CLEVELAND, Ohio — No team has been hurt more by the NFL owners lockout than the Browns. 
Of the eight teams that changed head coaches, seven of them also changed both coordinators. Among those teams, the Browns had the worst record in 2010 and, thus, have the longest road to respectability.
(Denver's 4-12 record was one game worse, but the Broncos retained their offensive coordinator and won't change their offense drastically.)
So when the lockout is lifted, the Browns have to act in hyper-speed to try to make up for lost time.
Pat Shurmur and his coaching staff are tasked with familiarizing themselves with their new players and implementing offensive and defensive systems that are new to those players. 
In a normal off-season, these would have been nearly accomplished in the practices before the start of training camp. Now they have to be done on the fly, complicating Shurmur's first camp as an NFL head coach.
The No. 1 priority of every NFL coach in training camp is to get his team ready for the season. Shurmur will have to be part-Paul Brown, part-magician to reach that goal.
General Manager Tom Heckert's tasks are no less daunting. His roster is incomplete and he has been blocked by lockout rules from doing the normal spade work necessary to facilitate contract deals. 
The lockout also held up the major issue of defining free agents as unrestricted or restricted. Reports now say a new collective bargaining agreement will return the free agency distinctions to previous levels.
That means players whose contracts are up qualify for unrestricted free agency after four seasons. Players with three are restricted, giving their old teams rights of first refusal.
A new CBA would void the restricted contract tenders given to cornerback Eric Wright and tight end Evan Moore. Those players would become unrestricted free agents. They could still re-sign with the Browns, but all it takes is one team to change their minds.
When the lockout is lifted and the NFL resumes business, action will be fast and furious. Heckert and the coaching staff have had time during the lockout to formulate decisions. They would have to implement them quickly.
Here is a list of things they should do.
1. Re-sign several of their own unrestricted free agents.
Browns players, besides Wright and Moore, who would qualify as unrestricted (four years or more) are: safety Abram Elam, defensive end Jayme Mitchell, linebacker Matt Roth, receiver Chansi Stuckey, fullback Lawrence Vickers, linebacker Jason Trusnik and offensive linemen Floyd Womack and Billy Yates.
Roth wants to stay in a 3-4 defense and likely will move on. Vickers, Elam, Stuckey and Trusnik appear to be out of the Browns' plans. That leaves Wright, Moore, Mitchell, Womack and Yates as priorities.
Heckert said Mitchell was the team's best pass rusher last year even though he didn't play. Signing him would ease the urgency at defensive end. Womack and Yates are valuable linemen because of their versatility to play two positions well, their experience and their proven track records.
2. Sign a defensive end in free agency.
Even if Mitchell is re-signed and joins rookie Jabaal Sheard at the position, another defensive end is mandatory. Yes, Marcus Benard will be tried as a full-time end. But an experienced, 4-3 starting end must be added -- perhaps Jason Babin, who has played for Mike Holmgren in Seattle and Heckert in Philadelphia among his five NFL stops.
3. Sign a free safety in free agency.
T.J. Ward could be a stalwart in the secondary for a long time, but he needs a ball-hawking, center fielder beside him to cover the deep middle. Ward can't play that role. With Elam expected to depart, the Browns either add one in free agency or make Mike Adams the starting free safety.
Another possibility is converting Sheldon Brown to safety, but that would require adding another quality cornerback. Rookie draft pick Eric Hagg would be a godsend if he could step into a starting role, but that is unrealistic.
4. Sign a veteran offensive line swingman in free agency.
This move would be urgent if Womack and Yates are not retained. A swingman, capable of playing guard and tackle, is more important than adding a starting right tackle, where Tony Pashos is expected to return after a major injury.
5. Locate a third-down, change-of-pace back.
This could be done in free agency, trade or undrafted free agency. The Browns showed their desire to fill this spot by hawking Shane Vereen and DeMarco Murray before the draft. They were unable to land either.
A full off-season might have illuminated Shurmur and his staff to the possibility of converting Josh Cribbs to the backfield -- which he would welcome -- but the lockout spoiled that.
6. Make a decision on Jake Delhomme.
The re-signing of Seneca Wallace to a three-year contract before the lockout surely signaled the exodus of Delhomme. Wallace will be a better quarterback in the West Coast offense, in which he played for seven seasons in Seattle. He opens camp as the top backup to Colt McCoy and the insurance starter if McCoy stumbles.
Delhomme should be released to allow him to rejoin Carolina as a much-needed veteran backup to Cam Newton. The Browns should replace Delhomme with a developmental prospect from the undrafted ranks.
7. Sort out the receiver position.
The good offenses have clearly-defined roles at the receiver position. McCoy needs to develop chemistry and timing with all his receivers, but certainly with his main three. Identify the top three among Mohamed Massaquoi, Brian Robiskie, Greg Little, Carlton Mitchell, Johnathan Haggarty, Jordan Norwood and Demetrius Williams and let them rip.
8. Be aggressive in signing undrafted free agents.
About 500 rookies not drafted are on the market, waiting to be signed to fill out camp rosters. The Browns should concentrate on the following positions when signing undrafted free agents -- cornerback, linebacker, defensive line, offensive line, running back and quarterback.
Article Source:
http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ssf/2011/07/cleveland_browns_will_have_a_c.html
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