Browns re-sign Droughns
By Steve King, Staff Writer
March 3, 2006


Two down, one to go.

The Browns locked up another one of their core
players Friday, signing running back Reuben
Droughns to a three-year contract extension. The
move keeps Droughns, who last season became the
first Brown in 20 years to rush for 1,000 yards,
from going onto the open market when free agency
is expected to begin next week.

Droughns joins defensive end Orpheus Roye as
players the Browns have retained this week. Roye,
a 10-year veteran who is coming off his best
season, was kept out of free agency when he
signed a three-year contract extension Wednesday.


Droughns' signing, which binds him to the club
through the 2009 season, leaves left tackle L.J.
Shelton as the lone remaining key player the
Browns are trying to lock up before he becomes a
free agent.

"I am very excited to get this extension done,
and now I can focus on getting ready for the 2006
season," Droughns said. "This deal will allow me
to establish myself as a member of the Cleveland
Browns and be a part of a team that is improving
and an organization on the rise."

Acquired in a March 30, 2005 trade with Denver
for defensive linemen Michael Myers and Ebenezer
Ekuban, Droughns came to Cleveland intent on
proving a point. He wanted to show that his
breakout season in 2004, when he finished sixth
in the AFC with 1,240 yards rushing, was not
simply as a result of his being in a Broncos
system that churns out 1,000-yard rushers on a
regular basis.

He did just that, placing sixth again in the
conference with 1,232 yards after starting all 16
games. It is the 10th-highest total in Browns
history, and marks the first time since 1985,
when both Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack both went
over 1,000 yards, that a Brown has hit 1,000.

In doing so, Droughns, a six-year veteran who was
originally a third-round draft pick of the
Detroit Lions in 2000, set a club record for
rushing attempts in a season (309). About the
same size as Byner and with an aggressive running
style that closely resembles that of the former
Browns star, Droughns went over 100 yards on
three occasions, including 166 yards and a
75-yard touchdown, against the Miami Dolphins on
Nov. 20. He had two rushing scores overall.

"We are extremely pleased to get this extension
accomplished with Reuben," Browns general manager
Phil Savage said. "The discussion to extend
Reuben's contract was first introduced last
spring, and we wanted to evaluate Reuben's
performance over the course of the season and
have him show us what he can do in a Cleveland
Browns uniform.

"He ended the season with 1,232 yards rushing. It
was the right and honorable thing to do to give
Reuben new contract. We are anxious to give him
the opportunity to have a focused offseason where
he can emerge as a leader on offense."

Droughns has played in 72 career games, including
38 starts, and has rushed for 2,569 yards on 624
attempts (4.1 avg.) and nine TDs.


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