CLEVELAND -- Cornerback Buster Skrine has reached an agreement on a contract with the New York Jets, which brings to a close his four-year career with the Cleveland Browns.
Despite consistently facing challenges from newly acquired draft picks and veteran free agents since joining the Browns with a fifth-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Skrineearned a spot in the starting lineup in 31 of the last 32 games and did not miss one contest in his four years with the Browns.
"Bust is a guy that really came on for us, and it's one of those things where he could come out and get blown away in the market," Browns coach Mike Pettine said at the Cleveland Auto Show Monday. "We have parameters for where we are. You always set fresh ones for players. We certainly feel that Bust is the right player, but for us, it certainly also has to be the right price."
During his four-year career with the Browns, Skrine registered 235 tackles, including 196 solo stops, six interceptions and 49 passes defended. And that is production the Browns' coaches were not willing to readily replace.
"Our whole thing, we said it from the beginning, you can't have enough corners," Pettine said at the end of the regular season. "That's a position that we'll always look to address, the style that we play. When you rank the positions and prioritize, I've always said those two positions are quarterback and cornerback."
Skrine drew attention from around the league for his ability not only to produce on the field but also the attention to detail that allowed the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder out of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga to be a main contributor in the secondary for the past four seasons.
"I would love to bring Buster back," Browns defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil said late last season. "I've told you guys before, he's one of my favorite guys on the defense. He embodies 'Play like a Brown.' I don't ever want to let good players walk out the door."
According to Pettine, when the coaching staff talks about "Play like a Brown" attributes, Skrine is at the top of the list of players who embody that concept and embrace the opportunity to ply his craft every time he steps onto the practice field or into the meeting rooms.
"Buster is one of those guys that would come out of the gate first in just how he's prepared himself and how coachable he is," Pettine said. "He's had some rough moments during the season -- it hasn't all been great -- but his resiliency has been impressive, how he's been able to bounce back. Especially when Joe (Haden) went down and having to step up, actually, to step up and put him on a top receiver, he's responded and handled it well."
O'Neil added, "He gives everything he has every, single play. I think that he's a young corner that is starting to come into his own. He's fast. He has good ball skills. I think he's tough. When Joe went out of the game, we had no problem bumping him over and filling in for Joe. He can slide inside and play nickel for us. He's very valuable to what we do defensively."
Although the Browns lost Skrine, and could potentially lose defensive lineman Jabaal Sheard and tight end Jordan Cameron as well, all of whom were in the team's 2011 draft class, Pettine remains confident the team will improve in the offseason.
"We feel we're in a good position," Pettine said. "We're evaluating guys that we know can help us win. We feel confident too, in this year's draft, that with the number of picks that we have and our flexibility there that there will be an influx of players. If we do need to replace guys that we're losing, then so be it. That's on us as coaches. If we bring in a new guy, then we've got to get him developed."
