Are the Cleveland Browns done chasing Ndamukong Suh?

The Cleveland Browns seem to be done chasing Ndamukong Suh.

The Cleveland Browns seem to be out on free-agent defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Suh, who was a standout with the Detroit Lions for a long time before he bounced around to the Miami Dolphins, then the Los Angeles Rams for a brief spell and then over to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Suh was once the best defensive tackle in the NFL, but now at 35 years old, he’s fallen off, which isn’t surprising. That’s what happens with aging players. That said, Suh was still pretty good in Tampa Bay, helping them win a  Super Bowl title, and being one of their most reliable defensive players during their recent playoff run.

Now he’s a free agent and the Browns were super interested in him. With their young, and unproven interior defensive linemen, the team was looking to get some guys that could help bridge the gap between credible starters and future prospects.

The team did get Taven Bryant, who should help as a starter but the team was certainly hoping for more size. Well, according to Brad Stainbrook, the Browns appear out of the running, with the Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders being the two teams still fully engaged with landing Suh.

The Cleveland Browns should just focus on player development now

With Suh out of the picture, there just isn’t another player who carries a big contract note that is worth going in on. The team has Bryant, who should help the squad out some, as well as a host of young players that GM Andrew Berry is hoping matures and turns into players. Jordan Elliot, Tommy Togiai, and Perrior Winfrey are all young, defensive tackles, that Berry took in the last three consecutive drafts to one day start for the team.

That time is now. Togiai was a bench player in Ohio State but has incredible strength, while Winfrey went from a borderline first-round, mid-second-round pick to falling all the way to the fourth round for some reason.

The Browns are now in a situation where they’re running out of money, time, and players to bring in to help the defensive line. Berry may get a lot of credit for locking down talents with contracts, but his other job is drafting. So far he hasn’t exactly been the best at drafting.

He has some gems to look forward to but most of his picks are either underperforming or straight-up busts. The team needs to focus on developing Elliott, Togiai, and Winfrey if they’re hoping to have a stable defense this year, because there doesn’t appear to be any white hat riding in to save the day.