If the Browns’ newfound penchant for bringing home local talent was not already abundantly clear, add 31-year-old Bob Hallen to the mix. The newly-signed center/guard from Mentor and Kent State brings experienced depth to the interior line.
He is now the eighth current player with Ohio roots that Phil Savage has brought to the Browns (Cribbs, Fraser, Frye, Stewart, Bentley, Zastudil, Jurevicius).
In case there was any doubt, this means UFA Mike Pucillo is almost certainly out of the Browns’ plans. And it also adds to the thinking that the Browns will be happy to trade away Jeff Faine, with LeCharles Bentley anchored firmly in the middle of the line. Though I still think Faine has the potential to be among the game’s top centers, I understand that his injury history leaves the Browns reluctant to rely upon him. He’s purely a center, and it makes no sense to keep him as a backup at that position.
Perhaps he’ll yield a draft pick (or a trade-up) that will help the Browns bring in long-term successors to Joe Andruzzi and Cosey Coleman. There are several outstanding guard prospects available: Max Jean-Gilles, Davin Joseph, Charles Spencer, and my personal choice for the second or certainly third round, USC’s 6-5, 370-pound Taitusi “Deuce” Lutui.
As for Hallen, who already called the Cleveland area his off-season home, I wonder whether this issue was addressed in his new Browns contract:
Bob owns a Honda Valkyrie motorcycle that he enjoys riding.
