Don't buy into the hype. The player that is truly on the Browns radar screen is San Diego Chargers OL Kris Dielman, the Troy High School graduate who is also an unrestricted free agent.

According to a league source, Browns new Offensive Coordinator Rob Chudzinski, who was the Chargers tight ends coach the last two seasons, is enamored with Dielman's ability to play football and is one of his biggest fans. It is expected that Chudzinski will coach the Browns to go after the tenacious lineman when the signing period begins.

This could be the inside track that the team needs to bring Dielman to Cleveland. That being said, the Browns are not alone. There are two other teams Dallas and Miami with an inside track to Dielman as well.

Dolphins new head coach Cam Cameron was San Diego's offensive coordinator last season and also coached Dielman in college at Indiana University. Wade Phillips was the Chargers defensive coordinator and is now the new head coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The Dolphins and Cowboys will both be in the market for an offensive lineman this offseason.

A popular player

Dielman will draw a considerable amount of interest from teams on the open market. The Seahawks and Bengals, should they lose Steinbach, are two other teams who could express some interest. Don't rule out the Chargers coming to their senses and re-signing the player to a long-term deal.

Dielman is admired by a number of his Charger teammates. One in particular I'm sure, No. 21. It will all boil down to who wants him more.

In the Browns case, they are looking to shore up an offensive line that finished the season ranked No. 31 in rushing yards and No. 30 in sacks allowed. Dielman was a rock at the left guard position for the Chargers this past season. He started 15 games and helped the team rush for 2,578 yards finishing second in the league. If the Browns are indeed to select Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson in the draft, adding Dielman would be a step in the right direction and will make the pick look that much better.

A real mauler

Like Cleveland, Dielman is blue-collar and everything else a team desires in an interior lineman, mean, nasty and a dawg in the trenches. He's a real mauler.

Dielman has excellent strength and finishes blocks well. He doesn't just play to the whistle he plays through it. Dielman is perfectly suited for a Browns team who likes to run the ball and is expected to do more of it in '07.

There is no doubt the organization will find real value in Dielman. He is just as versatile as Steinbach and may be the better athlete of the two.

Dielman was selected as a first alternate for this year's Pro-Bowl and won't come cheap, but will likely command less than Steinbach in free agency. Either way, the once undrafted free agent is likely to see a big payday soon. And I am not talking about the candy bar. Cha-Ching!