April 21, 2025 • 10 mins
Daryl Ruiter from 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland, Ohio joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about the state of the Browns, still dealing with the Deshaun Watson deal, what they should or will they do with the #2 overall pick, and Travis Hunter’s abilities.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to the home of the Huskies, the Kreken
and Cele's Best NFL Draft covering Jim the twenty twenty
five NFL Draft. Now back to Southian Dick proudly brought
to you by Emerald Queen Casino on Sports Radio ninety
three point three KJR FM.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
By the way, you want to crack on one thousand dollars,
get to the website ninety three three KJR dot com.
Enter the keyword cash. We'll have a new name for you,
new word for you every hour right here on ninety
three three KJR FM. Joining us right now on the
radio show. He's been with the Browns Media, Cleveland Media.
God bless him for almost thirty years. Man, holy cow,
(00:42):
our friend from Cleveland, Ohio. He's been on with us before.
He says yes when everybody else says no. From ninety
two to three to fan Darryl Ryder, Darryl, how are
you pal? What's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I've seen some stuff, Softy, That's all I'll say.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, you have seen some stuff, man, you see and
some stuff with his football team too. I've said it before,
I'll say it again. No fan base in the NFL
deserves a championship and a Super Bowl more than you, guys,
and the Lions are right behind you, by the way,
So tell me about this, the current situation, the atmosphere
around the football team. Number two pick in the draft,
that's fine, But nobody wanted the number two pick in
(01:20):
the draft because you thought when you signed Deshaun Watson
those days were over. But now they're right back to
where you were in square one. So what's the vibe.
What's the atmosphere around this football team right now?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Well, Deshaun is about to be put in the rearview mirror.
That's first and foremost. That's very apparent from comments made
by ownership who have acknowledged that the signing was a
swing and a miss, both on the field as well
as just his availability, either through suspensions or injuries. He
had two achilles surgeries within the span of three months.
(01:52):
His availability this year is pretty much non existent. So
they right now are just trying to get out of
that contract, which they can't do. They got to run
the clock out on it. So last season was a
complete and unmitigated disaster. At three and fourteen, gets in
the second pick in the draft after not having a
pick for three years because of that Watson trade. Congratulations
(02:13):
to the Browns for returning to the draft in a big,
big way.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
What is the timeline on that, on that Watson deal
where it becomes just painful instead of debilitatingly painful.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Well, they've got one more year of payments to make
and then the dollars will have been paid, but then
they have to begin the process of the salary cap ramifications,
and that is essentially just trying to spread that out
over a two year period. The cap has been going up,
(02:48):
so thankfully those dollars will get less and less is
they go down the road here to do this, But
it is still a sizeable commitment for a cap commitment,
I should say, just setting aside the financial part for
a guy who has basically done nothing for your franchise.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Well, Darryl Ryder with us again ninety two three of
the fan in Cleveland, and let's let's talk about what
you guys are doing with that number two pick, because
the Titans are obviously taking cam Ward. New York is
sitting around Paul Detino from Wfan is gonna come home
with us at five forty five, and he wants to
know what the hell the brands are doing. So what
will they do? What should they do? And are they
(03:28):
the same thing?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
In your mind? Well, I think that they're going to
take Travis Hunter. I have been on the I have
been leading the Travis Hunter bandwagon since February here in Cleveland.
Why and well, I love his versatility. I love the
fact that not only can be a number one franchise
wide receiver, which the Browns do need, but also too
(03:49):
he can help on defense. Basically, if the ball is
in his hands, he can score touchdowns. And the last
time I checked, the Cleveland Browns are not good. It's
scoring touchdowns. They need people that can do that. So
and also too, when you look at draft capitol spent
over the last five ten years, the Browns are one
of the worst teams when it comes to drafting offensive
talent and impactful offensive talent. So I think that this
(04:12):
is an opportunity to bring in a very unique player.
I don't think he's a full time player on both
sides of the ball, but I do think he can
be a number one receiver and then be a package cornerback.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Do you think the Browns would give Hunter carte blanche
on whatever he wants to do and whenever he wants
to play on both sides of the ball.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
I don't know that they would give him carte blanche,
but I'm sure that there would be some mutual consultation there.
They're obviously not going to want to put him in
a situation that he's uncomfortable with, and also, you know,
vice versa. So it's interesting. His father, Dion Standers, made
a comment at the at the pro de Extravagams or
(04:53):
whatever they called that thing, and it Bowlder a couple
of weeks ago when he said, hey, once he get drafted,
that's all well and good, he goes. Then the challenge
becomes the second contract. That's what you're working for, that's
what you're playing for. So yeah, so if Travis Hunter
becomes the second pick in the draft, that'll be great,
but and he'll get that rookie contract, but it's up
to him then to play at a level that gets
(05:15):
in that maximum second contract.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah, I get. I guess the question becomes this, so
the Giants Daryl again, Darryl Ryder ninety two to three,
the fan, the Giants have already come out their general
manager and said, yeah, he can play both ways for us.
If we take him number three. He can play both ways.
So do the Browns see him in the end as
more of a wide receiver, more of a corner Yeah,
(05:38):
playing him occasionally on the other side of the ball.
I could see really anybody doing that. But if the
Browns do take Travis Hunter, do they focus him as
more of a dB or more of a wide receiver?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
You think? I think wide receiver. In the fact that
Andrew Berry, the GM compared him to show Hey Otani,
I think that tells you what Andrew Berry really thinks
of Travis Hunter. I don't think there's a bigger compliment
that you can give a kid. I don't know that
the comparison is relevant or matches or whatever, but it's
a pretty it's a pretty compelling comparison that a GM
(06:13):
would make when this is supposed to be poker face
season and you don't want to be showing anyone in
your cards. I almost kind of feel like Andrew Barry
showed his cards. So if they don't draft Travis Onder Thursday,
there's a part of me that's going to be a
little surprised.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
So nine months ago, Andrew Barry got a new contract.
He's been there for now five years were you a
proponent of that and the fans okay? Given a guy
with very little success a new contract.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Right now, the fans are not okay. At the time,
I was fine with it because it happened in training
camp and they were coming off the second playoff season
in five years, and you have to go back to
the nineteen eighties for the Browns to have a stretch
like that is pathetic as that sounds, but here in
Cleveland that's actually successful. So at the time I was
(06:58):
fine with it. But now that I look what Barry's
acquisitions have done, the failures that they have been, the
lack of wins, consistent wins that we have seen, the
fact that he moves on from Baker Mayfield, who's lighting
it up in Tampa Bay, to bring into Shaun Watson,
who is now in a walking boot and is not
going to do anything for you. And you gave two
(07:19):
hundred and thirty million dollars to bring in a guy
that had the baggage that he had, right, and Browns
fans were asked to support this guy with what he
was accused of. That's a lot, and it's it's not
very positive. But Brown's ownership has basically I feel like
given Barry a little bit of a mulligan, and I
believe that Andrew Berry is going to get two years
(07:42):
to get the quarterback thing figured out.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Well, it's interesting, Darryl, before you go that we're all
talking about the offense for the Browns, but the last
time I checked, your defense had four picks the entire
season last year, which is unbelievable that one a month.
Travis hunder can help one exception a month on this
So you're telling me that he would maybe focus on
wide receiver, But hot damn do they need him on
(08:06):
the defensive side there.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Darryl, Well, you know, in in the Browns defense, I got,
you know what I got to stand up for the
Browns DB's Okay, listen, if they could catch the football,
stay bet they'd be wide receivers, all right. You know
they they dropped about twelve intersections last year. They just
couldn't catch them. It wasn't a matter of being in
the right spots. They just they're catching the football. They
minor detail.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Hey, one more from me, a basketball question for you.
I know you're following the Cavs right now. Their chances
of winning the East, And why are they closer to
the Celtics than they were last year when they just
got bombed by Boston the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Uh, they got DeAndre Hunter now and they also got
Ty Jerome now, so their bench is much deeper. It's
a much more versatile roster than they had a year ago.
And oh, by the way, yeah, everybody's healthy. Knock on wood.
Donovan Mitchell was healthy. Jared Allen, who was injured last year,
he is healthy. Darius Garland is healthy. He actually played
(09:01):
last year's playoffs fifteen pounds underweight. So I feel like
this Cavalier team has the potential to not only take
out the Boston Celtics, they have a legitimate chance to
win the whole thing this year. The window to win
championships for the Cavaliers is open for the next I
would say two to three years. They acquired DeAndre Hunter
(09:21):
from Atlanta. That guy's under contract for two more years.
The entire core for Mobley, Garland, Mitchell and Allen, they're
all signed long term. So you don't have any infighting
and guys trying to play for the next contract, begging
for money from the front office and that team. I
gotta tell you going back to the Lebron era, that
(09:42):
was business like, that was a business atmosphere that team.
This team's fun. These guys love each other, they love playing.
We've got the minor league Cleveland Charge, the G League
thing or whatever. The players on their off day, guys
they go to those games teams to hang out there.
But you never see that. So the chemistry of this
(10:04):
team and the fact that they're healthy and they got
DeAndre Hunter and they got Ty Jerome, I think that
that makes them a legitimate contender for an NBA championship.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
All right, man, great stuff, Good luck to the Browns.
We'll keep an eye on it for you back here
and see. I don't know that you give a damn
but good stuff. As always, Daryl, we appreciate this. We'll
talk soon, man, you bet, thank you? All right, he says,
Travis Hunter is going to be the pick at number
two for the Browns. We'll talk to Pauli Detino by
the way, coming up as well. Find out what the
Giants are doing at number three.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
All right.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Hugh Mellon joins at four Little Fun with audio next
on ninety three to three kjr FM.
You're listening to the home of the Huskies, the Kreken
and Cele's Best NFL Draft covering Jim the twenty twenty
five NFL Draft. Now back to Southian Dick proudly brought
to you by Emerald Queen Casino on Sports Radio ninety
three point three KJR FM.
Speaker 2 (00:20):
By the way, you want to crack on one thousand dollars,
get to the website ninety three three KJR dot com.
Enter the keyword cash. We'll have a new name for you,
new word for you every hour right here on ninety
three three KJR FM. Joining us right now on the
radio show. He's been with the Browns Media, Cleveland Media.
God bless him for almost thirty years. Man, holy cow,
(00:42):
our friend from Cleveland, Ohio. He's been on with us before.
He says yes when everybody else says no. From ninety
two to three to fan Darryl Ryder, Darryl, how are
you pal? What's going on?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
I've seen some stuff, Softy, That's all I'll say.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Yeah, you have seen some stuff, man, you see and
some stuff with his football team too. I've said it before,
I'll say it again. No fan base in the NFL
deserves a championship and a Super Bowl more than you, guys,
and the Lions are right behind you, by the way,
So tell me about this, the current situation, the atmosphere
around the football team. Number two pick in the draft,
that's fine, But nobody wanted the number two pick in
(01:20):
the draft because you thought when you signed Deshaun Watson
those days were over. But now they're right back to
where you were in square one. So what's the vibe.
What's the atmosphere around this football team right now?
Speaker 3 (01:31):
Well, Deshaun is about to be put in the rearview mirror.
That's first and foremost. That's very apparent from comments made
by ownership who have acknowledged that the signing was a
swing and a miss, both on the field as well
as just his availability, either through suspensions or injuries. He
had two achilles surgeries within the span of three months.
(01:52):
His availability this year is pretty much non existent. So
they right now are just trying to get out of
that contract, which they can't do. They got to run
the clock out on it. So last season was a
complete and unmitigated disaster. At three and fourteen, gets in
the second pick in the draft after not having a
pick for three years because of that Watson trade. Congratulations
(02:13):
to the Browns for returning to the draft in a big,
big way.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
What is the timeline on that, on that Watson deal
where it becomes just painful instead of debilitatingly painful.
Speaker 3 (02:25):
Well, they've got one more year of payments to make
and then the dollars will have been paid, but then
they have to begin the process of the salary cap ramifications,
and that is essentially just trying to spread that out
over a two year period. The cap has been going up,
(02:48):
so thankfully those dollars will get less and less is
they go down the road here to do this, But
it is still a sizeable commitment for a cap commitment,
I should say, just setting aside the financial part for
a guy who has basically done nothing for your franchise.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
Well, Darryl Ryder with us again ninety two three of
the fan in Cleveland, and let's let's talk about what
you guys are doing with that number two pick, because
the Titans are obviously taking cam Ward. New York is
sitting around Paul Detino from Wfan is gonna come home
with us at five forty five, and he wants to
know what the hell the brands are doing. So what
will they do? What should they do? And are they
(03:28):
the same thing?
Speaker 3 (03:29):
In your mind? Well, I think that they're going to
take Travis Hunter. I have been on the I have
been leading the Travis Hunter bandwagon since February here in Cleveland.
Why and well, I love his versatility. I love the
fact that not only can be a number one franchise
wide receiver, which the Browns do need, but also too
(03:49):
he can help on defense. Basically, if the ball is
in his hands, he can score touchdowns. And the last
time I checked, the Cleveland Browns are not good. It's
scoring touchdowns. They need people that can do that. So
and also too, when you look at draft capitol spent
over the last five ten years, the Browns are one
of the worst teams when it comes to drafting offensive
talent and impactful offensive talent. So I think that this
(04:12):
is an opportunity to bring in a very unique player.
I don't think he's a full time player on both
sides of the ball, but I do think he can
be a number one receiver and then be a package cornerback.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
Do you think the Browns would give Hunter carte blanche
on whatever he wants to do and whenever he wants
to play on both sides of the ball.
Speaker 3 (04:33):
I don't know that they would give him carte blanche,
but I'm sure that there would be some mutual consultation there.
They're obviously not going to want to put him in
a situation that he's uncomfortable with, and also, you know,
vice versa. So it's interesting. His father, Dion Standers, made
a comment at the at the pro de Extravagams or
(04:53):
whatever they called that thing, and it Bowlder a couple
of weeks ago when he said, hey, once he get drafted,
that's all well and good, he goes. Then the challenge
becomes the second contract. That's what you're working for, that's
what you're playing for. So yeah, so if Travis Hunter
becomes the second pick in the draft, that'll be great,
but and he'll get that rookie contract, but it's up
to him then to play at a level that gets
(05:15):
in that maximum second contract.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
Yeah, I get. I guess the question becomes this, so
the Giants Daryl again, Darryl Ryder ninety two to three,
the fan, the Giants have already come out their general
manager and said, yeah, he can play both ways for us.
If we take him number three. He can play both ways.
So do the Browns see him in the end as
more of a wide receiver, more of a corner Yeah,
(05:38):
playing him occasionally on the other side of the ball.
I could see really anybody doing that. But if the
Browns do take Travis Hunter, do they focus him as
more of a dB or more of a wide receiver?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
You think? I think wide receiver. In the fact that
Andrew Berry, the GM compared him to show Hey Otani,
I think that tells you what Andrew Berry really thinks
of Travis Hunter. I don't think there's a bigger compliment
that you can give a kid. I don't know that
the comparison is relevant or matches or whatever, but it's
a pretty it's a pretty compelling comparison that a GM
(06:13):
would make when this is supposed to be poker face
season and you don't want to be showing anyone in
your cards. I almost kind of feel like Andrew Barry
showed his cards. So if they don't draft Travis Onder Thursday,
there's a part of me that's going to be a
little surprised.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
So nine months ago, Andrew Barry got a new contract.
He's been there for now five years were you a
proponent of that and the fans okay? Given a guy
with very little success a new contract.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Right now, the fans are not okay. At the time,
I was fine with it because it happened in training
camp and they were coming off the second playoff season
in five years, and you have to go back to
the nineteen eighties for the Browns to have a stretch
like that is pathetic as that sounds, but here in
Cleveland that's actually successful. So at the time I was
(06:58):
fine with it. But now that I look what Barry's
acquisitions have done, the failures that they have been, the
lack of wins, consistent wins that we have seen, the
fact that he moves on from Baker Mayfield, who's lighting
it up in Tampa Bay, to bring into Shaun Watson,
who is now in a walking boot and is not
going to do anything for you. And you gave two
(07:19):
hundred and thirty million dollars to bring in a guy
that had the baggage that he had, right, and Browns
fans were asked to support this guy with what he
was accused of. That's a lot, and it's it's not
very positive. But Brown's ownership has basically I feel like
given Barry a little bit of a mulligan, and I
believe that Andrew Berry is going to get two years
(07:42):
to get the quarterback thing figured out.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Well, it's interesting, Darryl, before you go that we're all
talking about the offense for the Browns, but the last
time I checked, your defense had four picks the entire
season last year, which is unbelievable that one a month.
Travis hunder can help one exception a month on this
So you're telling me that he would maybe focus on
wide receiver, But hot damn do they need him on
(08:06):
the defensive side there.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
Darryl, Well, you know, in in the Browns defense, I got,
you know what I got to stand up for the
Browns DB's Okay, listen, if they could catch the football,
stay bet they'd be wide receivers, all right. You know
they they dropped about twelve intersections last year. They just
couldn't catch them. It wasn't a matter of being in
the right spots. They just they're catching the football. They
minor detail.
Speaker 4 (08:28):
Hey, one more from me, a basketball question for you.
I know you're following the Cavs right now. Their chances
of winning the East, And why are they closer to
the Celtics than they were last year when they just
got bombed by Boston the playoffs.
Speaker 3 (08:39):
Uh, they got DeAndre Hunter now and they also got
Ty Jerome now, so their bench is much deeper. It's
a much more versatile roster than they had a year ago.
And oh, by the way, yeah, everybody's healthy. Knock on wood.
Donovan Mitchell was healthy. Jared Allen, who was injured last year,
he is healthy. Darius Garland is healthy. He actually played
(09:01):
last year's playoffs fifteen pounds underweight. So I feel like
this Cavalier team has the potential to not only take
out the Boston Celtics, they have a legitimate chance to
win the whole thing this year. The window to win
championships for the Cavaliers is open for the next I
would say two to three years. They acquired DeAndre Hunter
(09:21):
from Atlanta. That guy's under contract for two more years.
The entire core for Mobley, Garland, Mitchell and Allen, they're
all signed long term. So you don't have any infighting
and guys trying to play for the next contract, begging
for money from the front office and that team. I
gotta tell you going back to the Lebron era, that
(09:42):
was business like, that was a business atmosphere that team.
This team's fun. These guys love each other, they love playing.
We've got the minor league Cleveland Charge, the G League
thing or whatever. The players on their off day, guys
they go to those games teams to hang out there.
But you never see that. So the chemistry of this
(10:04):
team and the fact that they're healthy and they got
DeAndre Hunter and they got Ty Jerome, I think that
that makes them a legitimate contender for an NBA championship.
Speaker 2 (10:15):
All right, man, great stuff, Good luck to the Browns.
We'll keep an eye on it for you back here
and see. I don't know that you give a damn
but good stuff. As always, Daryl, we appreciate this. We'll
talk soon, man, you bet, thank you? All right, he says,
Travis Hunter is going to be the pick at number
two for the Browns. We'll talk to Pauli Detino by
the way, coming up as well. Find out what the
Giants are doing at number three.
Speaker 4 (10:36):
All right.
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Hugh Mellon joins at four Little Fun with audio next
on ninety three to three kjr FM.
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