The Browns have signed 33-year old DE Juqua Parker to a 1-year deal.  Parker played in 12 games for the Eagles last year and he had 10 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and 5 passes defensed.  He has now played in 146 games in his first 11 years in the NFL and he has 231 tackles, 36.5 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, 9 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 27 passes defensed and 1 interception (he returned it for a TD).  I’m not sure how much Parker has left in the gas tank, but DE was a big need for the Browns, so I like this move for them.

The Browns have re-signed 28-year old CB Dimitri Patterson to a 3-year, $16 million dollar deal.  Patterson played in 14 games for the Browns last year and he had 28 tackles and 12 passes defensed.  Patterson has now played in 64 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has 124 tackles, 25 passes defensed, 5 interceptions (1 returned for a TD), 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 4 tackles for a loss.  This was a good move for the Browns as Patterson proved to be a solid #3 CB last year.

The Browns have released 31-year old OG Eric Steinbach.  Steinbach didn’t play in any games for the Browns last year as he missed the whole year due to a serious back injury.  He was set to earn $6 million bucks in 2012.  Steinbach played in 62 games (all starts) in his five years with the Browns.  The Browns might try to bring back Steinbach for a lower salary as he is a good player when healthy.

The Cleveland Browns have signed 28-year old DE Frostee Rucker.  Rucker played in all 16 games for the Bengals last year and he had 44 tackles, 4 sacks, 6 tackles for a loss and 2 passes defensed.  Rucker has now played in 53 games in his first five years in the NFL and he has 105 tackles, 7 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, 3 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 6 passes defensed and 1 interception.  Rucker will get a shot to win the starting DE job opposite of Jabaal Sheard.  I like this signing for the Browns.

The Browns have re-signed 29-year old TE Alex Smith to a 1-year deal.  Smith played in 14 games for the Browns last year and he caught 14 passes for 131 yards (9.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 17 games in his first two years with the Browns and he has caught 15 passes for 137 yards (9.1 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Smith has now played in 91 games in his first 13 years in the NFL and he has caught 147 passes for 1,414 yards (9.6 avg) with 12 TD grabs.  It was smart of the Browns to bring back Smith for 2012 as he is a decent backup TE.

The Browns have re-signed 26-year old OG John Greco to a multi-year deal.  Greco played in 15 games (0 starts) for the Browns last year.  He has now played in 41 games (4 starts) in his first four years in the NFL.  This was a good move for the Browns as Greco will provide depth along the interior of the O-Line.

The Browns have released 28-year old punter Richmond McGee.  McGee played in 1 game for the Browns last year and he punted the ball 8 times for 288 yards (36.0 avg).  He also had 1 touchback (12.5%) and he didn’t pin the opposing team inside their own 20-yard line even once.  This is not a loss at all for the Browns with Reggie Hodges coming back for 2012.

The Browns have released 31-year old OT Tony Pashos.  Pashos played in 12 games (all starts) for the Browns last year.  He played in 18 games (15 starts) in his two years with the Browns.  Pashos failed his physical due to a failed physical.  He failed it due to left good surgery which will require 9-10 months of rehab.  The Browns will be on the hunt for a new starting RT in either free agency, the draft or a trade.

26-year old OLB Marcus Benard is not a free agent and he will be back with the Browns in 2012. Benard played in only 4 games for the Browns last year in which he had 3 tackles and 1/2 a sack. Benard has now played in 25 games in his first three years with the Browns and he has 45 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed and 1 tackle for a loss. The Browns need help with the pass rush and they hope that a healthy Marcus Benard can help them in 2012.

The Browns have used the franchise tag on 37-year old kicker Phil Dawson. Dawson played in all 16 games for the Browns last year and he hit 24 of 29 field goals (82.8%) and 20 of 20 extra points, good for 92 points. Dawson has now played in 199 games in his first 13 years with the Browns and he has made 276 of 332 (83.1%) field goals and 321 of 329 extra points, good for 1,149 points. Dawson has also carried the ball 2 times for 18 yards (9.0 ypc) with 1 TD run and he has completed his only pass attempt which was good for 10 yards. Dawson is the Browns’ all-time leader in field goals made with 276 of them. He is also #3 in extra points (321 of them) and #2 in points (1,155) in Browns’ history. Dawson is also #27 in NFL history in field goals made. Dawson is the only Browns’ player left from the 1999 season, so it will be good to see him suit up for the Browns once again in 2012.