Fan-Favorite Browns Defender Takes Discount to Stay in Cleveland
By Jovan Alford
The Cleveland Browns haven’t made any significant splashes in free agency, but they’ve made it a point of emphasis to re-sign guys who were a part of last year’s squad.
Heading into free agency, there was a belief the Browns might not be able to re-sign numerous players on the defensive side because of their cap situation. However, it appears that Cleveland was able to bring that one member from last season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Monday that veteran defensive tackle Maurice Hurst has signed a one-year, $3.2 million deal to return to Cleveland.
Browns DT Maurice Hurst is re-signing with Cleveland, a one-year deal worth up to $3.2 million, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 11, 2024
The 28-year-old Hurst didn’t make a huge impact this past season with the Browns, but he gave them some depth on the defensive line. The former University of Michigan defensive tackle had 22 combined tackles, five quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, three pass deflections, and an interception.
Hurst played 39% of defensive snaps in 2023, which is around the same number of snaps he’s played over his career. Along with Hurst, the Cleveland Browns also re-signed Za’Darius Smith to a two-year, $23.5 million, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
It's a 2-year deal worth $23.5M base, source said. Upside to $25M. $12M base in year 1. https://t.co/YDewLHTdmk
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 11, 2024
The Browns realized that they had one of the best defenses in the league last season, and they should bring everybody back and hopefully have a monster 2024 season.
Despite re-signing a key piece, however, the Browns are still heavy +550 underdogs to win the competitive AFC North.
More Browns news and analysis:
feed
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.