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According to J.R. Rickert, the agent of free agent wide receiver Joshua Cribbs, he will meet with the Cleveland Browns during the NFL Combine. An appointment between Rickert and the Browns must have been set some time on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer reported that Rickert had not heard from the Browns. Just a couple of hours later, the tune had changed completely. Perhaps this is a beginning of things to come in "Cribbs' Controversial Contract Negotiations: The Sequel."
It seems pretty fitting that I just wrote two articles on Joshua Cribbs. One of those posts broke down Cribbs' previous contract and why he didn't actually make $20 million over 3 years. The other post asked fans if they felt the team should re-sign Cribbs. After 400 votes, an overwhelming 83% of fans want Cribbs to be brought back. Rickert would probably like to see Cribbs stay in Cleveland, too. He has more NFL clients with the Browns -- six in total, including left tackle Joe Thomas -- than any other team. Rickert is already making a push for him via the press, telling Cabot, that "officials around the league have often asked why Cribbs isn't used more on offense."
"Josh has really built a foundation there with the city and with the team," Rickert said. "Cleveland is a second home to him. But he's also a professional and he wants to play. If they if don't re-sign him, he'll pursue other options as they're available."
In Cabot's article, Rickert also seems to indicate that he will see where things stand with restricted free agent Chris Ogbonnaya. In our review about Ogbonnaya a couple of days ago, 65% of you thought the Browns should either tender or re-sign him.
Lastly, you can look forward to hearing some news from head coach Rob Chudzinski Friday morning, when he is scheduled to speak with the media in Indy:
#Browns Rob Chudzinski will speak to media at 10 AM on Friday at NFL Combine for 10-15 minutes. Banner/Lombardi not scheduled to speak.
— Dawgs By Nature (@DawgsByNature) February 21, 2013
While Joe Banner and Michael Lombardi are not one of the 45 people having a conference at the combine, you can be sure that the rumor mill will be buzzing for all 32 NFL teams, including the Browns, starting tomorrow. We'll have all of the latest here at Dawgs By Nature as it comes along.