Browns: What a perfect free agency would look like
By Chad Porto
Sign Patrick Peterson or Richard Sherman
Length: 2 years in both cases
Salary: No more than $6 million in either year
Going into 2021 relying on Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams to be healthy is a foolish idea. Going into 2021 content with the likes of Terrence Mitchell, Kevin Johnson, and the other corners who played last year is also foolish. There’s also a good chance Ward and Williams don’t see second contracts in Cleveland, but for different reasons entirely.
Wiliams was bad his rookie year and is now a question mark for this team. Will he ever be healthy enough to play? Ward, who is good enough to warrant a second contract, may outprice himself. Ward has never played more than 13 games in a year. With the season moving to 17 games next year if he can’t play for nearly a third of the year, why are you paying him big money?
The corners need stability, and a veteran like Richard Sherman or Patrick Peterson would be a wise move. Even if Williams and/or Ward go down, you’ll still have a capable corner who can navigate the team. If they’re both healthy, then you have the best starting set of corners in the NFL and a potentially solid nickel-guy in Williams.
As both Sherman and Peterson are older, you keep their contract short, you offer fair value for players their age, and you guarantee every penny since it’s only for two years. That type of deal, plus the chance to play on a contender should land them.