Browns pick up Gardner

Browns make a modest free agent signing in picking up Barry Gardner from the Eagles. He's an able linebacker with 4 years experience and plenty of football ahead of him. He's also considered a very good special teams player. The knock on him, however, is that he's not very quick. While he fits most of what you'd expect the Browns to be looking for in a free agent, it's hard to say this is a particularly good or bead signing -- Gardner is likely to be as good as the system allows him to be. I think he's most likely to play in the middle or as a run stopper. Our best 3 signed linebackers are now Gardner, Boyer, and Bentley. The team could perhaps be competitive with these guys, but I think they're really going to need to resign Miller or find another LB who can blitz effectively.