According to Las Vegas odds, the chances of the Browns signing recently released RB Cedric Benson are a little too good for comfort.
It's no secret that the Cleveland Browns are looking for a RB of the future. Sure, they just signed Jamal Lewis to a 3 year extension through 2010, but as Jamal is reaching the twilight part of his career and is easily past his prime, the Browns need to keep an eye on a backup plan for now and a guy who can carry the load in the future.
We already brought up the name Travis Henry a couple weeks ago, and now there are some who think the Browns may look into a different troubled RB. After being arrested for an alcohol related incident for the second time in a month, the Chicago Bears cut Cedric Benson loose. The release ended a pretty tumultuous relationship between the Bears and Benson. Drafted fourth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, Benson was supposed to be the future of the franchise. The Bears even let team leader Thomas Jones walk last year in favor of keeping the younger Benson in place. After three years filled with injuries, underperforming on the field, and finally trouble with the law, though, the Bears had to let Benson go.
Thanks to Hashmarks, we now know that the Cleveland Browns are one of the teams that Las Vegas thinks might look at signing Benson. As Matt Mosley wrote,
"The folks at BodogLife.com are already laying odds on Cedric Benson's future:
Will Benson play in the NFL this season?
Yes -300
No +225
What team will Benson play for?
New England 2/1
Arizona 5/1
Denver 4/1
New Orleans 10/1
New York Jets 16/1
Cleveland 12/1
San Diego 18/1?
I'm not sure what to really make of this. Benson's career numbers are pretty underwhelming. In 3 seasons he has rushed for just 1,593 yards and 10 TDs. Some of that is because of injuries, some of it is because of splitting time with Thomas Jones his first 2 years, and some of it is just flat out disappointing performance on the field. I'm sure the Browns odds are at 12/1 simply because Vegas knows, just as we do, that the Browns are looking for another RB at some point. And because Benson cleared waivers this week, he is an unrestricted free agent, which would allow the Browns to try to sign him for a bargain basement deal. But is that the wise thing to do? Benson has already shown that he doesn't like sharing his workload with others, something he would have to do with Jamal Lewis here. Then, when you add his recent legal troubles as well as his past injury issues on top of that, and this just has "CAUTION" written all over it. Hopefully the real chances of the Browns signing Cedric Benson are significantly worse than 12/1.
It's no secret that the Cleveland Browns are looking for a RB of the future. Sure, they just signed Jamal Lewis to a 3 year extension through 2010, but as Jamal is reaching the twilight part of his career and is easily past his prime, the Browns need to keep an eye on a backup plan for now and a guy who can carry the load in the future.
We already brought up the name Travis Henry a couple weeks ago, and now there are some who think the Browns may look into a different troubled RB. After being arrested for an alcohol related incident for the second time in a month, the Chicago Bears cut Cedric Benson loose. The release ended a pretty tumultuous relationship between the Bears and Benson. Drafted fourth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, Benson was supposed to be the future of the franchise. The Bears even let team leader Thomas Jones walk last year in favor of keeping the younger Benson in place. After three years filled with injuries, underperforming on the field, and finally trouble with the law, though, the Bears had to let Benson go.
Thanks to Hashmarks, we now know that the Cleveland Browns are one of the teams that Las Vegas thinks might look at signing Benson. As Matt Mosley wrote,
"The folks at BodogLife.com are already laying odds on Cedric Benson's future:
Will Benson play in the NFL this season?
Yes -300
No +225
What team will Benson play for?
New England 2/1
Arizona 5/1
Denver 4/1
New Orleans 10/1
New York Jets 16/1
Cleveland 12/1
San Diego 18/1?
I'm not sure what to really make of this. Benson's career numbers are pretty underwhelming. In 3 seasons he has rushed for just 1,593 yards and 10 TDs. Some of that is because of injuries, some of it is because of splitting time with Thomas Jones his first 2 years, and some of it is just flat out disappointing performance on the field. I'm sure the Browns odds are at 12/1 simply because Vegas knows, just as we do, that the Browns are looking for another RB at some point. And because Benson cleared waivers this week, he is an unrestricted free agent, which would allow the Browns to try to sign him for a bargain basement deal. But is that the wise thing to do? Benson has already shown that he doesn't like sharing his workload with others, something he would have to do with Jamal Lewis here. Then, when you add his recent legal troubles as well as his past injury issues on top of that, and this just has "CAUTION" written all over it. Hopefully the real chances of the Browns signing Cedric Benson are significantly worse than 12/1.
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