Browns: Deciding which Cleveland free agents should come back

The obvious crew

DE Porter Gustin

Porter Gustin wasn’t a huge impact as a pass rusher but he’s only 23 (turning 24) and he’s really strong against the run. Not just that but his length makes him a threat on the line of scrimmage that really isn’t seen on this team. His pick on the Steelers in the playoffs shows he can be a useful tool, but like most people, the price will dictate that.

OL Michael Dunn

We loved Michael Dunn in the preseason and when he came and played lights out against the Steelers in the playoffs, the world saw why. Dunn is exactly who the team needs behind Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio. Make it happen.

OT Kendall Lamm

For a while, it was hard to be sure about Kendall Lamm but he filled in for injured players later into the year and played well, especially against the Chiefs. The Browns need to make sure their line mostly comes back intact, and that includes the backups. Especially with Chris Hubbard going into the last year of his deal, a deal that may not even finish with the Browns.

SS Andrew Sendejo

Some will be perplexed by this, but if Andrew Sendejo wants to come back the Browns should welcome it. Ideally, he’s the walk up safety in nickel packages just in case the other team runs, as he’s a sure tackler, but he was the lone constant in the secondary for the entire year. The corners in front of him did no favors and his fellow safeties were either hurt, slow or bad at their jobs. Sendejo brings a veteran hand to a secondary that’s going to need it, even if only as a backup.

DT Larry Ogunjobi

Larry Ogunjobi is who he is. He’s been consistent across four seasons and while some will point to that being a problem, to me that’s something I can work with. Sheldon Richardson probably shouldn’t be back, not at his number, and the Browns will want some consistency. Ogunjbo is a fine second tackle or even a better third tackle in a rotation. The odds that the Browns find someone significantly better than Ogunjobi for a good price is low. If you gotta pick one current starter at tackle, pick Ogunjobi and move on from Richardson.