3 Buccaneers the Cleveland Browns should look at in free agency
By Chad Porto
Three players the Cleveland Browns could use from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers may be about to blow up their team, depending on if Tom Brady is going to retire. If the greatest quarterback of all time does in fact call it a career, with their aging roster and abundance of expensive talents, they may decide to blow it up.
If they do, it could be firesale for the ages and the Browns should be ready to bounce on some of the names available. While trading for certain guys (Mike Evans?) would be a wonderful idea, it seems unlikely they’d let their best receiver in franchise history go for cheap.
What about free agents? Well, there are some, and while not all of them seem like game-changers, even if they just help with depth, that would be enough, as the Browns lacked depth last year at a lot of key positions.
DT Pat O’Connor – 2021 PFF 60.1
The first guy we’re looking at is for depth purposes, but maybe for a potential starting job and that’s defensive tackle, Pat O’Connor. The Browns will likely have two returning tackles next year for sure in the underperforming tandem of Tommy Togiai and Jordan Elliot. Sheldon Day may be re-signed but as he was only under a one-year deal, who knows.
Malick’s Jackson and McDowell are not likely to return, for various reasons, and there will be opportunities for new starters to emerge. O’Connor played mostly as a rotational guy for Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea. Suh is just a bad dude and there’s no place on the team for him, and that’s even before we consider his declining play and age.
O’Connor can come in and try and compete for a spot on the team, and if earns the starting job, great. If he’s just a backup, great. He’s a fine option but probably isn’t a long-term option as a starter.