Cleveland Browns: 5 free agents the Browns must target
The Cleveland Browns are loaded with money and should pursue multiple NFL free agents come March. These are 5 players the Browns should target.
The Cleveland Browns enter free agency with $107 million in cap space, according to The Athletic’s Zac Jackson.
NFL free agency can often lead a team in the wrong direction, but if executed properly, it can help save a team that has too many needs to fill via the draft.
And that’s the Browns.
You name a position, and Cleveland undoubtedly needs a roster upgrade.
With the franchise just wrapping up the second 0-16 season in NFL history, it can’t hurt to spend a lot of money. After all, the fan base is fed up and needs a reason to come back to the stadium on Sundays.
Making a splash during this spring’s draft is one way to do it, but the warts on this squad are too big to cover up with third- and fourth-round draft picks.
Cleveland dabbled a little in free agency last season, making Kevin Zeitler the highest paid guard in the NFL, while also adding center J.C. Tretter. Both played reasonably well during their first season in an orange helmet, but free agency will viewed as a disaster because of one man: Kenny Britt.
New GM John Dorsey has publicly stated his desire to contend for the AFC North title, and with the rest of the division getting older, the veteran talent evaluator may be on to something.
Granted, that conversation starts and ends with finding a bridge quarterback of Alex Smith quality to keep the position warm until Sam Darnold is ready to take the reigns.
Dorsey has to do what the Jacksonville Jaguars accomplished. Upon hiring Tom Coughlin to call the shots, the team scrapped its focus on analytics, and relied on the tried and true methods of football scouts with some analytics mixed in.
Jacksonville has had some stellar draft picks like Jalen Ramsey, Myles Jack, and Dante Fowler but they also hit in free agency last offseason with corner A.J. Bouye and defensive end Calais Campbell.
Their defense is nasty because they built through the draft, and complimented their selections with the right free agents.
You won’t find Kirk Cousins on this wish list, because the Browns are probably going to select a franchise quarterback in the upcoming draft. Even that decisions comes with some pros and cons.
The Browns would do wonders for their roster by signing these five free agents this offseason.