Are the Browns pushing one Florida State offensive tackle off the roster by adding another one?
Quite probably.
And that’s a good thing.
No doubt after running out of patience with the continued poor play of Cameron Erving, who was taken in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft at No. 19 overall, the Browns may be getting ready to replace him with Roderick Johnson. The 6-foot-7, 298-pounder was drafted with the 16th pick of the fifth round, at No. 160, of the 2017 draft on Saturday after the Browns traded up for the third time in the last three days.
Once again, you have to love the aggressiveness of the Browns in going up to get a player they wanted, just as they did with tight end David Njoku at the end of the first round on Thursday night and, earlier Saturday, cornerback Howard Wilson in the fourth round.
It will take a while for Johnson, a two time-All-American at left tackle for the Seminoles, to develop – he’s not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination – but in the meantime, he can provide some depth at the troublesome right-tackle spot for the Browns. Other than future Pro Football Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, who has never missed a down at left tackle since being drafted in 2007, the Browns don’t have a capable tackle on either side on their roster. That’s not good. Right tackle is a gaping hole at the moment.
It’s may seem like a bold move by the Browns in apparently calling it quits on Erving after just two seasons, but it’s really not. It’s an easy decision.
First, he has been horrible whether at center or, at the end of last season, right tackle. He’s a great young man, but he simply can’t play.
Secondly, the members of this current Browns regime aren’t tied to him in any way. They owe him nothing, They didn’t draft him, so it’s not on their resume if they have to get rid of him. It’s on that of former general manager Ray Farmer, who botched a lot of things during his short stay.
The Browns can’t do anything now about an egregious draft move way back in 2015, but they can cut their losses by cutting Erving at some point before next season begins.
And, almost certainly, that appears to be what they’re in the process of doing.
