After looking at the major free agents available, it’s time to look at more affordable names the Cleveland Browns could bring in.
The Browns will have a hard enough time bringing back their own free agents, let alone acquiring the biggest names available at every position of need. So instead of having pipe dreams of getting the A.J. Green’s, Jadeveon Clowney’s and Blake Martinez‘ of the world and think about some more affordable options.
The Browns have a lot of holes that need to be addressed and you just can’t assume that you can throw large amounts of money to fix things. A combination of smart investing into less expensive free agents, one or two major ones and a complete draft would shore up most of the team’s needs. In order to achieve that however, they can’t miss on free-agent acquisitions.
The names on this list might not be ideal starters or even regular starters, but they can help shore up the depth issues in some key groups. A few of them would need to be relied on however, positions like the defensive line, or wide receiver need depth. Even more, like the secondary, may need to fill in for a year or two before the right guy can be found, developed and implemented.
So in order to give some of the later rounds picks time to develop, you’ll need to go get a backup or two and give them a starter’s role. The team shouldn’t be afraid to take a risk on an unknown quantity, especially if there’s a relationship between them and new head coach Kevin Stefanski. The goal is to not break the bank while collecting upgrades, that way more money can be allocated to getting a difference-maker that could help the Browns finally get to the playoffs. After all, that’s the real goal, not to rebuild, but to finish the build. These are the five (six) players who can help fill out the roster without maxing out the cap space.
Carl Nassib (DE/LB)
Carl Nassib was a Cleveland Brown for a few years before getting waived by the team at the start of the 2018 season. He caught on with Tampa Bay where we became a viable player on the defensive line, playing in 29 of 32 games, starting 17, racking up 66 tackles, and 12.5 sacks in his two years with Tampa Bay.
Nassib isn’t the ideal selection to lean on for a primary pass rusher but he offers a lot in the way of versatility that a lot of players just don’t have. He’s got a long wingspan, he’s powerful enough to play the line while having enough athleticism to play an outside linebacker in a 3-4 type defense.
Nassib may not be seen as a viable full-time starter for the long term, but he has the capabilities of being a difference-maker in the run game, while also helping the team improve its pass rush. With his versatility, he can move around the defense as needed, keeping him on the field in situations where other lineman or outside backers may need to leave.
There’s also a hope that Nassib can live up to the expectations of his original draft status. There are plenty of examples of defensive ends improving as they get older, and learn how to shed blocking more efficiently. Perhaps all Nassib needs is a new coach to show him what to do a bit differently. If players like Cameron Wake are any example, it’s that defensive lineman can always get better.
Ideally, you’d bring Nassib in with either a high rookie draft pick at defensive end, or with someone like a Jadevon Clowney type player. That way you can plug Nassib in as needed. Having him on the roster as a starter though isn’t the worst thing because he is an upgrade over Olivier Vernon.
Tavon Austin (WR)
Ideally, someone like Randall Cobb would be in this position but it’s entirely possible that Cobb prices himself in a lucrative deal, thus negating his eligibility on this list. Tavon Austin, on the other hand, could fill the role. He played in 14 games for the Dallas Cowboys, and while his stats weren’t great, a lot of the Cowboys didn’t have great seasons. Probably why they’re looking for a new head coach.
Austin fits the criteria of the kind of player the team is looking for. He’s got solid footwork, with reliable hands, and the ability to dominate a game if he gets free. Assuming Baker Mayfield has an offense that can utilize his accuracy, Austin should be targeted more in Cleveland than his 1.7 times a game in Dallas. This alone would make him a more viable asset.
The team didn’t have depth at receiver or tight end, and despite some fans hype around Kareem Hunt, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be back for 2020 or that he’ll even keep himself out of trouble. He is a John Dorsey selection, and Dorsey didn’t always value character in his players. So getting the team a viable receiver who can eclipse 500 yards as a slot receiver needs to be a priority. Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry equated for over 58% of the yards gained by the Browns passing offense. They need help.
No tight end, no running back, no slot receiver, none of them eclipsed 300 yards receiving. This team over-relied on the stars on the marquee and it bit them in the backside. Looking at the way Mayfield played, the cold hard stats, and you can see the team forced passes towards Landry and Beckham for one reason or another. The team was predictable, a player like Austin makes them less predictable.
If Austin isn’t affordable, someone like Chris Hogan could fill this role.
Rashod Hill (OT)/ Andrew Sendejo (S)
With Stefanski leaving Minnesota after over a decade with the franchise, it’s easy to see that he’s got a strong familiarity with the free agents of that team. The Vikings won by running the ball and playing defense. The same way the Browns will more than likely play in 2020. That means bolstering the run game and the defense. With the holes that both sides of the ball have, that means bargain deals will need to be administered in order to satisfy every one of them.
The offensive line needs help, and Rashod Hill can more than likely help in that regard. Hill wasn’t a full-time starter but did play enough to show he can help out. Can he be a full-time starter? Possible. At least on the Browns. He’d be an upgrade on the line over either the incumbent starters at tackle, which isn’t saying much but on bargain deals what can you do? Hill’s only start was against Chicago and he managed to keep Sean Mannion upright all game. Even if he’s not Joe Thomas or Orlando Pace, any improvement on the line needs to be sought after.
Andrew Sendejo falls into the same category. He’s someone who’s been around the Vikings for years, being a full-time starter for six years. Sendejo isn’t like Hill or Nassib, who could be cheap starters for the Browns. Sendejo might not be a starter anymore on a consistent level but considering the team might need to replace both starting safeties, having a viable veteran on the roster to help bring along the younger talent is a wise option. There’s also the chance that he’s healed up from all of his injuries and can possibly become a starter if necessary. At the right price, he’d be a bargain.
There’s also the idea that both men will know the system coming straight in from Minnesota, allowing both players to adjust faster than a rookie or another free agent could. Having that kind of player that you can rely on instantly is important for a new head coach.
Tyler Eifert (TE)
The Browns passing game was deceptively bad last year. A lot of people will think because Baker Mayfield nearly had 4,000 yards passing, and had two thousand-yard receiving players that the team performed well. Ignoring Mayfield’s huge turnover rate aside, the passing game was actually bad.
It wasn’t all Mayfield’s fault, and honestly, it wasn’t all Freddie Kitchens’s fault. There was no reliable tight end, no slot receiver, no depth at receiver to spell an injured Odell Beckham Jr., no running back that can catch out of the backfield for a bulk of the year, and when that’s your reality the offense will struggle. Which it did.
The team struggled to move the ball in the air, and that’s because the team only had two targets to throw to. When you become that single-minded on offense, you become very easy to predict. With fewer options to throw to, the more likely you are to force something. That’s exactly what Mayfield did, he forced passes to one of two guys all the time. The two receivers (Beckham, Landry) accounted for about 60% of all passing plays. If you look at the rate of interceptions from Mayfield, it’s easy to assume most of them came from targetting Beckham or Landry and forcing a pass to them because no one else was even remotely open.
Adding a tight end like Tyler Eifert can greatly improve the offense. Eifert has only played 13 games three times in his seven-year career. He’s not the long term answer. That said, he alone nearly matched the entire production of all four of the Browns tight ends from the previous season. He’s a significant upgrade, even if he only plays 12 games. He’s also a significantly better blocker than anyone the Browns have at the position, which allows new coach Kevin Stefanski to run the offense like he wants to.
Sean Lee (LB)
Sean Lee is going to be 34 and might just retire. The Dallas Cowboy’s legend is a free agent and with the team needing to upgrade and overhaul a lot of their positions and simply not having the money to retain a lot of veterans, Lee could be a victim of a new regime. Lee isn’t a pro bowler anymore and won’t be worth a big deal if he does hit the free-agent market, but if he does in fact move on from Dallas, Lee could have a lot of worth in Cleveland.
Lee was used to playing in bad weather during his time at Penn State, so moving to Cleveland shouldn’t be that big of an adjustment. He’s versatile enough to play inside or outside still and has the ability to sniff out plays and get tackles. He racked up 86 last year in 13 starts on a team that needed every play they could muster on defense.
Lee has value on the team even if they decide to retain Christian Kirksey and Joe Schobert. They’re still in need of a third starter, and Lee should come in on a very fair contract, allowing the Browns the ability to still go after bigger names in free agency. Lee, like the rest of the list, is not a long term solution to shoring up the linebacking corps. Nor is he even guaranteed to start depending on how some of the younger players progress.
What Lee does offer is consistency, leadership, and the ability to fill in as needed; just like he did in Dallas. Like everyone on this list, he’s only as valuable as long as you can get them on a fair deal. Two years, maybe five million total is about the max one should pay for a mid-30-year-old player with an injury history. You can fill the contract with incentives, so if he does sign and does play well, he can up his salary but that’s the deal to give him. He’s not someone you’re signing to be a Defensive Player of the Year. He’d simply be someone to fill the gap until the Browns draft the next starter.