by Tony Grossi, Plain Dealer Reporter , Plain Dealer

NFL teams have until Thursday to apply the franchise designation to one potential free agent. Doing so would guarantee the player the average of the five highest-paid players at his position and restrict his movement. The franchise number for safeties is $6.342 million. Jones had a base salary in 2008 of $2.145 million.

The Browns have not used the franchise tag since they were reborn in expansion in 1999.

Browns General Manager George Kokinis declined to totally rule out tagging Jones, saying, "Some things in this league are done in the 11th hour."

Since Kokinis joined the Browns on Jan. 26, he and coach Eric Mangini have buried themselves in evaluating their own roster, preparing for Free Agency on Feb. 27 and getting up to speed on the college draft. They and their staffs leave today for the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

In his first interview since being introduced, Kokinis said: "We're moving at a good pace and it's been great. I think, for this time of year, we're as caught up as any team."

Kokinis also said the Browns have not ruled out any option regarding quarterbacks Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, and he disclosed that running back Jamal Lewis and defensive end Corey Williams recently had surgeries.

EXCERPTS FROM THE GEORGE KOKINIS INTERVIEW

Free agents on the move?

Included among the 13 Browns free agents are 2008 starters Sean Jones, safety Mike Adams, linebackers Andra Davis and Willie McGinest, and core special teamers Jason Wright and Kris Griffin. They are free to seek new teams on Feb. 27.

Kokinis wouldn't say whether any would be retained.

"The guys that are up for Free Agency have done a lot for this Football team. . . . They're good locker-room guys," he said. "But you know how Free Agency is, you have to assess the big picture of it and see how everybody fits. At this point, we haven't spoken to them."

Quarterback decisions on hold

Kokinis would not tip his hand on whether he would seek to trade a quarterback or bring them both back.

"They both have pretty good talent, I know that," he said. "I think [keeping both] is well within reasonable means. There isn't really anything to say that we can't or wouldn't. I think when you're at the quarterback position and you have two guys that can help win games, I think you have to take a good look at keeping them both."

On the other hand, Kokinis said of trading one, "To me, I don't think, coming into a new situation, that you rule anything out. We're trying to take a big-picture approach. I don't think any option is ruled out."

Anderson is owed a $5 million roster bonus by the 15th day of the NFL calendar year, March 13.

"When you're looking at a decision on a player, you look at every facet of the player - talent, money, structure," Kokinis said. "You can't look at anything in a vacuum. Yes, we're talking about Derek, specifically, but really you have to fit Derek within the whole structure of the whole Football team."

Player interaction at a bare minimum

Like Mangini, Kokinis said he has had very little interaction with players who haven't been in the team headquarters.

In this context, he mentioned he had phone conversations - or exchanged messages - with Jamal Lewis and Corey Williams after their surgeries. Kokinis termed both as "cleanup" procedures, Lewis on an ankle and Williams on a shoulder.

No personnel hires on the horizon

The Browns may be the only team that has not formally named a director of college scouting or player personnel director. Those positions remain unmanned since the firing of Phil Savage confidantes Daniel Jeremiah and T.J. McCreight.

"I think we're going to go with the staff we have right now," Kokinis said. "We had a good week of meetings. Those guys worked extremely hard the last, probably 10 days, as they have all year, but the accumulation of all their work came into this week. We really worked through every individual player. I was proud of the way the guys met the challenge and set the preliminary [college draft] board."

First the combine, then Free Agency

Kokinis said he'll have a clearer strategy of what he hopes to accomplish in Free Agency after assessing the players available in the April 25-26 draft during this week's combine in Indianapolis.

"When you look at pro Free Agency, it's really big picture, big scope, how it all ties together," he said. "We're definitely looking at some things. We're not rushing into any decisions. We're going to make sure it's the best decision for this Football team. I think in terms of preparation, we're there."

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: tgrossi@plaind.com, 216-999-4670

Copyright 2009 Plain Dealer Publishing Co.
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.