With the NFL free agency and then the NFL draft coming up, can the Browns copy the Eagles?
Besides both being NFL franchises and playing the sport of football, the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns don’t seem to have a lot in common. Even though it doesn’t seem that way, especially with the Eagles winning the Super Bowl to raise the Lombardi Trophy, there is a lot of overlap between the two teams.
Not only did Browns GM Andrew Berry spend a year in Philadelphia but he has a quote from Eagles GM Howie Roseman on his office wall. The two teams handle contracts in much the same way and Berry’s twin brother, Adam, is rising up the ranks in Philadelphia.
Preparing for both of his top receivers needing new contracts, Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow noted how the Eagles do business as something he wants his team to model:
“The Eagles are paying everybody,” Burrow said. “That seems like the way. Whatever they’re doing.”
Burrow noted the use of signing bonus conversions as a way to pay as many players as possible, something done by many GMs, especially in Cleveland and Philadelphia. The problem for the Cincinnati Bengals is that their owner has the lowest net worth (outside of the community-owned Green Bay Packers) in the entire league making big signing bonuses more difficult.
The Eagles have made things work specifically by paying their offensive players while hitting on defensive draft picks:
In 2024, the Eagles were #1 in spending cash on offense and #17 on defense.
In 2025, they’re currently projected to be #1 in cash on offense and #25 on defense.
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) February 12, 2025
Barnwell noted in a previous post that nine of Philadelphia’s 11 starters on offense are “on significant deals but just four defenders, including two who either didn’t play or barely played this year.
Without a lot of draft capital due to the failed Deshaun Watson trade, the Browns have not hit on NFL draft picks much. The combination of Watson’s failures at quarterback and the lack of draft capital makes it unlikely that this iteration of Cleveland’s roster can succeed with the same strategy but looking to the future it will be interesting if more teams poor resources into the offense and rely on the draft to round out their defense.
Whether it is the Browns, the Bengals or other teams, do you think the Eagles model of spending on offense and drafting well can pan out in other places or should teams try to spread out their cash?
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