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Welcome Olivier Vernon!

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These guys wouldn’t do much against 1960’s QB’s with 60’s rules. But in today’s era, they’re pretty good.
 
Seems like a trade where both teams benefit

But I will say I’m not thrilled to lose Zeitler. Zeitler was one of the best in the NFL and had the highest pass blocking grade amongst guards last season

Would I rather have a great edge than a great guard in a vacuum? Yes. But with a young QB I might’ve rather held onto a great guard who’s greatest strength is pass blocking

Corbett to me is entirely an unknown so I don’t really know what to expect there. If he can step in at 80% of Zeitler’s level obviously it was a great trade for us. If he is Oniel Cousins reincarnated obviously we’d wish we never traded Zeitler.
 
If he is Oniel Cousins reincarnated obviously we’d wish we never traded Zeitler.
In the unlikely event that Corbett does not become a very good NFL guard (I believe he will), it’s extremely easy to acquire another very good NFL guard—especially if you’re willing to pay the player anything close to what you were paying Kevin Zeitler.

In that way, this loss is extremely easy to replace. Finding elite pass rushers, on the other hand, is very difficult.

I agree that interior line play is vital for a shorter quarterback. Pressure up the middle gives them the greatest problems. However, if Corbett is what Dorsey believes he is, we are set at that position.
 
I understand everyone's disappointment with losing Zeitler, but I find it interesting that people are really concerned with Dorsey's decision to go with Corbett. I think we all agree that Dorsey is a pretty darn good talent evaluator when drafting prospects. He drafted Corbett last year and had a full year to evaluate his talent even more on the team. Dorsey and his team of evaluators don't make this trade if they don't feel strongly that Corbett can fill in Zeitler's vacancy well. That is good enough for me.
 
I understand everyone's disappointment with losing Zeitler, but I find it interesting that people are really concerned with Dorsey's decision to go with Corbett. I think we all agree that Dorsey is a pretty darn good talent evaluator when drafting prospects. He drafted Corbett last year and had a full year to evaluate his talent even more on the team. Dorsey and his team of evaluators don't make this trade if they don't feel strongly that Corbett can fill in Zeitler's vacancy well. That is good enough for me.

Not just Dorsey. Freddie is very familar with what he did as well in practices and scrimmages throughout the season, including how well he blocked on the scout team, etc..
 
As a Cowboys fan who watches a lot of NFC east games, I think this is a really good trade for the Browns. Keep in mind this guy was going up against the top LT's in the league in divisional play, dude might feast in the AFC North.
 
I like this trade. I especially like that Vernon not only has some ability to pressure the QB, he seems to be above average against the run, sealing the edge, and with good sideline to sideline speed. Improving team speed is usually a good thing.
 
Pretty good breakdown on Olivier Vernon's range of skills courtesy of Cleveland.com.

Initial thoughts: for being slightly undersized, I am pretty impressed by his strength off the block. He's got a pretty good burst and looks to be able to steam roll guys that have 40+ pounds on him with ease.

He also has great hands and seems to be the type of the guy that whether he makes the play or not, will contribute with his technique and natural instincts for where to be.

If he can manage to stay healthy, I think he could be a potential game-changer for Myles. Garrett has essentially been double-teamed his entire career and still makes plays look effortless.

If we upgrade at DT (Ed Oliver pipe dream but I'd settle for a Malik Jackson overpay) and LB, this defense is going to make a huge leap next year.

Hell, with the way the safety free agent market is shaping up, I wouldn't even mind experimenting with Peppers in LB sets. He plays his best closer to the line anyways, IMO.
 
I understand everyone's disappointment with losing Zeitler, but I find it interesting that people are really concerned with Dorsey's decision to go with Corbett. I think we all agree that Dorsey is a pretty darn good talent evaluator when drafting prospects. He drafted Corbett last year and had a full year to evaluate his talent even more on the team. Dorsey and his team of evaluators don't make this trade if they don't feel strongly that Corbett can fill in Zeitler's vacancy well. That is good enough for me.
Not just Dorsey. Freddie is very familar with what he did as well in practices and scrimmages throughout the season, including how well he blocked on the scout team, etc..
In addition to Dorsey and Kitchens, Joe Thomas did as well.

In July 2018, well before Corbett had been eliminated from the tackle discussion, Joe Thomas detailed Austin Corbett’s game and spoke with multiple media outlets about it. We were all hopeful Corbett could play tackle, but it was never in the cards according to Joe.

After spending a lot of the summer working with him, he said that there was no way Corbett was going to play tackle in the NFL due to a lack of length and heavy feet that wouldn’t allow for him to compensate on the outside against speed guys. He mentioned that tackles are your former basketball players, nimble and long. Corbett was a former wrestler, stout with a heavy base.

However, Thomas then said that he anticipates that Corbett would be a terrific guard in the NFL. He claimed that he was built for it and excels with his hands and his high football intelligence.

I understand some have a sour taste with Corbett as he failed to land at tackle and that’s the last anyone really saw of him. However, the same Hall of Famer who called that he wasn’t a tackle well before preseason games also was quite complimentary of him as a guard...

...so much so that he originally advised the Browns to move Joel outside to play tackle because of his quick feet and let Corbett slide into a natural guard position.

If Dorsey, Kitchens, and Joe Thomas believe in Corbett, there’s no reason for us not to.
 
In addition to Dorsey and Kitchens, Joe Thomas did as well.

In July 2018, well before Corbett had been eliminated from the tackle discussion, Joe Thomas detailed Austin Corbett’s game and spoke with multiple media outlets about it. We were all hopeful Corbett could play tackle, but it was never in the cards according to Joe.

After spending a lot of the summer working with him, he said that there was no way Corbett was going to play tackle in the NFL due to a lack of length and heavy feet that wouldn’t allow for him to compensate on the outside against speed guys. He mentioned that tackles are your former basketball players, nimble and long. Corbett was a former wrestler, stout with a heavy base.

However, Thomas then said that he anticipates that Corbett would be a terrific guard in the NFL. He claimed that he was built for it and excels with his hands and his high football intelligence.

I understand some have a sour taste with Corbett as he failed to land at tackle and that’s the last anyone really saw of him. However, the same Hall of Famer who called that he wasn’t a tackle well before preseason games also was quite complimentary of him as a guard...

...so much so that he originally advised the Browns to move Joel outside to play tackle because of his quick feet and let Corbett slide into a natural guard position.

If Dorsey, Kitchens, and Joe Thomas believe in Corbett, there’s no reason for us not to.

Agreed. I wouldn’t be sleeping on Corbett. He flashed a few times in preseason and he had a great career at Nevada. He’s deceptively athletic, great size, and has a mean streak to his game.

He feels about as Cleveland as it gets to me.
 
In addition to Dorsey and Kitchens, Joe Thomas did as well.

In July 2018, well before Corbett had been eliminated from the tackle discussion, Joe Thomas detailed Austin Corbett’s game and spoke with multiple media outlets about it. We were all hopeful Corbett could play tackle, but it was never in the cards according to Joe.

After spending a lot of the summer working with him, he said that there was no way Corbett was going to play tackle in the NFL due to a lack of length and heavy feet that wouldn’t allow for him to compensate on the outside against speed guys. He mentioned that tackles are your former basketball players, nimble and long. Corbett was a former wrestler, stout with a heavy base.

However, Thomas then said that he anticipates that Corbett would be a terrific guard in the NFL. He claimed that he was built for it and excels with his hands and his high football intelligence.

I understand some have a sour taste with Corbett as he failed to land at tackle and that’s the last anyone really saw of him. However, the same Hall of Famer who called that he wasn’t a tackle well before preseason games also was quite complimentary of him as a guard...

...so much so that he originally advised the Browns to move Joel outside to play tackle because of his quick feet and let Corbett slide into a natural guard position.

If Dorsey, Kitchens, and Joe Thomas believe in Corbett, there’s no reason for us not to.

I'm not a Corbett doubter, but take everything Thomas says with a grain of salt. He also said Shonn Coleman and then Desmond Harrison were going to be great LTs and become the new starting LTs in Cleveland for years to come. I've never heard Joe Thomas have anything negative to say about any Browns lineman.
 
Zeitler was one of the best in the NFL and had the highest pass blocking grade amongst guards last season

I take PFF offensive line grades with a huge dose of salt. Their "rankings" are heavily influenced by the offense, and not just the performance of the player himself. Look at Greg Robinson's (and our entire OL) change from the first half of the year to the second half. It's just difficult to give an OL a deficient grade when he only has to block for 2 seconds and the ball is out lightning quick.

I mean, Zeitler isn't in the same stratosphere as Zack Martin, Marshal Yanda or Quenton Nelson. And after the way he played last year, Shaq Mason deserves to be in that group as well.

Now, I'm not saying Zeitler isn't good--he's very good. But lets not pretend he's arguably the best at anything in the NFL--he's in the second tier of guards, not the elite tier. He's somewhere in that group with Decastro, Bitonio, Sitton, Scherff, etc.
 
I'm not a Corbett doubter, but take everything Thomas says with a grain of salt. He also said Shonn Coleman and then Desmond Harrison were going to be great LTs and become the new starting LTs in Cleveland for years to come. I've never heard Joe Thomas have anything negative to say about any Browns lineman.

He also said he liked Hue Jackson, so...definite grain of salt.
 
I'm not a Corbett doubter, but take everything Thomas says with a grain of salt. He also said Shonn Coleman and then Desmond Harrison were going to be great LTs and become the new starting LTs in Cleveland for years to come. I've never heard Joe Thomas have anything negative to say about any Browns lineman.
He also said he liked Hue Jackson, so...definite grain of salt.
I think you're both correct in that he's generally a positive guy and he expressed multiple times that he was hopeful for guys like Shonn Coleman and Desmond Harrison. What is he supposed to say on Cleveland Browns Daily? That these tackles are awful? I think he outlined areas for both in which they need to improve.

As far as Hue--absolutely. I think these guys just get so ingrained into believing in the cause and putting forth the work that they refuse to acknowledge that they were incapable of getting it done partially due to the coaching staff. Joe, of course, was treated extremely well by Hue--with all the veteran days and Hue kissing his ass and bullshitting.

As for Corbett, this was done through NFL.com and Thomas actually broke down his skill set. Thus, I think he was more candid on his assessment.

Either way, it's usually smart to take anything we hear through the media for what it is. The combination of Joe, Dorsey, Campen, and Freddie all believing in Corbett is what gives me confidence--that and what I've seen from him on his UNLV tape and Senior Bowl week.
 

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