Cleveland Browns: 3 free agents the team needs to sign now

Clay Matthews III

Clay Matthews III was going to get paid $2 million for the 2020 season had the Los Angeles Rams not cut him. The Cleveland Browns can easily afford that for one year. Andrew Berry is hell-bent though on making his bargain name-brand guys the stars of the defense, however. Guys like B.J. Goodson, Sione Takitaki, and Jacob Phillips are going to be the starting linebackers for the 2020 NFL season and if anyone tells you that trio gets them excited, they’re lying.

Matthews is still good enough to chase after double-digit sacks. He’d be an instant upgrade over whoever starts at the outside linebacker position and with Mark Barron joining him, could actually make the Browns linebacking corp not garbage. Matthews isn’t the elite tackler he once was, and would probably take his fair amount of plays off, his pass rush skills and veteran leadership is enough to warrant discussion for him.

Especially if he’s only looking at $2 million for the year.

While the Browns already re-signed Olivier Vernon to a guaranteed deal for the 2020 season, on top of giving Myles Garrett an extension, there is no such thing as too much good pass rushing. Matthews as a blitzing linebacker on first and third downs would be exactly what the linebacking corp needs.

Someone who can actually make a difference from the middle of the field. The team is already going to miss Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey, so they might as well go all-in on Matthews, the son of the legendary Browns player, Clay Matthews Jr. It’d show the team’s commitment to making the defense better than it was in 2019 and it gives them a weapon they could desperately use.

Contract Offer: $2 million, with incentives across one year.

With Logan Ryan, Mark Barron, and Clay Matthews III, the team should fill some holes for the rest of 2020.

Total money spent for 2020: $12.5 million

Seems like a small chunk of money for a radically improved defense.