News: Bowens Sign With Browns, Elam Offered $1.5 Million
David Bowens and the Cleveland Browns have agreed to terms with the 31-year old, multi-purpose defender, reports the Newark Star-Ledger.
As first reported in The Star-Ledger on Sunday, former Jets linebacker David Bowens signed with the Cleveland Browns Tuesday. He signed a four-year deal worth $7.2 million.
He’s the definition of a Mangini guy. His age and salary made him the odd man out, but Bowens was far from terrible. It’s his flexibility and willingness to play special-teams that made him so useful. It’s not impossible to find an upgrade, but guys like him are tough to find. He was exposed in pass coverage when Harris went down, but he improved in the starting role.
ProFootballTalk.com is also reporting a one-year contract offered to RFA S Abram Elam.
The Browns have reportedly signed restricted free agent S Abram Elam to a one-year, $1.5 million offer sheet.
It’s worth more than the Jets’ $1.01 million offer last month. Personally, I’d rather have Elam over Eric Smith, but I don’t think the Jets are going to match those dollars for a backup safety. It’ll be interesting to see if Mangini finally utilizes him properly in 2009.
Special thanks to the TJB readers Michael, Da Jetz, Bozzie, and Matt for the heads up.
45 Responses to News: Bowens Sign With Browns, Elam Offered $1.5 Million
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Harlan Lachman says:
Frankly, if Elam was worth the $1.01 mil we offered last month, he is worth $1.5 for a year. He is clearly better than Eric Smith who like Drew Coleman has the unique ability to be just out of the play and just useless enough on too many pass plays.
Were it a two year deal, I would pass. If it were even at the 1.8 tender offer that requires compensation I would pass.
But if they don’t sign him, they are saying that the original offer was a mistake.
harlan
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cal says:
this is off topic, but espn has an article saying that the situation between jay cutler and the broncos have worsen
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3968896&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines
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We should match the elam deal. But the. Owens deal is insane if things dosent workout for mangini he can be out of a job again.
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if we dont match the elam offer, what are the chances of moving lowery to safety and then signing ivey as our nickle back?
looks like the pats signed bodden… is everyone getting ready to see t.o. twice a year?
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JesusRevis says:
If Jay Cutler is still upset and wants out we will welcome him with open arms. Get on the phone Tanny!
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SackDance99 says:
I hate to agree with Mel Kiper, but here’s his take on Cutler that mirrors my own:
Kiper: Cassel > Cutler
Cutler’s complaining came about because the Denver Broncos tried to trade Cutler in a three-team deal that would have brought over Matt Cassel from New England. But when the trade fell through, Cutler started to complain.
Kiper says Cassel would have been an “upgrade” over Cutler and that Cutler is, to put it mildly, overrated.
“[Cutler] throws one pass, he’s a Hall of Famer,” Kiper says. “I’ve seen the media put him in the Hall of Fame. I had to run to the bathroom quick. It was making me ill. I’ve been hearing this overhype.
“This guy was overhyped at the combine, he was overhyped at Senior Bowl week, he’s been overhyped before he was drafted. The media, they love Jay Cutler. Jay Cutler can do no wrong. I’ve been saying he’s overrated since day one. Everyone’s been pounding their chests saying, ‘Oh, I love Jay Cutler, I’m a genius.’ They have egg on their face now.”
Kiper points out that Cutler has yet to lead the Broncos to a winning record or a playoff appearance. Also, Kiper says, “[Cutler] makes throws that leave you scratching your head, which I said on draft day when he was picked. Yeah, he’s got a strong arm, but my daughter knew he had a strong arm. She could’ve written that report.”
Kiper compares Cutler to Jeff George. “Jeff George had a great arm, and Jeff George had a lot of great games in this league, and people were putting Jeff George in the HOF early in his career,” Kiper says. “So I’m just telling you, this is ridiculous.”
Also, Cutler once said he had a better arm than John Elway. Not surprisingly, Kiper isn’t a big fan of that comment, either. “So what? Who cares? Why would you make a comparison to John Elway? That could be taken like you’re in a position to critique the quarterback that is a legend.”
No Cutler…I want a winner at QB, not a diva.
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Mel Kiper says a million things during every draft that turn out to be ridiculous, so im not ready to start patting him on the back for anything, especially for something I dont agree with. Why doesnt Kiper write an article about all of the prospects hes raved about who turned out to be terrible pros, or all of the players he castrated before the draft that turned out to be pro-bowlers. I think Kiper is overated!!!!!
Im curious, what did Kiper say about Matt Cassel before his draft? I’m sure it wasn’t anything positive.
And how the hell could anyone try and claim that Cassel is so good after playing less than a full season, in a great system, with a great coach and great receivers around him. This hole thing sounds absurd to me. -
RocBoy says:
I never agree with Mel kiper on draft day. How can the guy make smart decisions with that permanent helmet on his head. But in this one he’s right. Jay Cutler is beggining to overshadow his talent and rocket arm by becoming the next T.O. except T.O. has actually proven himself in the playoffs. Stop crying, this is a business. Im not ready to say Cassel is better but Cutler isn’t untouchable.
To me, I still think Mark Sanchez will be a great pro. He’s a leader and accurate passer and his arm strength is better than people think it, he’s no Pennington (no offense Chad). He kinda reminds me of Tom Brady, poised in the pocket accurate and he makes the throws neccesary. And to my memory the Pats have done ok at the Meadow Lands even in December. If Sanchez is there take him. -
liam says:
sd99, i agree that these are some unimpressive moves by mangini. nevertheless, i think we should at the least strongly considering matching elam (and i think we ultimately will match). .5 more for one year is just fine and it gives us depth which in turn gives us flexibility and insurance.
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ronnie says:
he cant bring up the argument that cutler has never made it the playoffs or won a playoff game because last year, they had one of the top offenses in the league but the worst defense in the league.
How is that cutlers fault?
he only plays one side of the ball and on that side of the ball they excelled.With regards to the draft, the jets can actually draft based on the very best player availible (thats if theyre confident about clemens or ratliff). If one of the top WR’s falls to them, they should take him, if not, they should trade down and pick up a WR then.
If cutler is being shopped around, the jets should offer their 1st rounder and maybe a 4th or 5th rounder too.
If that happens, we should go ahead and sign holt to a short contract. -
ian says:
Sometimes it seems like Mangini is out to prove he can win without talent, as if he wants to show how great a tactical coach he is.
Cutler is hands down the best qb under 25 yrs old in NFL. He also has low salaries for the next two years. Make the deal, Tanny.
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Very true Ronnie, dont bring up not making the playoffs when Cutler did his job. His offense was elite, and put points on the board, unfortunately the Broncos had one of, if not the worst defense in the NFL! You cant blame Cutler for not leading the Broncos to the playoffs, blame their horrible defense.
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Harvlis says:
Losing Bowens hurts. He was a tough guy. Mangini may not be adding stars to his team but, he is adding short term talent.
If we could match the offer for Elam and keep him, I would do it. Elam is the type of Safety who would thrive in a pressure defense. He makes big hits and big plays. It might have taken him all this time to learn how to play the position. To give up on him now, might be a mistake. I hope that Rex is looking at the tapes. Now that we lost Poteat, Ivy might be the right move, to cover the slot.
I don’t know how much cap space is available but, I hope Tannenbaum has some more tricks up his sleeve. Except for signing Moore and Richardson, he has done nothing for our Offense. He needs to extend Leon, pick up a proven receiver, raise the quality of the O and D lines, and think about adding Byron Leftwich to the QB mix. Oh, find us a strong punter, as well.
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sjfalcon2001 says:
SD99,
I think one difference you are overlooking between Rex’s situation & Mangini’s is that the Jets have no top free agents for Mangini to steal because Tanny has done a good job at locking up our best talent before they get to free agency. Rex on the other hand had a lot of top level defenders available from his old team at just the right time. The Ravens had Lewis, Suggs, Scott, Ivy and Leonhard all up for free agency at the same time and everyone knew they couldn’t keep all of them. So Rex had a great opportunity to get top starter level players that know his system.
I don’t think Mangini will do well in Cleveland regardless after hearing reports about the locker room environment from former players and staff (as reported here on TJB from other sources), but to say the difference is that Mangini brought in 2nd tier or backup players where Rex brought in starters didn’t really say a whole lot. How different would it be if the Jets were the Ravens this year, say if Ellis, Harris, Rhodes and Revis were all available at the same time?
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I think the Bowens signing and Elam’s tender offer will hurt a little, but not critically hurt because Tanny & Rex have done a good job on filling defensive holes. I am more concerned with the WR position right now. We need a replaement for Coles who can stretch the field. A veteran like Holt could be a nice addition if the contract is for short years.
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Dean Barbella says:
Harlan Lachman,
I agree. Hope Jets match the Brown’s $1.5 million offer to Honest Abe.
That said, I still like SS Patrick Chung (Oregon) in the second round and I think David Lowery gets another year towards developing as a corner, but has the tacking skills and ball-hawking prowess to excel at safety down the road.
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FernandoQ says:
Mel Kiper is hilarious he has been soooooo Wrong on these drafts it’s ridiculous and does anyone else see how he keeps tearing into T mcShay LOL I love when espn puts them on a split screen Kiper goes NUTS Mcshay mAkes much better point ts than plastic head!
I would love to see what % of the time kiper is right come draft day
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NickP says:
with Jim leonhard signed we dont need to draft a safety. him and Kerry will be great together and they will be around for a while.
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DKnyj says:
Where is the consensus that Bownes is good coming from? He’s old, he’s a career backup, and the fact Mangini had him playing middle linebacker when Harris went down was an absolute joke – he was HORRIBLE. Think about it, any player we draft for D-line in the 4 or 6th round don’t have to do much to have a better career than Bowens.
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johnl says:
RAMS REALEASE PACE…..WE DEFINATELY SHOULD PICK HIM UP THIS IS A TERRIFIC OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR ALREADY ABOVE AVERAGE OFFENSIVE LINE.
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jetfanATL says:
Thanks to you guys for letting me know that I’m not the only one who thinks Mel Kiper’s a total fraud. I had wondered if there was something I was missing and that I was maybe just jealous that this guys somehow makes a living talking nonsense about football while I have to work for a living.
I don’t think it’s fair to say anybody should be right 100% of the time when evaluating players but he’s just a blowhard who states ridiculous opinions as if they are fact.
I’m w/the majority here who’d like to see Elam back in green for depth. Wouldn’t hurt to add a safety maybe in round 3-5 to develop for the future.
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Kyle says:
Why would you guys want to sign Orlando Pace, when the younger, more nimble and agile Khalif Barnes is still a free agent?
Orlando Pace is old, like everyone else playing on the O-Line (minus Brick & ‘Gold)
Sad to see Abraham Elam go, but honestly, if it weren’t for those two great plays he made last season, I would be calling for his head. Do any of you remember his first season with us? He successfully tackled the shi* out of Darrelle Revis against the Patriots, resulting in an opposing TD. It’s a shame when the rookie on the team is getting tackled by the veteran.
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Bent says: I think it’s a bit harsh to refer to the Broncos defense as terrible. They did suffer a lot of injuries.
I was in favor of most of Mangini’s moves when he first came to the Jets, but I hate everything he’s done since arriving in Cleveland from a Browns perpective. Maybe this is all they can afford cap-wise?
Harlan – I don’t know if not matching would necessarily mean the original offer to Elam was a mistake. Remember they didn’t have Leonhard locked up at the time, so they probably wanted to offer Elam the tender so they had the option to match if they didn’t get Leonhard. Now they have him, they may view Elam as surplus to requirements. Having said that, I do think they will probably match.
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Kyle,
I agree the Elam loss dosent hurt that much but he did make those 2 plays. I was actually looking forward to see how Rex was going to use him. Maybe in the box as a LB.
Also…When he crushed Revis wasnt that against the Bills to result in a Lee Evans TD?
Also Elam was in 2006 Elam was only a 2nd yr player. 1st with us….not much of a veteren yet
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Bent says:
Yes…it was against the Bills, I know because I was in the second row and the play happened right in front of me.
It was an easy interception for Revis too. Would’ve been his second of the game and I have no doubt they would have won the game otherwise (they lost 13-3).
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J D says:
I have to believe Barnes has issues, or he would have been snagged already. The Niners need an OT badly and seem to be going to address that need in the draft. If they grab Pace they will be free to take Sanchez and I would like him on the Jets. By taking Pace we kill two birds with one stone, but the price has to be right.
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JustAGreenGuy says:
I haven’t read all the posts, so I apologize if this has been covered. That being said, I like Mangini’s moves. The Browns had a horrible defense last year and now he is bringing in guys who are familiar with his system. This offseason a lot of teams switched to the 3-4. Lucky for us we made the switch earlier and obtained the pieces we needed. Crennel and the Browns did not do the same. At least they didn’t obtain the pieces they needed other than Rogers. If the Brown’s have a good draft they will have gotten much better. Remember Rob Ryan is their D coordinator. Rogers is fulfilling his nickname, he is being a big baby. That relationship will get fixed. What we consider trash was our good depth. He isn’t taking starters, but he is taking pieces much like he did for us. The Browns don’t have a good enough team to throw 40 mil at one player. I believe there is method in this madness. However, I do question letting Sean Jones leave. That being said, they are in our conference, so I hope they suck.
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Cabras says:
Green,
How can you like a coach bringing in Journeymen?
How much interest is their for either player, sometimes familiarity is good, but if the talent is average then what is the difference.Bowens and Elam are totally replacable, you can find undrafted free agents who would be more productive for us. I am not sure why fans think they are so valuable?
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Does anyone know what if any compensation we would receive if we do not match the offer?
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Elam beat Buffalo twice last year. Is he great? no, but he is good depth. Bowens did well for us as a spot starter can play ILB or OLB and is good on special teams. That is a useful/ team player. Go find me undrafted players to replace them. Our #6 pick wasn’t a qtr of the player Bowens was last year. You can find Tom Brady in the 6th too, but just because you can doesn’t mean you always will. 53 man roster and the Browns is weak. This is football. I can’t believe people question the value of versatility or depth for a team that won 4 games.
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No compensation for Elam.
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Jason says:
NO Cutler, start Ratty, we need one of our three to win the job, not someone else’s.
Mangini is trying to get cheerleaders in the shower room to follow his philosophy they are good back ups aside from Barton. -
Sorry I meant to say about Barton was that he was a starter and a work horse, one of my favorite Jets to ever play.
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Green,
Do you know how many players will be cut that can do what these guys do for much cheaper. Again,
what other teams were in the bidding for either player? That to me is a tell tale sign. -
We don’t know every negotiation that goes on. We tried to keep Bowens and Elam that should tell you something too. This blog and other services catch a lot, but can miss a lot too. No one cares who talked to David Bowens. It isn’t sexy, so why write about it? Just because you or I don’t know in no way means it doesn’t exist. I’m a huge Jets fan and I can give a flying f*** less who talks to any of our free agents. I want a division championship. Not much matters to em until we get that.
Then why didn’t in all our wisdom (Tanny, Cohen) we find players better last year? Bowens was a starting linebacker when we were 8 and 3. Football is about more than just talent. I bet Westhoff is pissed we lost him.
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dmsarad says:
I would let Elam go. He is a real liability in coverage. Sure, he had a nice return one game, but most of the sseason I watched him trying to catch up to WRs who had just blown by him. I sitll hold out hope that we draft a legitimate safety early in the draft which might be bolstered if Elam hits the road.
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Green,
You told me Tanny picks tweeners, his forte is the cap, not player personnel.
By the way 8-3 is a great record if we only played an 11 game season, don’t fall in love with overpriced journeymen players, they are a dime a dozen.Football is more than talent, but you gotta have talent if you want to win. Each year in the current NFL a team changes 10-20 players, the core is the key, and neither of these guys were part of the core.
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I don’t love any football player/ coach. When we cut Chad I fully grasped this game and teh business behind it. I don’t think a 4 year deal for 7 million is over paying. Cole’s contract is over paying.
I know what Tanny’s job is, but he did pull the trigger. I assume Cohen, Bradway, and Mangini were responsible for evaluation.
I don’t care that these guys are gone. Our roster is pretty stacked. I will miss their versatility and depth, but things happen and hopefully a guy like Trusnik can step up. However,I do think it was a good idea for the Browns to take them.
If you read my other posts you’d realize that I’m well aware of the season being 16 games.
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Green,
Just joking around, a little banter. I know you are passionate and have good knowledge.
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We get no compensation for Elam, he was undrated
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No worries about banter. Why the hell else would people blog.
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JetsfanMaine says:
I have got to agree with most of you regarding Elam being replaceable. The 1.5 mil is too much for a backup. I do believe they shold bring back Barton, he is a tough guy and would fit in new system since VG won’t
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mtb says:
Larry Izzo is a Jet
It’s an interesting contrast between Rex and Eric. Rex poaches two starters and guys steeped in his system for years in Scott and Leonhard. Eric takes second-stringers like Bowens and Elam, who have only been in his system for two years, and Poteat, who has been with him a long time, going back to his Pats days, but who has never been a starter. Barton, too, wasn’t a Mangini guy, having been signed by Bradway under Herm. Not one of the guys Eric signed would now start on his former team. So, the question is does signing Jets second-stringers and a mediocre starter (Barton) really improve the Browns defense? Plus, Eric alienated Rogers, who is the cornerstone of his defense. Just real curious moves.