The Sunday Five: Benefit of Seneca Wallace, and the Vacant Safety Position

As I continue to search for certain features that can "stick" here in our fifth year of Dawgs By Nature, today I am trying out, "The Sunday Five," a loosely-titled piece in which I will talk about five NFL- or Browns-related topics related to this past week. Let's get things rolling with the signing of our backup quarterback:

The Browns signed quarterback Seneca Wallace to an incentive-laden three-year deal worth up to $9 million. The veteran has drawn the ire of fans for talking to the media as if he expects to have a chance to compete for a starting role when we know the organization is committed to Colt McCoy. I think we can safely seperate Wallace's comments with his role as a backup quarterback though. He knows Mike Holmgren loves him and his familiarity with the West Coast Offense. With a more familiar system in place, he can do a good job himself trying to "mentor" McCoy as needed. Despite the Browns going 1-3 in games he started last year, I think Wallace was a very effective quarterback. He wasn't a game-changer or anything, but he brought stability and did a good job making the most of the talent around him.

By signing D'Qwell Jackson to a one-year deal, the Browns have taken away one of the holes they need to fill this offseason on defense (which I will discuss in my next bullet point). If Jackson ends up playing most of the season as a starter who has a significant impact on the outside along with Scott Fujita, he'll be worth the $4.5 million that will be paid to him. If he ends up getting hurt again or plays poorly and does not see many snaps, I don't think he'll see anywhere near that amount, making it a win-win situation for Cleveland.

By my count, the Browns probably still need to find another DT, DE, MLB, and safety in their starting lineup. While I wouldn't be thrilled with Chris Gocong being a starter, Tom Heckert approves of him and I imagine he'll be brought back. That reduces the starting defensive needs down to three. Our first-round pick will probably address the defensive line positions, leaving the Browns in need of another defensive lineman and a safety.

If the lockout situation is solved before next Friday's deadline, I think the Browns will try to find another safety immediately. The team could try to re-sign Abram Elam, but take a look at the former Jets who already were let go: Kenyon Coleman, Eric Barton, and David Bowens. Chansi Stuckey was also not tendered. I thought Buffalo safety George Wilson, who started in 2009 for Jauron, would be a candidate, but he just re-signed with the Bills for three years. Jauron was the defensive backs coach for the Philadelphia Eagles last season, and Philadelphia did not re-sign starter Quintin Mikell yet. Could he be a candidate?

In the latest Around the Pound, I mentioned the five-year anniversary for Dawgs By Nature. Who were the big free agent names the Browns were signing around this time in 2006? C LeCharles Bentley, WR Joe Jurevicius, NT Ted Washington, P Dave Zastudil, RT Kevin Shaffer, LB Willie McGinest, and TE Darnell Dinkins. I'll let you count how many of those players are still with the team five years later.