ProFootballWeekly.com
asks personnel expert Joel Buchsbaum for his thoughts on the hottest topics in
football.
Patriots sign ex-Saints TE Cameron Cleeland
New England picked up its second free-agent tight end in a week when it signed
ex-Saints TE Cam Cleeland to a one-year, $525,000 deal that could rise to $1 million if he
reaches certain incentives. Cleeland, 26, is a talented pass catcher and blocker but has
been hampered by a series of injuries during his four years in the NFL. In fact, he has
played just 20 games since his rookie season.
Buchsbaum: The Patriots are continuing their trend of shopping at Filene’s
Basement for good buys instead of shopping at the uptown stores. In Cam Cleeland, they are
getting a player who after his rookie year in 1998 looked like he was one of the
up-and-coming star tight ends in the NFL. He was a 275-pound man who ran very well, caught
the ball very well and could be an adequate position blocker when he wanted to. However,
since then, Cleeland’s career has been cut short by injury after injury, including
two Achilles injuries.
Granted, the odds are great that he will not be able to come back and be much of a
contributor, but the Pats are getting him for less than $600,000, which has to be
considered a bargain-basement price considering his upside if he does come back. Even if
Cleeland does come back and performs at a Pro Bowl level, the most he will cost New
England is $1 million.
Chiefs sign ex-Giants PK Morten Andersen
Andersen, 41, signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs to be their placekicker this fall.
The Chiefs needed to find a kicker after losing Todd Peterson to the Steelers via free
agency. Andersen, the NFL’s all-time second-leading scorer, made 23-of-28 field goals
for the Giants last fall. He also booted 29-of-30 point-after attempts.
Buchsbaum: The Chiefs probably upgraded their placekicking when they signed Morten
Andersen to replace Todd Peterson. Although Andersen no longer has the great long-distance
leg or kicks off very well, he still is an accurate, clutch kicker even though he is past
40 years old.
Bengals sign ex-Colts CB Jeff Burris
Burris, a nine-year veteran, will sign a three-year contract with the Bengals. The move
should definitely upgrade Cincinnati’s secondary. Burris, 29, started 15 games for
Indianapolis last season and made three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
Buchsbaum: The Bengals stabilized their secondary by signing veteran CB Jeff Burris,
who’s sort of a pro’s pro with excellent technique. He lacks speed but knows his
limitations. Most clubs felt he’d be better off moving inside to safety, and the
Redskins offered him a chance to do just that, but he turned them down.
Browns re-sign OG Tré Johnson
Johnson, 30, has missed most of the past two seasons due to injury. He started four
games for Cleveland last season before tearing a tendon in his right knee and missing the
rest of the season. He played seven years with Washington before coming to Cleveland last
year and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1999.
Buchsbaum: The Browns re-signed OG Tré Johnson, who, when healthy, could be just the
type of big, strong, mauling, aggressive run blocker that head coach Butch Davis wants.
The problem for Johnson is staying healthy. Johnson is rarely healthy and has only played
two full seasons in his entire career. He seems to be an injury waiting to happen, and
because he is generally overweight, he may contribute to the problem himself. |
