Browns: Sheldon Richardson won’t be back in Cleveland after all and that’s ok

The Browns have opted to not re-sign Sheldon Richardson.

Sheldon Richardson was let go by the Browns to start the NFL offseason, and many people had thought that Cleveland would bring him back. Releasing him saved the Browns millions, but a return was rumored to be possible still, that was until Tuesday. It was announced that Richardson would be returning to a former team, but it wasn’t the one by Lake Eerie. Richardson was inked to a deal that would see him return to the Minnesota Vikings, the team that had him before he came to Cleveland.

Richardson signed a one-year deal worth $3.5 million, in a move that he called a “perfect fit” to the Vikings website.

Richardson did imply that Cleveland was still trying to work a deal out with him but that a figure wasn’t reached. Telling the website also, “Honestly, just couldn’t come to an agreement with what I wanted from Cleveland.”

Sheldon Richardson is not a big loss for the Browns.

The Browns already opted to replace him, signing Malik Jackson and drafting Tommy Togiai to fortify the line. They also will get Andrew Billings back as well, after he skipped out of the 2020 season.

The front four may not be the best in the league, but with a healthy and motivated Myles Garrett, a reworked interior line, and the addition of Jadeveon Clowney to their roster, the Browns look to be a team that is at the very least trying to improve the team.

They may not have found all the right pieces needed to truly fortify the defensive front four, but they at least didn’t just sit on their hands and run things back. Richardson proved to be anything but the answer during his tenure with Cleveland. His move to the Vikings may help them out but he’s not a huge loss.

He was vastly overpaid and was far from worth that figure. Sure, he would have helped the team with depth, but not much else.