The Cleveland Browns have to move on from these five players in 2023.
The Cleveland Browns are looking at a fairly prominent off-season shakeup in 2023. It’s not going to be a full rebuild by any means, but you can expect many guys with expiring contracts to say their goodbyes after the Pittsburgh Steelers game.
And frankly, they should. The Cleveland Browns have three major issues they have to address. They have to start getting younger, they have to cut a lot of money from their books as recently signed deals leap in value and they have to improve their overall talent.
The Browns in 2022 were good enough to be a playoff team but they were not as good as they were in 2020 and far from where they need to be to compete for a Super Bowl this year. The team needs more talent to get to that level and relying on guys who are near or over 30 to do so is not the way to forward.
It’s time to really invest in some good, young players, and that means cutting some failed draft picks that Andrew Berry refuses to let go of, letting go of several veterans, and maybe making a shocking trade or release of a guy we don’t expect.
In order to do that, and not suffer at the hands of the cap, some guys have just got to go. Some contracts are no longer affordable and others are just aging out of the production they’re expected to produce at the level they’re being paid.
So with that, here are the five most notable names who should be on their way out of town.
D’Ernest Johnson
Whatever goodwill D’Ernest Johnson amassed in 2021 is gone. The Cleveland Browns made him utterly expendable by never using him, even when Kareem Hunt struggled mightily. The team made it clear that Johnson isn’t someone they see a long-term future with, and for the sake of him getting actual reps, letting him walk is the right thing to do.
Not only does Johnson deserve a shot at starting, but the Browns are filled with running backs they don’t intend on using anytime soon, at least as running backs, so keeping around Johnson only further eats up a roster spot.
When you think of guys like Jerome Ford, who’s only getting time as a return specialist, as well as Demetric Felton, who’s actually listed as a receiver on the depth chart, it becomes obvious that carrying five running backs is just stupid.
For Johnson to get a new contract would either mean they’re getting ready to cut Felton, won’t be re-signing Kareem Hunt, and don’t value Ford. After all, why keep Ford and Johnson? You can only carry so many players per season and per game and over-valuing a position you don’t actually use the dept of is just silly.
Ronnie Harrison
Give credit to the Jacksonville Jaguars, they really sold the idea to Cleveland Browns’ fans that their second-string safety, Ronnie Harrison, was really going to be an impact player. Ronnie Harrison is just not a good player and not only shouldn’t come back, he should arguably be out of the league.
He gives up nearly 70% of all passes thrown to him, number one. That’s horrid. What’s worse, when they catch a pass on Harrison, Harrison has a nearly 10% of missing out completely on the tackle. So not only does he give up big plays through the air, he makes them worse by being a daft tackler.
I have to believe, that the Browns can find a better safety at the back of the draft than the one they already have in Harrison. Sincerely, and I don’t say this flippantly, I’d rather start a 2023, seventh-round draft pick, at safety over Harrison.
And all of this is baffling, as Harrison really had a solid 2020 for the Browns. Maybe it was more the fact that every team in the league wasn’t as prepared as they could’ve been, and Harrison took advantage, or maybe he just got lazy and stopped working hard. Regardless, it’s time to move on.
Chris Hubbard
I like Chris Hubbard quite a bit. He’s a good man, a solid player, and someone who has been asked to do anything and everything a player could do and has done it without a single complaint that we know of. The fact is, Hubbard is a luxury player the Cleveland Browns can no longer afford. The Browns are going to see their cap shrink by $60 million next year thanks to Deshaun Watson and Amari Cooper’s contracts alone.
The Browns are already paying Hubbard $2.4 million, and while that’s not a lot on its own, we’re now getting to a point where every dollar matters. The Browns will likely do anything they can to keep their cap space as healthy as possible, and unless Hubbard is looking to come back on a veteran minimum, there’s no reason to offer him a new deal.
Not only that, but Hubbard is turning 32 and has only had one very good year in Cleveland, and that was 2020. He had a fine 2018, but it was no better than any year he had prior in Pittsburgh and they let him go for a reason. So the Browns at best got the same player he was in Pittsburgh and now, at worse, have a lesser version as he’s aged.
The team has to develop the next generation, so it may be time to say goodbye to Hubbard.
Jadeveon Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney should refund the Cleveland Browns for the $10 million they gave him this year. While PFF says he had a “good” year with a rating of 75.8, the fact is that outside of two games, he’s been awful. The folks at PFF gave him a 90.1 against the Bengals in their second encounter and an 89.1 against the Jets.
Outside of those two games, he’s been horrid. Not only is he not generating a pass rush worth respecting, but he’s also bottomed out by only achieving two sacks. Not, Clowney was never a big pass-rusher in his career, with his best season seeing him achieve just nine and a half sacks. Since then, he’s truly fallen off.
He’s a good-run stopper still, and there is value in that, especially with how bad Myles Garrett is in that area. Just not at $10, or even $5 million per year. As mentioned with Hubbard, with Amari Cooper and Deshaun Watson’s contracts maturating into their most expensive parts, every dollar the Browns can save matters.
The Browns can find a defensive end who can play the run and achieve two sacks per year at an 11th of the price of Clowney. As with Hubbard, if Clowney wants to return on a veteran’s minimum, sure, bring him back but that’s the only way.
Kareem Hunt
Personally, I don’t get the big deal with Kareem Hunt this season. He hasn’t looked that much this season as opposed to his prior few. But the narrative was that he was a “top 10 running back”, but he never really was. Sure, if he were in Houston or Tampa Bay he’d be the starter but that’s not saying much. Hunt thrived off of his one massive year as a rookie and not only never looked that good again, but was likely a by-product of the Kansas City Chiefs offense.
So now that the offensive line has regressed a bit, and Hunt no longer has four yards of freedom on each handoff, we’re starting to see what Hunt can’t do; avoid defenders.
I’ve mentioned this before and I’ll mention it again, Hunt stops his feet upon impact. It’s like he doesn’t want to run past guys, but through them, and doesn’t know how. Watching Nick Chubb run is a next-level experience. He doesn’t try to completely evade the defenders, but he takes angles that give him the best chance of just making contact with an outstretched arm. As Chubb can shift his hips without losing momentum, he can run through arm tackles with ease.
Hunt likes to run, stop and almost hurdle himself into defenders. It’s his M.O. and it’s not working. Like with Ronnie Harrison, Hunt not coming back is all on talent. You can easily replace his output with just about any running back, as long as the offensive line is in better shape.
Saving money on not re-signing him is the core reason to not bring him back, but is a nice bonus.