Berea, OHIO - The more things change, the more likely the Browns are involved in the changing.
Rumblings out of Berea point to a major upheaval at season's end for the Cleveland Browns. The Browns, who are winless on the season, find themselves in several quandries:
- The team is cap-strapped, with insiders valuing the team's current remaining cap space below a six-digit mark. Several players (who wanted to remain anonymous) stated that management was trying to restructure contracts to allow for some flexibility.
- The team carries scant few high picks over the next several seasons, not having
any picks above the 5th round until the 2031 Draft
- The team is carrying a minimum roster. Players dealing with injuries such as WR Eugene Kerby and C Daniel Lopez are being forced to stay in the depth chart to keep within league rules.
- The coaching staff as a whole is in their final year of their contracts.
- Several key (and some young) pieces, including Kerby and SS Winston Stevenson, are in their contract years with a major pay raise on the way.
GM Jeff Coleman has been rumored to been having high-level meetings with other Browns officials around the dire situation surrounding the team. It's also rumored by many "in-the-know" that Coleman has expressed serious doubts in his ability to bring a championship to the city, and has contemplated bowing out as team owner. The same people, however, state that Coleman wouldn't want to leave a husk of a team for a new owner, and if a step-down from the Browns became a reality, it would be done over time to try and leave something reasonable for the new ownership.
This is a breaking story, and will be updated as more information becomes available.
