Cleveland Browns: 3 players who could have disappointing years

Sheldon Richardson

Unlike one player on this list, Sheldon Richardson earned his place here. Richardson had a down 2019 and frankly, has had a down career. Taken 13th overall in the 2013 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, Richardson peaked in year two when he went to the Pro Bowl. He had 67 tackles, with 11 for a loss on top of eight sacks. A modest year for a defensive tackle. He’s never replicated that success again.

Last year he had 62 tackles, four for a loss, and only three sacks. He got bullied by the interior offensive lines a lot and never really had much of an impact in stopping the run. His poor play even exposed the linebackers at times, causing a lot of tackles to be made five, six, and even seven yards downfield due to the linebacking corp having to deal with guards who had reached the second level.

This issue continues a trend for Richardson. An underperforming tackle his entire career, this should mark the end of Richardson’s time with the Browns. Sure, it’s always possible he’s a cheaper option than what’s available and is brought back or he has a monster year and earns a new deal but those both seem unlikely.

Made worse for Richardson is the fact the team drafted Jordan Elliot to play defensive tackle. It was going to be hard enough to fend off Andrew Billing from taking Richardson’s spot and that was a scenario where Billings and Elliot would take a lot of time from one another. Now that Billing is out of the running, Elliot will have more opportunities to see if he can crack the starting lineup.