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Cleveland Browns ERFA Review: C Austin Reiter

He served as the insurance policy to J.C. Tretter last year.

By Chris Pokorny
NFL: New Orleans Saints at Cleveland Browns Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

Our preview on the Browns’ exclusive rights free agents continues with C Austin Reiter.

What Are Exclusive Rights Free Agents?

Players with two or fewer accrued seasons are ERFAs. An accrued season is defined as the following in the NFL CBA:

A player shall receive one Accrued Season for each season during which he was on, or should have been on, full pay status for a total of six or more regular season games, but which, irrespective of the player’s pay status, shall not include games for which the player was on: (i) the Exempt Commissioner Permission List, (ii) the Reserve PUP List as a result of a nonfootball injury, or (iii) a Club’s Practice Squad.

By rule, ERFAs earn the minimum salary of the number of credited seasons they have under their belt. A credited season is defined as the following in the NFL CBA:

A player shall earn one Credited Season for each season during which he was on, or should have been on, full pay status for a total of three or more regular season games, but which, irrespective of the player’s pay status, shall not include games for which this player was on: (i) the Exempt Commissioner Permission List; (ii) the Reserve PUP List as a result of a nonfootball injury; (iii) a Club’s Practice or Developmental Squad; or (iv) a Club’s Injured Reserve List.

A player with one credited season would be tendered for a 1-year deal worth $555,000. It goes up to $630,000 for those with two credited seasons. The rare player without a credited season would be at $480,000.

How and When He Joined the Browns: In 2016, an early-season injury to then-center Cameron Erving forced the Browns to shift starting right guard John Greco over to center. As an extra insurance policy, they added Reiter to their 53-man roster. He was originally a seventh-round draft pick by the Washington Redskins in 2015 and was on their practice squad when Cleveland poached him.

Productivity Level Last Season: Coming off of a torn ACL, Reiter competed for the backup center role in camp. Starter J.C. Tretter made it through the entire season without missing a down, so Reiter only played 8 snaps on offense, all as a sixth lineman. He was also on the team’s field goal unit (while Tretter was not).

Why Keeping Him Could Make Sense: Just because the Browns didn’t have a use for him in 2017 doesn’t mean he shouldn’t make the roster in 2018. If your center goes down, not everyone can just slide over and fill in at center. Reiter can be an insurance policy once again, and we are still hanging on to that one fine start he had in 2016 before tearing his ACL.

What the Browns Should Do: Reiter has had two credited seasons in the NFL, so an ERFA tender would cost $630,000. As is the case with most free agents of this type, it’d be a surprise if the Browns didn’t tender him.

Let us know below whether or not the team should try to tender or re-sign Austin Reiter!

Poll

Should the Browns tender C Austin Reiter?

This poll is closed

  • 97%
    Yes
    (522 votes)
  • 2%
    No
    (13 votes)
535 votes total Vote Now

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