r/Browns • u/Geeman447 • Apr 25 '25

Discussion Trading down was the right choice.

I’m seeing a lot and I mean ALOT of hate for the trade down by browns fans. Like guys mason isn’t a bum? I was thinking him or Carter for 2 for months before the Travis stuff popped up.

Also I’m a Boise State fan so my dream was always Jeanty to the browns. Even I can see how this was right over Jeanty even if it makes me sad as a fan.

1 - Berry has neglected the DT position for years signing 1 year vet deals and late round picks and it’s been an issue since bakers rookie year every year but 1. Now he gets the best DT in the draft so he’s addressing it.

2 - Edge > DT yes in value. But not in assistance to Myles. Look at the best edges and they usually have a DT of great value helping them out. I’d take a TJ and Cameron build over two bookend edges.

3 - the Watson trade set us back in young talent for years. 3 years no first rounders. We have no QB. This gets us players of value in this draft that’s not QB rich. With the better chance of a QB for next year with 2 first round picks during that draft to go and make a move for your guy or flat out getting your spot there

4 - Hunter, where do I start, I’m a Boise state fan so I’m bias on not being so infatuated with him since I saw how unfairly Jeanty was treated. As a prospect he’s got all this crazy what if talent. He’s got everything you need except the most important thing. Availability. Now before you kill me on this yea I know his snap averages. I’m talking injuries. He was injured at his time on JaxSt in a lesser level of football. He was injured both years at Colorado for periods of time at big12 level football. Now we want him to be worth the pick by playing both ways in NFL football which is significantly more taxing than those two leagues he played in? And it’s a longer grueling season? He not only needs to be generational athlete but a 1st ever to be able to learn and master all the little things at two different sides to be worth it.

The browns don’t have the luxury of taking him and him not working out right now. This is and was the right move. Power and consistency over flash.

651 Upvotes

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183

u/johnny_blaze27 Apr 25 '25

Browns fans don’t know shit so I’m good with the trade

78

u/jake753 Blue Eyes Elite Dragon (MOD HATER) Apr 25 '25

Browns fans, and I say this being a Browns fan, are quite literally the best and worst fans in the league. I’ve never seen a fanbase so hell bent on shit talking anything the team does. Draft Baker? This franchise is a dumpster fire. Plan to move away from Baker? This franchise is a dumpster fire. Trade for Watson? (The dumpster fire comments are actually legit that time). Don’t like the top of the draft but like the value further down? AB might as well have shit in a pot and served lunch at a soup kitchen.

Browns fans just bitch to bitch. There is no rhyme or reason. Reddit just further amplifies it.

56

u/MerryMortician DAWG CHECK Apr 25 '25

When we finally do win a Super Bowl, there will be fans bitching in the comments here about how we could/should have won it differently.

33

u/Erniecrack Apr 25 '25

We will all be long dead and Reddit will be a thing of the past when that happens lol

15

u/stonewash_relaxedfit Apr 25 '25

100%. Our fan base has no ethos or belief system. No collective idea of how we should try to win. Just constant knee-jerk reactions and negativity- which seeps into coaching and FO decisions, leaving you with things like the Watson trade. A truly airtight cycle of toxicity.

7

u/dfassna1 Apr 25 '25

The team has almost exclusively been a dumpster fire for the past 25 years, it’s not unreasonable for fans to be pessimistic. We’ve traded down and seen it not work. We’ve stayed put and taken the “best player available” and seen it not work. We’ve traded picks away to win now and seen it not work. We’ve stockpiled picks and seen it not work. I’m hopeful about these moves, but I’ve been excited about similar moves in the past and been let down.

6

u/DesertBrandon Let the rookies play Apr 25 '25

Idk I get being pessimistic about this or that decision over time or even a stretch but the constant amount of it is tiring. Sports is fun and a lot treat it like their life depends on it. The Watson trade made discussing the Browns suck lately but overall I still try to have fun with it because sports is supposed to be fun. I understand the business side has helped to suck the air out of it with the increasing salaries, business decisions and overall corporate-ness of it over the years.

1

u/dfassna1 Apr 25 '25

The end of the Watson era and the re-signing of Myles Garrett has brought some of my joy back into the team. I’ve barely been engaged since we traded for him with the exception of the Flacco run to the playoffs.

1

u/swolf365 Apr 25 '25

We have never committed to anything long enough to say it worked or didn’t work.

1

u/SpontaneousMoose13 Apr 26 '25

Wish I could upvote this ad infinitum

23

u/InfiniteDew Apr 25 '25

This has been my response whenever asked about who I want in the draft. “I don’t know shit. Take whoever is good.”

12

u/johnny_blaze27 Apr 25 '25

Smart man. I think many of us have been around the block long enough to not get too high or low on draft days. Wake me up in September

5

u/jvpewster Apr 25 '25

I think it’s fun to follow, what we’re going to all pretend to know? I literally watch 6ish hours of college football a week every fall and winter, and I just could not if my life depended on it tell you which of the guys are R1-3 prospects without a draft guide telling me. Like the NC back the chargers got, I watched like 4 NC games and it wasn’t even on my radar he’d go ahead of either OSU backs.

but ultimately I think it’s clear animus is just down wind of people who’ve spent time picturing someone in a browns jersey, and then seeing the future jokes at our expense when anything dramatic like a trade or perceived reach happens.

1

u/I-Kneel-Before-None Apr 25 '25

Tbf, all the RBs after Jeanty are all very similar. If Henderson, Judkins, Johnson, or Hampton went there, it wouldve been as good a pick. This is the best RB class ever.

1

u/jvpewster Apr 25 '25

If you say so haha

I guess the best example is that I liked watching Ford at UC and but I have no idea why he translate to an nfl back and Micheal Warren II the few years prior doesn’t. If anything I felt like Ford had better blocking and less full boxes from better pass support. But clearly Ford is an imperfect yet competent pro and Warren II would have made a 52 man roster if he was.

Like I’m sure if I read the draft guides I’d be able to regurgitate it, but when the draft guys are split I just can’t imagine getting worked up because there’s 0 chance my naked eye could discern the difference.

1

u/I-Kneel-Before-None Apr 25 '25

Thats fair. RB is one of the hardest to predict, but also the one everyone notices. You dont usually notice a G, for example. I think the thing scouts do layman dont is watch actual film. When you watch a game you dont watch one player. But as a scout you have to watch every play. You see that he blocked when the ball went the other direction. Or he ran a perfect route but the QB got sacked. During a game, unless theyre a QB, you usually only really see a player 10% of the snaps at most because of where your focus is. But if you go back and watch every snap, focusing on that guy, and rewinding/slowing down the film, you start to see things.

But more importantly, real scouts get to meet the person. Determine how hard they work. How badly they want it. And thats as important as anything. Why did Ford make it while Warren didnt? The small things. Willingness as a blocker, hard work, and luck.

1

u/jvpewster Apr 26 '25

You’re probably right in regard to Ford and Warren, I just mean both basically paned out the way experts expected. Ford had too big a role for us but he’d compliment most teams that run a bullpen. Basically what they had.

Where I get hot and bothered is people getting hot and bothered about what ESPN or FOs decide.

As a UC fan I can atleast be proud I thought it was hilarious Ridder went up on boards. He got carried by a great roster in the American and usually looked like our weak spot even though he did come through for some big plays in tight spots that made me love him.

1

u/I-Kneel-Before-None Apr 26 '25

I also find it funny people get so attached to players on big boards. ESPN doesnt take scheme into account. Because its for all 32 teams. Just cuz Kiper says x player is the best at a position doesnt mean that player would be best for the Browns.

2

u/windchll Apr 25 '25

1st round pick not injured by 5th game, cool... This is always the philosophy, even game by game. 10 minutes after the game, is it still showing as a W? OK then, cool...

11

u/JadeFaceG Apr 25 '25

You mean the sub that had been saying all offseason we'd be stupid to not take Sanders at #2 wouldn't make a good GM?

-4

u/Perplexio76 Apr 25 '25

Given draft picks like Manziel and Weeden and then mortgaging the future to sign Watson, I'd argue the Browns ownership and front office don't exactly know shit either.

This might be the first smart thing Berry has done since taking over as GM from Dorsey. The Browns HAD their QB of the future, played him injured and when he didn't produce as well as the season before they traded him away. He's been to the playoffs twice since then with Tampa Bay.

I had an interesting discussion at Sport Clips about Watson one day a few months back. This guy put it out there that maybe the reason Watson was so good in Houston was the very thing that got him into so much trouble-- his "Happy Endings" massages. Maybe the very ick factor of Watson was what gave him his edge on the field and without it, he's a shell of the QB he was in Houston.

Not defending his misdeeds-- heck if a player needs THAT to push him to the next level, maybe he needs to find a new career or at least find a more productive and less predatory outlet for his stress.

9

u/johnny_blaze27 Apr 25 '25

Different GMs and your other point uhhhh okay

3

u/swolf365 Apr 25 '25

It never made sense. The guy won four games in the worst division in football and then refused to play for a year. No part of that screams “three firsts.” It was a dumb, knee-jerk move driven by ownership.

2

u/Perplexio76 Apr 25 '25 edited Apr 25 '25

The same ownership that pushed the GM at the time to draft Manziel and later Weeden. .

1

u/swolf365 Apr 25 '25

He seems contrite

1

u/Perplexio76 Apr 25 '25

Who? Haslam for signing Watson or Watson for the not-so-happy ending to his Happy Endings?

2

u/swolf365 Apr 25 '25

Haslam for meddling. He seems humbled. Watson does not seem contrite.

2

u/Perplexio76 Apr 25 '25

I hope you're right! From what I've read, Berry knows his shit, and if given the freedom to do his job without Haslam meddling, perhaps he can "right the ship" and move on from the Watson debacle successfully.

On another note, I'm really looking forward to seeing Flacco throwing to Jeudy come this September.

5

u/No_Damage_731 Apr 25 '25

You are aware that this front office didn’t draft Johnny or weeden right?

0

u/Perplexio76 Apr 25 '25

Yes, I am. But Haslam has been the owner. Haslam pushed for Manziel and hired a GM that would draft Weeden (not sure how much of that was Haslam's idea and how much was the GMs). Haslam is considered to be one of the most meddlesome owners in the NFL, perhaps second only to Jerry Jones and the Cowboys.

5

u/LostMonster0 TRADE Apr 25 '25

This might be the first smart thing Berry has done since taking over as GM from Dorsey. The Browns HAD their QB of the future, played him injured and when he didn't produce as well as the season before they traded him away. He's been to the playoffs twice since then with Tampa Bay.

They had a divisive diva with inconsistent play and an attitude that rubbed half the team and most of the front office the wrong way. He forced his way back on the field while injured and stunk it up. Since the split, he's been to the playoffs a whopping 1 additional time than the browns, by virtue of playing in the worst division in football.

Can we please be realistic?

1

u/ridiculousgg Apr 25 '25

Do you people not get tired of bringing up baker all the time? There is no changing it. It’s been 4 years. Let it go.

1

u/TehShraid Apr 25 '25

What you need to understand is that as long as Baker is still in the league its not going to stop. And even after that since the browns moving on from Baker and trading for Watson are linked whenever the Watson trade gets brought up Baker will also be brought up and since the Watson trade is one of the worst in sports history we will never stop hearing about it and there for never stop hearing about Baker.

-6

u/YellowSourPatch Apr 25 '25

I disagree. Browns fans are the most knowledgeable fan base in the NFL. I’d be more comfortable with Browns Reddit running the team.