travis Thomas?!?  REALLY?!  TRAVIS THOMAS?!"."

Link (Rakes of Mellow)

Final Roster Odds: 0%
Practice Squad Odds: 2%

RB Position Quality (Overall): B

The Browns' grade is elevated at running back due to an impressive effort from Lewis last season. However, we probably don't have our running back of the future behind him, thus the grade of a 'B'. I can't get too excited about how well Harrison produces in camp, because he did well the past two years only to see minimal playing time. What will be more important in camp are the situations he is placed in: is he always going to be with Quinn or Dorsey (second- and third-string), or will he get special packages in the first team with Anderson?

Another viable option at running back is Joshua Cribbs. Unlike quarterback, I think Cribbs can be used effectively on certain downs in the backfield. Officially, he had 9 carries for 61 yards last season. Although I'd like to see Harrison receive more reps in the backfield, the same goes for Cribbs too -- putting him back there at least once or twice a game creates opportunities.

I don't think we'll bring in a veteran like Kevin Jones to camp. The staff seems to have indicated that while the concern behind Lewis is there, they are satisfied enough with what they have. If you have any thoughts you'd like to add to the Cleveland Browns running back situation heading into training camp, please feel free to express yourself as much as you'd like!

NEXT UP (SATURDAY): Fullback (that's right; all two of them!)

P.S. Hope everybody had a Happy 4th of July!

I have been putting off my training camp previews in hopes that the Browns would sign some of their draft picks. This way, I wouldn't have to include or not include certain players that will or will not be with the team come July 25. However, if I wait any longer, training camp will have started before I've cranked any of these out.

The Browns are entering the 2008-2009 campaign with three of the four quarterbacks that were on their roster last year during training camp. In the 2007-2008 season, scouts and media experts heralded Cleveland as having one of the worst quarterback situations in the league (since Brady Quinn was holding out for awhile). Now, we have one of the most luxurious quarterback situations in all of football: two starters, a coach-like backup, and a firm decision.

Why is the last line highlighted? In every season since the Browns have returned to the league, the quarterback position was up for grabs. That's not the case this year. Let's take a look at the three signal-callers on this year's squad:

1. DEREK ANDERSON - STARTING QUARTERBACK

Derek Anderson (#3)
Height: 6-6
Weight: 229
College: Oregon State
Experience: 3 years
Stats: 3787 yds, 29 TD

After losing the starting job competition in training camp last season to current Seahawk Charlie Frye, Anderson quickly assumed the role of the team's starter in 2007. In fact, he started all 15 games after the opener, and saw a good chunk of playing time in the opener. Anderson has clearly been battle tested. This isn't a Kelly Holcomb who had huge games once every six weeks: this is a guy who consistently got the ball to our playmakers.

Worst Attribute: Middle Zone Throws - It's inevitable that Anderson is going to throw interceptions. He likes to take chances and fire the ball to Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow in tight situations. To try and take that natural instinct away from him would quite frankly ruin him, much like Frye was ruined when he stopped being a mobile quarterback. What does need to change is Anderson's stubbornness in certain situations. Two games come to mind from last season: one against the Oakland Raiders in Week 3, and the other against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 16. Combined, those two games accounted for 31.5% of Anderson's picks on the season. After Week 3's mistakes of throwing the ball right into zone coverage over the middle, Anderson wasn't haunted again until what turned out to be our biggest game of the season against Cincinnati.

Best Attribute: Clock in Head - Last season, Anderson was sacked only 14 times. There were five games in which he wasn't even brought down a single time. That's unheard of for a Browns quarterback in today's day of age. As much as the offensive line deserves all of the props in the world for giving Anderson the "opportunity" to stand in the pocket, it also takes a quarterback with a good clock in his head to complete the package (we saw the opposite of that with Frye's Week 1 meltdown against the Steelers). Anderson's timing with Braylon Edwards was unparalleled to Frye's, and although his chemistry with Winslow still yielded for more desirable results, it was definitely adequate. With Donte Stallworth added to the mix to help stretch the field this year, Anderson's ability to get rid of the football at the right time can only improve: Stallworth has historically excelled at catching quick passes on crossing routes before turning them up the field for yards after the catch.

Various Concerns / Comments - The biggest question mark is whether or not Anderson is a one-hit wonder. Any way you look at it though, the Browns should be in a win-win situation. If Anderson fails after six weeks, bring in Quinn. If Anderson excels, you either have a huge trade coming up in a year or two, or you have your franchise quarterback for the next decade.

Job Security: A-
Player Quality: A-
Final Roster Odds: 100%

2. BRADY QUINN - BACKUP QUARTERBACK

Brady Quinn (#10)
Height: 6-3
Weight: 235
College: Notre Dame
Experience: 1 year
Note: Pick No. 22 in '07

I called for him. You called for him. Heck, I'm sure even in the back of a lot of the minds in the Browns locker room, even the players were calling for him. After the disastrous first game last year against the Steelers, coupled with the mediocre performances from our other quarterbacks in training camp, everyone wanted to see just what the 22nd overall pick in the draft could deliver on gameday. Quinn's playing time never materialized due to Anderson's unforeseen year, but that doesn't mean the youngster is hanging his head.

How many times have we seen quarterbacks go down in this league? The Panthers seem screwed just about every season because Jake Delhomme goes down with an injury. Quinn is hungry to play, and that means he's going to be preparing his tail off. I'm sure he's hoping he won't have to wait as long as Aaron Rodgers had to wait in Green Bay (and Brett Favre may STILL be coming back), but Quinn knows he's going to start in this league sooner than later. Whether that be with the Browns or another team, it's hard to say. That all depends on how good Anderson is and the type of trade proposals that come our way next season or the year after.

Worst Attribute: Creation of a Distraction - This isn't a negative attribute of Quinn himself, but more so of what could develop. What we don't need is for fans to jump onto the Quinn bandwagon with the first mistake that Anderson makes. Also, Anderson was not a "great" quarterback in training camp last year. I actually expect Quinn to out-perform him somewhat in certain situations in camp, but I can only hope that it doesn't stir up discussions like "Quinn's ready now, why let him sit?" Anderson is our starting quarterback, period. Anything positive that we see from Quinn should only be interpreted as positive -- not confrontational.

Best Attribute: Taking Advantage - In the very limited time that Quinn was on the field against an opponent last season, he performed well. During two preseason games, he entered the games and wowed the fans. In his only appearance of the regular season last year -- Week 17 against the 49ers -- he was only 3-of-8 for 45 yards. However, Edwards and Winslow each had drops, and Quinn really should have had his first career touchdown pass if it weren't for that. Quinn is a gamer: if Anderson goes down for a quarter, I'm confident that our offense will not suffer a breakdown under Quinn.

Various Concerns / Comments - How long is too long to let him sit? If the Browns become the type of team that blow out opponents this year, should we give Quinn some playing time during the fourth quarter of games?

Player Quality: B+ (Incomplete)
Final Roster Odds: 100%

3. KEN DORSEY - VETERAN QUARTERBACK

Ken Dorsey (#11)
Height: 6-4
Weight: 220
College: Miami (FL)
Experience: 5 years
Note: 13 career games

Dorsey is exactly who the Browns should be comfortable with as the third quarterback: he has a coach's mentality and reportedly knows the system very well. If he had the gifted skills of an Anderson or a Quinn, he'd be a starter in this league. Since he doesn't, he's accepted his role and is lending his brain to the other two quarterbacks. On a note for the future though, if and when the Browns part ways with either Quinn or Anderson, I would not be comfortable leaving Dorsey as the No. 2. That's why you might see the Browns draft another quarterback in a year or two.

Worst Attribute: Arm Strength - If we're down in a game and are without both Quinn and Anderson, we're going to have a difficult time coming back. Teams will sit back on Dorsey, giving him the short routes that he excels at.

Best Attribute: Managing an Offense - When presented with the right situation, Dorsey can do the little things to hold onto a lead and minimize the mistakes: he'll make the correct reads underneath and let the players try and get the job done after the catch.

Various Concerns / Comments - Dorsey has only played about two or three snaps during the regular season in two years with the Browns. If we get into a blowout situation, would it actually be more beneficial to play Dorsey?

Player Quality: C-
Final Roster Odds: 95%

QB Position Quality (Overall): A

The Browns should be scheduled to bring in a fourth quarterback soon, because it is usually unacceptable to overburn the arms of the three quarterbacks who will make the final roster. Anderson and Quinn will get the amount of reps they need, but with three quarterbacks, Dorsey will be unnecessarily overworked. Sometimes, you don't need an accurate quarterback for those third- and fourth-string receivers / backs: it's more about how they run their routes and stand out amongst the crowd.

As far as using Joshua Cribbs at the quarterback position, I'd give it a definitive "no". I'm not saying "no" for trick plays, I'm saying "no" for regular reps. The last thing we need is for one of the most important players on our team to suffer an arm injury practicing something he won't be needed for on gameday.

Finally, as far as who we'll bring in for our fourth quarterback, I have no idea. I'd recommend simply an undrafted free agent. If you have any thoughts you'd like to add to the Cleveland Browns quarterback situation heading into training camp, please feel free to elaborate to your heart's content!

NEXT UP (FRIDAY): Running Back

I think we all had a feeling this was coming, especially if you've been reading some of the "rumors" over at the OBR the past few days. Earlier today, the OBR broke the news that wide receiver Joe Jurevicius had a surgical procedure again late yesterday to clean out his knee.

Shortly after the OBR's story, the official site of the Cleveland Browns released the following:

BROWNS MEDICAL UPDATE ON JOE JUREVICIUS

In the process of his recovery and preparation for the upcoming season, Browns wide receiver Joe Jurevicius has had ongoing swelling and discomfort in his knee. Joe had a further clean out to help him in his recovery and control his symptoms. The procedure was performed late yesterday at the Cleveland Clinic. No determination has been made on Joe's status for training camp, which opens July 23rd.

Here's some more bad news: a fairly reputable poster at the OBR is reporting that a "source" of his believes that Jurevicius will retire because the condition of his knee is much worse than originally thought.

If these rumors are indeed true, it would make a lot more sense as to why the Browns were exploring the option of trading for San Diego Chargers wide receiver Eric Parker. Losing Jurevicius may not seem like a big loss on the surface because we have Donte Stallworth (thank you Phil Savage), but it would definitely raise some questions. Tim Carter was not very good as a third receiver for the Browns last year, and without Jurevicius, the candidates for our slot receiver (not including Kellen Winslow) are Travis Wilson, Kevin Kasper, and Joshua Cribbs.

What's common about all three contenders? None of them are proven.

Ring for Parker?

Please note: Nothing has officially stated that Jurevicius will even miss training camp. However, when he's having another surgery this late into the year, I can't imagine him being ready for the start of the regular season.

It's funny how things quickly seem to coincide with each other, doesn't it? Seeing as Terry Pluto's Sunday articles are usually posted on cleveland.com on Saturday nights, I headed over there around 10:30 p.m. to see his latest piece. This week, Pluto talks about the important role that Lewis will play with the Browns this year.

Pluto provides some nice statistics on when Lewis had a higher yards-per-carry average, including how many touches it took him to get going (proving the oft-made statement that Lewis gets "stronger as the game goes on"). Here's the part that relates to my introduction sentence though:

Behind Lewis, the Browns have Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison. Both have some ability, but neither can compare to Lewis in terms of being a back that can carry a team for long stretches. It would be scary for the Browns to lose Lewis for a long stretch.

The Associated Press announced that former Detroit Lions running back Kevin Jones had four teams attend his workout Saturday. Those four teams were Miami, Green Bay, Pittsburgh, and (funny enough) Detroit. However, another team was partially thrown into the mix: the Cleveland Browns.

The Cleveland Browns also called, [Dr. D.S.] Ping said, and asked for a video of the workout.

Jones, a former first-round draft pick, would be a definite upgrade over Wright and Harrison. He caught 61 passes for 520 yards during the 2006 season. I'd like to believe that Harrison could be our pass-catching running back/third-down running back, but I heard the Browns coaches praise him last year only to see him end up on the bench again.

Kevin Jones would provide more insurance behind Jamal Lewis.

Jones doesn't appear physically apt to being a starter: the past three years, he's played in 13, 12, and 13 games. His talent hasn't degraded though, and his presence would be very valuable in case of an injury to Lewis.

Jones' performance was reportedly very impressive during his workout too: he ran the shuttle in 4.3 seconds on wet grass.

In a story released by Bob Hammond of the Laramie Boomerang, the Cleveland Browns had planned on drafting cornerback Julius Stinson out of the University of Wyoming back in April:

The NFL Draft was set to begin on Saturday and he had four teams calling him. Just the day before, the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets had let the Cowboy corner know that he was on their respective draft boards.

And just before he headed for his workout on that fateful Thursday [before the draft], he had talked to the Cleveland Browns and he was told that they were planning on taking him somewhere between the fifth and seventh rounds.

"I was feeling pretty good about myself at this point," a wistful Stinson recalled earlier this week. "It was a good day that was soon to turn bad."

Unfortunately, at that individual workout, Stinson suffered a complete tear of his Achilles' tendon. There's no guaranteeing that another team wouldn't have taken Stinson before us, but if we had taken him in the fifth round (via a trade up) or the sixth round, then there's a possibility that we wouldn't have had Athyba Rubin or Paul Hubbard on our roster.

The Browns' 2004 season was a disaster, as the team finished with a 4-12 record. It was also the end of the Butch Davis era, leading to the dramatic change brought upon by Phil Savage.
(Photo via blog.cleveland.com)

I keep looking back at the roster for the Cleveland Browns during the 2004 season, and something keeps bugging me: how on earth did we ever get excited about that team? Look at some of these names...

WR Frisman Jackson
WR Andre King
RB Dee Brown
OG Craig Osika
OT Enoch DeMar
OT Joaquin Gonzalez
LB Barry Gardner
LB Warrick Holdman
LB Eric Westmoreland
DB Michael Jameson
DB Dyshod Carter

And those were only a select few names from the list. Can you imagine any of those players having a significant role on today's team, even as a backup? It just goes to show you the A+ work that Phil Savage has done with today's team. When you look at our projected 53-man roster this season, I see a lot of backups that could be starting elsewhere in the league. The backups from the 2004 season would've probably been lucky to make someone else's roster as a special teams contributor, and yet our roster was absolutely STACKED with them.

Excluding TE Kellen Winslow and S Sean Jones, who were rookies during the 2004 campaign (and both of them basically missed the entire season due to injuries), these are the only players still on our team from that season, where Jeff Garcia was our starting quarterback:

1. TE Steve Heiden
2. OL Ryan Tucker
3. LB Andra Davis
4. K  Phil Dawson
5. LS Ryan Pontbriand

Two cheers for special teams players. Pretty sad, eh? There are a few names on the list though that I wouldn't mind seeing on our roster heading into this season. So, if we could hold an expansion draft giving us three picks, I would take the following individuals (not including players currently on our roster):

1. DB Anthony Henry: Pretty much a no-brainer here, as Henry has been a decent starter with the Dallas Cowboys for several years now. He still hasn't reached elite level, but he would start on today's roster.

2. DB Lewis Sanders: Signed with the New England Patriots now, Sanders has had two stints with the Browns. I was hoping it could have been three until the Pats signed him, as he was a good nickel back and a good gunner on the special teams unit. He would shore up our secondary immediately in terms of depth, preventing us from relying on a Jereme Perry or A.J. Davis to come through.

3. OT Kirk Chambers: He wasn't a proven stud, but right now we're thin at the backup tackle position if you don't include Tucker.

Are there any players, instead of the three people above, that you'd "draft" to today's team?

CBS Sportsline writer Pete Prisco ranked the top 50 players in the NFL heading into this season today. When rankings are done by position, then it's fairly easy to be justifiable in your reasoning. However, when you lump all of the positions together, you're going to get ripped to shreds. No matter how you go about it, it's too tough to decide whether a stud running back is a little more important than that game-changing cornerback.

Only two Browns players cracked Prisco's top 50:

34. Braylon Edwards, WR, Cleveland Browns: Edwards was second to Moss with 16 receiving touchdowns in his third season in the league. He averaged 16.1 per catch and will only get better as he hits his prime.

The following receivers were ranked ahead of Edwards: Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Steve Smith, Reggie Wayne, Andre Johnson, Chad Johnson, and Larry Fitzgerald. All of those players are extremely talented. However, ranking six players ahead of Edwards (excluding Moss) sounds a bit funny -- especially after Prisco's comment specifically stated that Edwards was second in the league in receiving touchdowns to go along with an impressive 16.1 yards per catch average.

44. Kellen Winslow, TE, Cleveland Browns: He has emerged as one of the rising stars for a rising team. His ability to stretch the defense is vital to the Cleveland offense.

Antonio Gates was the only tight end ranked ahead of Winslow. That sounds reasonable, as veterans like Tony Gonzalez and Todd Heap are getting up there in age (although of Winslow's health issues persist, he'll quickly "age" too).

I understand Derek Anderson being left off the list; he still has a lot to prove this season before officially joining "the big boys". The rating for Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer at No. 8 is a tad high though. While I do agree that Palmer initially had the potential to be the league's third best quarterback, he hasn't been at the top of his game the past two seasons.

One name stuck out as being ranked WAY too high: Texans defensive end Mario Williams. Priso ranks him at No. 6! By that rating, he's already the most dominating defensive lineman in the entire NFL. I don't believe Prisco's rankings are projections either -- I'm taking them as where they stand now. If Williams' performance last season earned him the six spot, then where in the world is Joe Thomas on the list?

Bills offensive tackle Jason Peters was ranked No. 27. If you recall, Peters was named to the Pro Bowl for the AFC last season, but was replaced by Thomas due to "injury issues". Even if Thomas didn't crack the top 50, he should have at least cracked Prisco's "Just Missed" list.

One valid point that could be made is that Anderson and Thomas didn't make the list because they need to prove themselves capable for two years, rather than one.

The counter point?

No. 15 Adrian Peterson
No. 43 Patrick Willis

Two rookies made the list: and Thomas excelled at the most sought-after position in football.

With the Cleveland Indians tanking for various reasons (I'll let Let's Go Tribe remain your digest for that), more and more fans are looking forward to the start of the 2008-2009 Cleveland Browns season. I've been holding off my position-by-position training camp previews in hopes that the Browns would sign all of their draft picks already, but unfortunately they've made me wait. I'd hate to write up a preview of the quarterback position, knowing we'll bring in a fourth guy the day after I write it (sure, he wouldn't make the team, but it'd be frustrating not to include him still).

With that said, today is June 25. Training camp for the Browns starts on July 25, just one month from now. The only newsworthy items between those dates should be:

-Training camp practice-by-practice dates/times

-Official signing of draft picks

-Whether or not we trade to acquire a cornerback (none of this "WR" talk)

ESPN's James Walker has a write-up today on the Browns, which basically outlines the final point, and the thing that the media will be picking on whenever anyone mentions "playoffs" and "Cleveland" in the same sentence. For the sake of picking on something, here's something that made me chuckle in Walker's piece:

Wright and McDonald flourished in their old roles, but it unknown if both players can make that kind of jump simultaneously. It is quite a risk playing in a division that includes Chad Johnson and T.J. Houshmandzadeh in Cincinnati, Derrick Mason in Baltimore, and Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes in Pittsburgh

I understand that it'll be tough on our corners to defend a healthy Johnson and Houshmandzadeh. I'll even live with the Ward and Holmes combination. However, to even mention the Ravens as having a receiving threat is a mistake in my opinion. Don't get the wrong idea -- Mason is a great veteran player. However, on a team that is so inept, with probably one of the least deep receiving groups in football, Baltimore should not have been included as a concern for us. If Walker wants to include Baltimore, then he's basically saying we'd be taking a risk at the cornerback position against any of the other 31 teams in the league.

We're not in great shape at cornerback, but that's where the other defensive help will come in handy.