Browns Get it Right With Tretter, Now It's Time to Lock Up Schobert

The Cleveland Browns were smart to lock up J.C. Tretter to a contract extension. Now, they should turn their attention to getting a deal done with Joe Schobert, providing direction for the franchise as well as retaining two of their best players.

When the current season ends, the Cleveland Browns were scheduled to have a pair of critical free agents to make decisions on that would impact the structure of the team. Thursday, they made a wise decision in getting a contract extension done with one of them, locking up center, J.C. Tretter, for three years. That not only keeps an excellent player in the fold, but it also provides badly needed direction for the offensive line.

Now, the Browns and General Manager John Dorsey should turn their focus to getting a contract done with linebacker Joe Schobert. Much like Tretter, Schobert is an excellent player, provides leadership and makes a lot of calls on the field. Schobert turned 26 on November 6th, so a deal would ensure his prime years would be spent in Cleveland.

With the exception of his rookie year when the Browns tried him as an edge player, Schobert has been an excellent linebacker. He is consistently one of the best players on the defense, able to make plays on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

His ability in coverage is what makes him unique. There just aren't that many linebackers who can do everything, which puts him in rare company. He hasn't been as good in coverage this year, which could be a product of adjusting to the defensive scheme under Steve Wilks or simply not playing as well. That said, Schobert was back to his normal, excellent form in the game against the Denver Broncos.

Schobert warrants a lucrative contract extension based entirely on his play as well as what he brings to the locker room in terms of character and leadership. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the Browns don't have a single other linebacker playing at even an average level currently. The injury to Chris Kirksey was a sizable loss and he's going to be released from his contract after this season.

Mack Wilson, a fifth round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has been pressed into duty and he has made his share of plays. He's also been targeted and exploited by teams generating explosive plays. This experience is invaluable to Wilson and the hope is the game slows down for him, but he looks more like a role player than someone who can be a regular starter at this point.

Sione Takitaki, the team's third round pick, suffered a hamstring injury during the preseason that prevented him from getting valuable reps. He contributes on special teams now, but he hasn't been on defense yet, which may change because Adarius Taylor is a liability on defense, but Takitaki isn't a finished product.

That's not a problem necessarily, but it does highlight the fact the Browns only have one, good, reliable linebacker. Combining that with the fact the Browns safety position has been a disaster this season and the middle of their defense will need to be a huge focus this coming offseason. The Broncos game really put into focus that the only good player the Browns have in that area of the field is Schobert. So the last thing they should think of doing is letting him walk as a free agent.

The Browns have a talented defensive line, a set of worthwhile corners, but the middle of their defense has become a catastrophe, save for Schobert. As with Tretter where letting him walk would've blown a massive hole in the offensive line that was completely avoidable, not signing Schobert would make exacerbate the issues in the middle of this defense. Dorsey and the Browns got it right with Tretter. It's time to get a deal done with Schobert.