Something big is coming to Cleveland Browns on the defensive end. I can feel that. GM Andrew Berry and the Browns’ bosses usually do a masterful job of hiding their hands, but on this front, it looks like they’ve shown that they want to make some noise with the DE starting point, opposite Myles Garrett.
Maybe I’m drinking too many tea leaves, but it’s hard not to read all the signs from Berry & Co.
And it still dates back to the last off-season. Remember Jadeveon Clowney’s repeated courtship? The Browns were lucky to avoid this disappointment, but it was not for lack of an attempt to sign the expensive DE.
They tried again – supposedly – with JJ Watt. Although no exact details have been confirmed, several renowned vehicles had the Browns as one of the main teams trying to attract the ex-Texan’s star. Instead, he decided to go to Arizona, with a bigger-than-expected contract as well.
On Tuesday, they let Adrian Clayborn go. The 3rd DE last year is 32 years old and did not make a big impact on the Browns in their only season in Cleveland, but was named as a starter alongside Garrett. With Olivier Vernon as a pending free agent and also in the early stages of recovering a torn Achilles, Clayborn’s eviction leaves only Porter Gustin and Joe Jackson in that location.
Nothing against Gustin or Jackson, but it is hard to imagine any of them being more than situational submissives in the defense of a legitimate contender. Taking Clayborn out of the books frees up $ 3 million more to spend on someone who can be an impact artist for a Browns team who has legitimate competitor status.
The big question now is: what is the movement?
Are you a prominent veteran free agent, someone like Carl Lawson of Cincinnati or Shaq Barrett of Tampa Bay? The Browns have space to make this happen and the call to be a worthy landing spot for a ring hunter.
Or is it a draft choice? The pass-rush class has no elite highlights, none that project so much above the general 11-20 range. The Browns are currently in 26th place. Players like Azeez Ojulari from Georgia, the versatile highlight from Tulsa Zaven Collins or the extravagant Penn State athlete Jayson Oweh should be taken into account. Berry and the Browns have ammunition to trade if they also have a specific target in mind.
It will be fun to see how it plays out and who ends up being the new defensive end. Expect it to be a significant move, no matter which direction the Browns go. They put too many bread crumbs on the trail so that the trail would not result in a big feast.