CLEVELAND, Ohio – The impetuous Carl Lawson of Bengals posted a photo of himself on Twitter on Tuesday after the franchise deadline at 4pm passed with the caption “Weapons for hire. ”
Lawson, 25, is one of at least half a dozen gunners still on the Browns’ radar on his way to the free agency next week after the appointment period has expired.
One of the main defenders who was in the sights was unavailable on Tuesday when the Bucs linebacker extended Lavonte Davis. He agreed to the $ 25 million two-year terms, including a guaranteed $ 20 million, according to ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine.
The Bucs always said they wanted to keep their captain defensive, but it seemed uncertain after franchising receiver Chris Godwin on Tuesday. The move also paved the way for attacker Shaquil Barrett to reach the market, but they seem to intend to keep it, too.
Of the defensive line players the Browns could target, only Leonard Williams of the Giants was a franchisee. The move came as no surprise, considering Williams, who played at home in 2020, finished seventh in the NFL with 11.5 sacks, and led all players in his position with 30 QB hits.
As it stands, the Browns should be able to land one of the leading free agent pass-rushers in a market saturated for the position.
In addition to the estimated $ 24.6 million in capitalization space they already had, they released $ 3 million more on Tuesday by releasing the defensive side Adrian Clayborn, who signed a two-year contract at the end of the season worth US $ 5.75 million. In 15 games with two starts, he scored 12 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He was the Browns’ 17th best defensive player, according to profootballfocus.com.
With the Browns looking to replace Olivier Vernon, who suffered an Achilles tendon tear at the end of the season, they will target a pass-rusher that can deliver double-digit bags, and there are many candidates.
One of the most intriguing is Lawson, who some thought the Bengals could franchise. The Bengals want to keep it, but they may not be able to.
A choice in the fourth round in 2017, Lawson earned a passing score of No. 9 in the NFL by profootballfocus.com. He only had 5.5 sacks, but he should be close to doubling while playing against Myles Garrett. He also tied for 15th in the NFL with 34 hurries. Spotrac.com estimates its market value at $ 8.8 million a year, but pff.com has $ 13.75 million a year.
The Browns also like the Broncos’ eight-time Pro Bowler Von Miller, but the Broncos are trying to rework their $ 17.5 million salary in 2,021 to maintain it.
Here’s a look at some of the other pioneers that will hit the market – with the trading period starting on Monday – if your teams don’t sign them first:
Pittsburgh’s Bud Dupree
Age: 28 Market value: $ 18.2 million per year
The Steelers chose not to score Dupree, who suffered a tear in ACL in Week 12, for the second consecutive season. Coming out of 11.5 sacks in 2019, they franchised him in 2020 for $ 15.8 million, and he was on his way to another double-digit sack sack season before breaking the ACL against the Ravens. He finished second in the team, behind TJ Watt, with eight sacks, and has 19.5 in the last two seasons for eighth place in the NFL.
Dupree, who turned 28 in February, said recently that doctors told him that he should go to the training camp in August.
But, like the other top competitors in the market, it will not come cheap. Spotrac.com estimates its market value at about $ 18.2 million a year, which would make it the second highest-paid player on the team, behind only teammate and assailant Myles Garrett.
Shaquil Barrett of Tampa Bay
Age: 28 Market value: $ 19.7 million per year (for spotrac.com)
An external 3-4 linebacker, Barrett is not necessarily a suitable scheme for defensive coordinator Joe Woods’s 4-3 base defense, but the teams are not much at their base today. He would be an excellent addition to Garrett and would undoubtedly return to double-digit bags in 2021. A 2019 Pro Bowler, he led the NFL with 19 sacks in 2019 and played under the franchise brand in 2020. He was only eight sacks in 2020 for 21st place in the NFL, but tied for the NFL leadership with 24 hurries, and came in sixth place with 42 pressures, including 11 in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl. In 2020, he ranked 21st out of 108 qualifying edge-rushers by profootballfocus.com.
Yannick Ngakoue from Baltimore
Age: 25 Market value: $ 15.5 million per year
As is the case with Dupree and Lawson, the Browns would not only be strengthening, but also weakening a division rival with this hiring. The Browns tried to negotiate for Ngakoue last year, when he was with Jacksonville, but negotiations were interrupted when he switched agents midway. Still, I was told that he really likes the Browns and wanted to play here. A 2017 Pro Bowler, Ngakoue tied for 21st in the NFL last season with eight sacks in Minnesota and Baltimore, and could probably increase that total here with some continuity. He’s not very good against running, but he can be very effective as a situational pass pitcher.
Haason Reddick from Arizona
Age: 26 Market value: $ 11.6 million per year
General choice No. 13 in 2017, Reddick became expendable when the Cardinals hired JJ Watt. But he is coming out of a runaway season in which he tied for fourth place in the NFL with 12.5 sacks, half more than Garrett. Five of them came in Week 14 against the Giants, but he also led the NFL with six forced fumbles. Pff.com ranked it the 25th best edge-rusher out of 108 who qualified.
Trey Hendrickson from New Orleans
Age: 26 Market value: $ 10.3 million per year
Hendrickson finished second in the NFL for TJ Watt with 13.5 sacks in his first season as a starter. Even Sean Payton has noticed that he will be paid this season because of that. The question is: can it sustain this level of production? He also tied for 20th in the NFL, with 14 missed tackles, and was ranked 28th best edge-rusher of 108 by pff.com.
Jadeveon Clowney from Tennessee
Age: 28 Market value: $ 6.5 million per year
The Browns liked Clowney enough in the last off-season to make him a one-year offer higher than any other, and a competitive deal for several years. He chose to sign with Tennessee, where he met with his former Texan defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, for a year for $ 13 million. But he missed eight games due to a knee injury that required surgery, and he hasn’t suffered an injury in his first eight games. He is still a top defender who is great against the race and would probably have more sack production here against Garrett. The Browns could get a player they really like for a bargain this year.
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