NFL

Recovering Browns hope their line will hold

Cleveland needs Fraley to stabilize revolving door at center

Mark Duncan / AP

Running back Reuben Droughns rushed for 1,232 yards last season, but he faded late, so the Browns probably will seek to lighten his load early, MSNBC.com contributor Ron Borges writes.

BROWNS SEASON PREVIEW

By Ron Borges

msnbc.com contributor

updated 8:55 p.m. ET Sept. 4, 2006

Ron Borges

The rebuilding of a once-proud franchise fallen on hard times continued this offseason but before some of the new building blocks got into place they fell apart, making this summer a disaster for coach Romeo Crennel and GM Phil Savage.

One of the most important moves was to supposed to be a significant upgrade of the offensive line by signing top free-agent center LeCharles Bentley and left tackle Kevin Shaffer. If you want to take the hard-nosed, run-oriented approach Crennel and offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon favor, you must be strong upfront. The addition of Bentley, a former Pro Bowl center, and Shaffer, a 26-year-old tackle with experience and upside, was supposed to assure the Browns had a better shot of doing that this year than last. Then Bentley went down, his replacement retired, the next replacement went down, and his replacement went down. Pretty soon hopes were flagging. Cleveland has been through nine centers since the end of 2005 and haven't played a league game yet, with the ninth being Hank Fraley from the Eagles just a week before the first game.

Savage first traded late draft picks for journeymen Ross Tucker and Lennie Friedman, two backup centers who are now front-line players with the intention that Tucker would open the season as the startnig center. Savage saw quickly he was a long way from Bentley, who is one of the best young centers in the game. At least Tucker and Friedman are smart. The former went to Princeton and the latter to Duke, but neither convinced Savage or Crennel that he could anchor a line that has to be stout for the offense to improve. So Savage made another deal to land Fraley, whose services had become unnecessary in Philadelphia after being the center on their Super Bowl team of two years ago.

The AFC North is a hard place, where every team is physical. To match that, Cleveland needed to significantly improve its line. It looked like that had happened in the offseason until the center position fell apart.

Now what's left of this new group has to come together and, Fraley will be an improvement over what was left. That's significant because a year ago Cleveland scored only four rushing touchdowns. When power running is your game, that's a significant problem that must be solved.

Behind them will stand young, barely tested quarterback Charlie Frye.

The Browns understand he's inexperienced and will need protection, and not just from the line in front of him. He'll need the protection of a sound and productive running game, which power runner Reuben Droughns should provide if the line begins to jell.

Droughns is a true banger between the tackles. After rushing for 1,232 yards on 309 carries (4 yards a carry), Droughns showed his willingness to lower his head and gain the extra yard. He'll have to keep that up, which isn't always easy, but his new linemen will make it easier.

The Browns might try to lighten his load early in the season because he seemed to fade from the beating he took last year. It remains to be seen if he can handle the ball 300 times in heavy traffic.

Defensively, the Browns were surpisingly steady last season, finishing tied for 16th in the league in total defense and 11th in points allowed.

Then they drafted Kamerion Wembley, a defensive end out of Florida State they'll probably turn into a linebacker, in the first round and in the second round grabbed Maryland linebacker Jackson D'Qwell, an inside ’backer who is tough against the run.

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Those two join free-agent reinforcements veteran linebacker Willie McGinest and nose tackle Ted Washington to solidify things. McGinest is a locker room leader and an edge rusher who understands Crennel's defense. Whether he can still play it as effectively as he once did remains to be seen, but he's an upgrade and a wise veteran hand to work with the Browns younger players.

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Washington is 38 and no longer a Pro Bowl run stuffer, but he can still hold his ground in a 3-4 front. A year ago, opponents regularly attacked the middle of the Browns' defense with the run because it was soft, but Washington's 365 pounds won't be as easy to move. His presence, if he has anything left, is a short-term solution to the Browns' 3-4 problems, but at his age he could fade at any time.

Hot seat
Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards. The Browns’ top two draft picks were both sidelined last season and have to show they were worth the investments made in them by the Browns. Edwards caught only 32 passes in his rookie season before tearing his ACL. He had hauled in two touchdown passes against the tough Jaguars' defense just before his injury, so the team has faith he can have an impact. He'll need to be because top receiver Antonio Bryant, who made 69 catches for 1,009 yards and four scores, is gone. Winslow has been an even bigger disappointment, playing in only two games in his two-year NFL career and catching only five passes because of injury. One of those injuries came when he nearly killed himself in a one-man motorcycle accident, which is taken the concept of being a one-man wrecking crew a bit too far. The issue may not be on-field fragility, however. When he was drafted, he had rare speed for a big man and was considered a game-breaking player. Will he still be after barely being on the field since 2003?

Overheard
The Browns believe the little-known Frye is ready to blossom into a legitimate NFL quarterback. He started five games a year ago and was sacked 21 times, a near-record pace. Some of those problems resulted from his inexperience and difficulties reading defenses quickly enough. But the 6-foot-4, 217-pound Frye led the Browns to two wins in his final three starts so the job is his. Frye seemed to be developing a special rapport with Edwards before the receiver was lost for the remainder of the season, so Browns' fans will be closely watching the development of the two of them. Frye saw plenty of playing time this summer and showed mobility and throwing accuracy. Unfortunately, he also showed some shaky decision making, a sign that he will suffer growing pains, which are to be expected. How quickly he develops into a reliable passer will determine how this season goes to a great extent so he needs to show real improvement this summer.

Outlook
The Browns are improved from when Crennel and GM Phil Savage first arrived, but they are still another good free-agency recruiting year and draft away from becoming factors in the division. They'll upset someone at some point this season, though if McGinest and Washington hold up and Frye, Winslow and Edwards blossom and someone stays healthy at center.

Prediction
Fourth but with a chance to push ahead of the Ravens if the offense improves.