Much of the Cleveland Browns offseason revolved around star edge rusher Myles Garrett. His public trade request during Super Bowl weekend caused as much of a buzz as his four-year, $160 million contract extension did a few weeks later. But for as much as Garrett means to the Browns, there are other moves that must pan out if they want to rebound from a 3-14 season.
The Browns' offseason has been full of controversial moves surrounding Garrett, and they’re about to be put to the test after the six-time All-Pro missed Thursday’s practice with a hip injury. With Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals approaching, there’s a chance that Garrett could miss the AFC North battle and cause some of Cleveland’s decisions to be second-guessed.
Mason Graham, FA Acquisition Must Contribute Immediately if Myles Garrett Misses Week 1
It was a big victory for general manager Andrew Berry when he convinced Garrett to revoke his trade request and sign his extension last spring. But it’s fair to wonder if he’ll have the same luck with some of the things that have happened around him since the Browns' season ended last January.
The Browns started their offseason by letting Dalvin Tomlinson sign with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency. Tomlinson isn’t a spectacular player but he’s posted a Pro Football Focus grade of 70 or higher in six of his eight seasons and specializes in stopping the run. While his grade had slipped under 70 in both of his two seasons with the Browns, he was still respectable with a 67.4 overall grade and a 64.2 run defense grade last season, making the two-year, $29 million contract he signed with Arizona tolerable.
Cleveland also made a bold move by cutting Ogbo Okoronkwo in June. Okoronkwo was coming off his worst season as a pro, posting a 45.3 overall grade and 24 pressures on 275 pass-rushing snaps. But he played much better in his first season with the Browns, posting a 65.7 overall grade and 33 pressures on 276 pass-rushing snaps in 2023.
Perhaps navigating the albatross that is Deshaun Watson’s contract played a role in letting both players go. Cleveland also had several holes to fill elsewhere, leading them to make every penny available to fill those needs. But it’s still questionable because of the moves they made to replace Tomlinson and Okoronkwo.
Tomlinson was replaced by Mason Graham, whom the Browns selected after trading down from the No. 2 overall spot to the No. 5 overall selection in April’s draft. Graham was considered the best interior defender in April’s draft. But while he was dominant with a 91.3 overall grade at Michigan last season, he will face the typical learning curve for a rookie in the NFL.
The Browns could also use a committee to replace Okoronkwo based on their moves in free agency. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka signed with Cleveland last March, but he was a below-average player, posting an overall grade of 52.0 and 22 pressures on 276 pass-rushing snaps for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season.
Cameron Thomas was also brought in on a one-year contract from the Arizona Cardinals and posted an 89.8 pass-rushing grade with seven pressures and a sack on 39 pass-rushing snaps during the preseason. But he was also bolstered by a tremendous first game against the Carolina Panthers, where he posted a pass-rushing grade of 91.0 and three pressures on 25 pass-rushing snaps.
The good news is that the Browns should be able to still do damage against the Bengals, who ranked 31st in PFF’s offensive line rankings posted before training camp. But a potential absence of Garrett would put more pressure on Berry’s decisions to produce immediately.