The Cleveland Browns have holes all over the field, as do most NFL teams at this time of the year. Who should fill them though?
The Browns season has ended at the same time every year in the last 20 of 21 seasons. So while so many other fanbases are accustomed to playoff hype and conversation, Browns fans resort to talking about free agents and the NFL Draft after Week 17. Which is also something they start doing about a week after the previous draft and free agency period ends. It’s the sickness of the fanbase.
So the Browns fanbase had a long time to obsess over what holes the team has and who the team should target in free agency in order to fill them. The Browns don’t need to go after huge names across the board, but there are some needs that have to be addressed and spoiler alert; that’s mostly the offensive line.
The offensive line was a wreck last year, especially in the passing game. You couldn’t even finish “…one Missi…” before Baker Mayfield was being assaulted like a character out of The Warriors. So surprise-surprise, there are holes on the line that needs to be addressed.
There are other players the team can benefit from as well. Some big money names, some not so much. It’s always easy to just list the biggest free agents and go for them, but the team does have a limit on how much it’ll spend per player. The team won’t overpay, but they will make offers.
This list isn’t geared towards every player they should sign, just a lit of options. More than likely the Browns can’t afford to sign every free agent on this list. One, or even two would be a huge benefit for the team. Obviously there are players who are more important, which is why the list will go in ascending order from least, to most needed.
Blake Martinez (LB)
The Cleveland Browns would be wise to re-sign Joe Schobert. Re-signing Schobert is imperative, but that doesn’t mean the Browns shouldn’t pursue Blake Martinez. The Browns have a unique corp of backers, with Schobert and Christian Kirksey being versatile to play inside or out. Schobert came up in Wisconsin as an outside linebacker, and Kirksey played a lot outside of Schobert in their only full season together as starters.
Bringing in Martinez may limit their versatility, as he’s essentially only able to play middle linebacker, but he can be a valuable asset in the passing game. Martinez has been criticized heavily for his play against the run this past year, but he’s a big, physical linebacker who can shed blocking and protect against the pass better than just about anyone else at his position (besides Schobert).
There is a belief he can get better at reading the run game and if you can’t teach a 6’2,240-pound man how to stop a 180-pound man from moving forward, then you’re not a very good coach.
Sure, the big issue the Browns faced late last year was the pass rush, and Martinez doesn’t help with that. If the Browns can get a pass rusher in the middle rounds, and Myles Garrett returns for a bulk of the season, then you don’t need a lot of help from the linebacking corp. Ideally, with Martinez, you hope you can get him on a good deal, so you can still chase after someone else to bolster the defensive line.
In the off chance you can’t get a pass rusher, making sure the pass defense is as good as you can make it is a priority. The secondary needs improving, but the safeties hitting the market are as good, if not worse (by and large) than what the Browns just had. So there’s no reason to pursue a new safety when you can just re-sign the ones you have.
Going after Martinez helps take away a lot of short passes, and forces opposing offenses to take more shots down the field. In theory.
Brandon Scherff (OG)
Oh boy, we need help on the line. The biggest need on the offensive line is arguably tackle, but the Browns need help at guard too. To fill that hole, one of the better free agent guards is Brandon Scheff, who was the best interior lineman for the Washington Redskins. As a team, they rushed for an average of 4.4 yards a carry, while helping 183-year-old Adrian Peterson rush for 898 yards on a team that didn’t have any real help from the passing game.
When you have a 274-year-old running back who uses a walker to get to the line of scrimmage and beyond, while the defense stacking nine guys in the box, a lot of that credit falls on the offensive line. The offensive line and U-Step Walkers.
Scherff would come in and plug a big hole at the right guard slot, and if things really fall apart and Joel Bitonio gets shifted back to tackle, could fill in at the left guard spot as well. Scherff was a wrecking ball on the line, so whether he plays left or right on the line he’s got the strength and ability to do the job.
The only question will be what he can do in the passing game. The Redskins gave up 50 sacks last year. Easily one of the worst in the NFL (Browns gave up 41). The line isn’t a single player entity, it’s an ecosystem of moving parts. It’s not always easy to say who was the guy at fault for the sack or even if there is someone at fault. If they send six, and you only have five to block, someone’s getting sacked. Unless Joe Thomas is on your line.
So can Scherff add something to the passing protection in Cleveland? If not, then don’t waste the money on him. There are enough other holes that the team needs that money for and unless Scherff is coming in way-cheaper than expected, there’s no reason to even consider it. If he can improve the passing protection as well then sign him.
Hunter Henry (TE)/Austin Eckler (RB)/Derek Watt (FB)
This is a cheat, and there isn’t a care given. All three players are or shall we say were with the Los Angeles Chargers. With Phillip Rivers on the market and the team clearly looking to rebuild, there’s a valid chance that all three talents are left to walk in free agency. Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn deserves better than Chargers’ ownership.
Hunter Henry might be the best free-agent tight end on the market, but he’s coming off of a year where again he was subject to injuries. He’s missed 23 games in four years, which means he’s missed a whopping 36% of his career already. There’s no doubt that Henry won’t be offered a massive deal by the Chargers, or really by anyone. He’s one year recovered from a torn ACL and has been plagued by other issues to boot. He’s talented as hell but injury-plagued. Which means he could be a bargain. Even if he only plays 12 games a year for the Browns, that’s still 12 more games of production you can expect out of him, then say someone like David Njoku.
It seems unlikely that Austin Ekeler would be let go but both he and starting running back Melvin Gordon Jr. are free agents. Gordon wants to return to the Chargers, so the likelihood that both are brought back for a team that was 5-11 is unlikely. Add on the fact the team is looking to draft a quarterback for the first time in 17 years, and the focus probably isn’t going to be bringing back a lot of players who achieved a whopping five wins. Ekeler can do everything you’d want a secondary running back to do. He can spell the workhorse, line up next to him and provide a different wrinkle to the offense and be a dangerous passing option out of the backfield. For the right price, he’s the perfect piece to replace Duke Johnson.
Lastly, Derek Watt is up. Watt might be easily lured away with a cap-friendly deal. With the Chargers not going to be competitive for a year or two, unless they hit the next great quarterback legend in the draft, then there’s a possibility of major roster turnover. Watt would be a valuable asset for the Browns, opening up the run game even more so for Nick Chubb, regardless of the offensive line’s quality. Watt has shown to be a good blocker, and if his brothers T.J. and J.J. are any indications, he’s a hell of an athlete. Watt should be able to provide a decent check-down option for Baker Mayfield as a last resort when plays fall apart, or as short yard runner.
Signing all three would be cost-effective improvements over what the team has. Plus there’s the added incentive of pillaging the Chargers; which is just an added bonus.
Jadeveon Clowney (DE)
Jadeveon Clowney has never lived up to his billing as the first pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. His three Pro Bowl appearances are wholly undeserved and for a man who’s so vaunted for his talent, has never recorded double-digit sacks. All that despite playing next to the best defensive player of his generation; J.J. Watt.
So Clowney should not be a talent that anyone breaks the bank for, including the Browns. He’s not the type of player that can be the best on the defensive line. He needs a Batman to take pressure off of him, and allow him to work one-on-one with the opposing tackle. If he’s available for a reasonable price, he’s the perfect compliment for Myles Garrett. In the off chance that Garrett doesn’t come back this season or misses a good chunk of time, Clowney will at least give the Browns some help in the pass rush department.
Clowney plays the run well, which is something that shouldn’t be ignored. The defensive line, even with Garrett, was poor at getting penetration on passes, and even worse on the run. An overhaul of the interior is in order as well, but the edge needs to be shored up too. The available interior defensive linemen don’t improve the Browns depth at that position the way Clowney does for the defensive ends. Both are positions of need but if you’re going to drop money of this magnitude to sign someone then it helps that they provide a significant upgrade, not just a marginal.
The free agents after Clowney at defensive end aren’t great for the money they’ll be demanding. You’d be better off re-acquiring Carl Nassib than breaking the bank for Jason Pierre-Paul. Nassib can play the run well from the line, and lineup at outside linebacker in a 3-4, should the team convert defenses. So for big defensive end deals, it’s Clowney or no one. The goal for the defense should be acquiring Clowney.
Jack Conklin (T)
Jack Conklin falls into the same trap that Brandon Scherff does. Conklin’s current team, the Tennessee Titans, was the third-worst team this past season in giving up sacks. They registered 56 sacks against them for the year. A bit of a misleading stat for the Titans, however.
Former starting quarterback Marcus Mariota was on pace to be sacked a whopping 66 times had he played the full season. Ryan Tannehill would replace Mariota early in the season and would get sacked 31 times over the course of 12 games. Had Tannehill played the full season, he would have only been on pace to be sacked 45 times. A large discrepancy, obviously.
Conklin is a tremendous blocker in all facets of the game, but especially in the running game. With new coach Kevin Stefanski relying on a strong running game, any offensive lineman that can help him get yards on the ground will be pursued. Any lineman that can also keep Baker Mayfield off of his butt is will be worshipped. Conklin may not even hit free agency, as he’s become pretty entrenched with Tennessee but if he does then Conklin is the number one option for the Browns to go after.
He’s reliable, ferocious, and young at only 25. It’ll take a massive deal to sway Conklin, but he’s worth it. One of the big unanswered questions about him though is if he can play left tackle, as he’s been on the right side of the line for Tennessee. If he can, he’d be worth even more. It’s not a deal-breaker if he can’t, as the Browns need to shore up both tackle positions regardless.
Fans of the Browns should welcome Conklin the Conquerer to Cleveland.