I give Howard (or his agent) credit for signing with the Browns. Terrific handicapping. It was already well known that Gilbert was a bust and would likely be traded or cut. Kiper described the Cleveland roster as a glorified expansion team.
I always have to wonder about undrafted free agents who sign with teams already well stocked at the position. Waived players do not get picked up by other teams. That's the forever ongoing malarkey during exhibition telecasts. You aren't auditioning for anyone else. The rest of the league doesn't care about you, with very few exceptions. The key is to identify that ideal team from the outset immediately after the draft. Howard's choice enabled some margin for error. He didn't have to be top NFL caliber. He needed to be current Cleveland caliber.