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Grading all of Cleveland Browns signings through the first 2 days of the free agent period

By Chad Porto

Oct 31, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) celebrates with center Ethan Pocic (55) after throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett (7) celebrates with center Ethan Pocic (55) after throwing a touchdown pass in the third quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Dermer-USA TODAY Sports /
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CLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 21: Sione Takitaki #44 of the Cleveland Browns stands during the national anthem during to an NFL game against the Denver Broncos at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 21, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 21: Sione Takitaki #44 of the Cleveland Browns stands during the national anthem during to an NFL game against the Denver Broncos at FirstEnergy Stadium on October 21, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) /

Sione Takitaki

The Cleveland Browns re-signed Sione Takitaki on Tuesday to a one-year deal, worth about $2.5 million. The move makes all the sense in the world for a number of reasons. Firstly, Takitaki was easily the best all-around linebacker the Browns had in 2022. While Anthony Walker had some nice moments against the run, and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is a great pass-defender, neither player is as diverse a player as Takitaki.

He’s no Pro Bowler by any means, but he’s someone who doesn’t need to leave the field regardless of down or situation. The issue with Takitaki surrounds his knee. He tore his ACL near the end of the season and players don’t always rebound from it. So signing him to a one-year, “prove-it” deal is smart.

The Browns still need two, if not three more quality linebackers, so he’s by no means the only piece, but should he return to form, or close to form, he’ll be a starter for a re-vamped Browns defense. Whether the team can get the right pieces around him will be Andrew Berry’s next big task.

Clearly, they can’t go into the season with Jacob Phillips and Tony Fields as options, so the team should definitely move to get one or two more free agents at the position. This is where losing Chase Winovich hurts the squad. He could’ve been a solid option at linebacker.

Grade: B-

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