The Browns signed Eric Barton, making him the fourth Jet free agent to end up with Eric Mangini this offseason.
Eric Mangini did it again.
The former Jets coach Friday night signed yet another free agent from his old team, inside linebacker Eric Barton. He became the fourth player to follow Mangini to the Browns, joining DE C.J. Mosley, LB David Bowens and CB Hank Poteat.
Barton had a nice career with the Jets. He played well in two different systems at two different positions under two different head coaches. Eric hit 100 tackles twice in three seasons in Mangini's 3-4. The problem was the Jets needed a linebacker who could cover, and David Harris is a better and younger run stopper. This made Barton the odds man out after the team signed Bart Scott. Eric is a starter in this league so there was no real chance of him taking a paycut to come back to New York as a rotational player. It sure would have been great for depth, though.