DETROIT - NOVEMBER 22: Shaun Rogers #92 of the Cleveland Browns walks off the field after the defense gave up a touchdown against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on November 22, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. The Lions came from behind to defeat the Browns 38-37. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
Joe Robbins
Two days after the Cleveland Plain-Dealer reported Browns defensive tackle Shaun Rogers was available to trade, the same paper reports the Browns “plan to keep him.”
So what’s going on here?
We suspect the team doesn’t want to further rock the boat with Rogers, a player that has had his share of conflict with the organization. The latest report doesn’t exactly rule a deal.
“The Browns plan to keep Shaun Rogers because of his tremendous ability,” a league source told Mary Kay Cabot. But the notion is qualified by: “Unless someone makes the Browns an offer they can’t refuse, Rogers will be a Brown in 2010.”
So you’re saying there’s a chance? The inclusion of “tremendous ability” sounds like an effort to calm Rogers down without completely ruling out a deal.
We won’t know until closer to the draft if Rogers could inspire such an offer. We do know that he’s the only player on the roster talented enough to make a deal like that possible.