Joe Schobert wants to be a Cleveland Brown and the team needs him

The Cleveland Browns would be foolish to let a multi-faceted, Pro-Bowl talent like Joe Schobert leave the team in the off-season.

Joe Schobert is one of the best middle linebackers in the game. The leader of the Cleveland Browns defense, and a tackling machine, Schobert continued to be a nightmare for offenses in 2019. He posted a third straight 100+ season while showing lockdown skills over the middle against the pass. Had the team blitzed him more often, who knows what Schobert’s stats would’ve looked like this past season.

He is a free agent though and will command a large sum of money this offseason whether he stays or goes. He and fellow linebacker Christian Kirksey could pose to be an unstoppable duo if they’re both healthy. Be it in a 3-4 defense where both men roam the center, or in a 4-3 where Schobert moves back outside. Keeping both guys ensures the team isn’t scrambling to replace key pieces of a solid defensive unit that simply needs some slight tweaks on the line and in the secondary.

That free agency-thing could be a problem for the city and Schobert. Talking to SiriusXM NFL Radio, Schobert talked about his standing with the new front office, and that he’s hopeful of staying, going to say;

"We have to see where it goes, see where it leads. If both sides can reach can an agreement that would be great. I would love that but you never know. As of now, I haven’t heard anything."

There are some in the fanbase who think Schobert isn’t worth a new deal. Why is beyond me, with so many NFL players unable to actually form-tackle anymore, one would think everyone would want a linebacker who knows how to wrap up and drive. He’s simply too valuable to lose and it’s not like there’s a great linebacker prospect in the draft that everyone is scrambling for.

Even if there was, would you really go after him first? With all the holes this team has? No, don’t create more work than you need to do. The Browns already have a solid crop of linebackers, it’s a position of strength. There’s no reason to let Schobert go when he’s been playing at a Pro-Bowl level for three years.