Cleveland Browns: Andrew Billings opting out severely hurts front four

Newly signed Cleveland Browns player Andrew Billings is opting out of the 2020 NFL season.

This one is going to hurt. Andrew Billings was signed by the Cleveland Browns to be part of a rotation of sorts for the defensive line. He and starters Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson were going be the main guys in at defensive tackle, while rookie Jordan Elliot would get some time with the unit as the season went on. The idea was that the four men would be able to provide a big enough upgrade over what the team had last year. Then Billings opted out of the 2020 season.

Even though Ogunjobi and Richardson started last year, there was a real thought that Billings could perform well enough that he could push one, more than likely Richarson, out of his spot as a starter for 2020. This would ideally improve the line even more by rotating out an overvalued veteran for someone with more potential upside. Now with Billings opting-out, the defensive line is once again a spot of contention. It was obvious that relying on Richardson last year wasn’t the way to go. Now that’s all the Browns have left.

With the Browns no longer having Billings and opting to re-sign Olivier Vernon instead of going to get someone like Everson Griffen or Jadeveon Clowney, the defensive line appears to be in the same position for 2020 as it was for 2019. Meaning that Myles Garett will get a lot of sacks but won’t appear against the run, while the defensive tackles cant contain the guards, who will be eating up linebackers all day because of the defensive tackles’ inability to get depth.

The Browns need to go get a new defensive tackle. Maybe Damon Harrison can be had for a good value. The Browns can’t afford to go into 2020 with the same defensive line, for the most part, considering how awful it was in 2019. They still have time to fortify the line and its depth and they need to make that a priority over the next few weeks.