Anyone with eyeballs or access to the internet knows that the Cleveland Browns are at least a year away from being a year away from championship aspirations. In the NFL, anything can happen, but the Browns currently have two foundational pieces on their offense and added a good offensive lineman, Tytus Howard, in a trade this offseason.
A lot more is needed before Cleveland’s offense has any shot of helping its stellar defense move toward AFC Championship Game-level goals.
NFL free agency is not where
good teams are built; that is the NFL draft, but adding veterans to the Browns young roster could be helpful. Cleveland GM Andrew Berry needs to balance how much he’s paying for “veteran presence” while trying to build a young, talented roster that can compete long-term.
That would include TE Travis Kelce, the Browns fan from birth, who is hitting free agency and is not certain to return to the Kansas City Chiefs:
A homecoming for Kelce, who once begged to play for Cleveland, could be a lot of fun in a season where expectations for the Browns will be pretty low. Kelce is coming off his two lowest yardage seasons since his rookie year, when he only played in one game, with 823 and 851 yards, respectively.
With the Chiefs potentially uninterested in a return, Kelce could make his decision between three values:
- Winning
- Money
- Home
As he stares down his 37th birthday and perhaps his final year in the NFL, linking up with a contender one last time would make sense. Just signing for the biggest contract sent his way in free agency may not be the way the Cleveland Heights native will want to go out.
With Kelce winning a lot in his career and having made a lot of money during his time in the NFL, the one thing left could be to finally play with the Browns, the team he grew up rooting for. For Cleveland, unless Kelce is demanding top-of-the-market money, there is no reason to deny Kelce’s request to play for the Browns a second time. Giving Harold Fannin Jr. a veteran to play with and learn from could be huge for his development after a great rookie season.
The star tight end’s priorities will ultimately make the decision for him as he’s likely to have a lot of options.
What do you think about Travis Kelce coming home to the Browns? Fun or a pointless decision for a team that needs to build the young core?
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