CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Browns will plunge into the frenzy of the free agency on Monday at noon, and when the dust settles, they must have a new gunner to replace Olivier Vernon, a new linebacker who can start or be an important part of the rotation, and a quality defensive back for depth in the secondary.
The good news for the Browns is that the high end market is saturated this year and there are many more good ones available. They come in all shapes and sizes, all price ranges and different skill sets. Many of them have minor shortcomings here or there, but can still approach double-digit bags when left in direct confrontations with Myles Garrett.
Browns GM, Andrew Berry, has demonstrated since last season that he will pay for a good pass-rusher, and this agency period will be no different. He has chased names like Yannick Ngakoue, Jadeveon Clowney, Takk McKinley and JJ Watt since taking office last year, and he will launch himself against some of the biggest names in edge rushers as soon as the trading period starts on Monday in the middle -day.
When the dominoes fall, he must have a good bookbroker to pair with Garrett, who finished sixth in the NFL with 12 sacks last season.
It is also no secret that the Browns could use a linebacker or two to update a position they put on hold in 2020. Two of the best hired teams last week at Bucs ‘Lavonte David, and Bills’ Matt Milano, but still there are some good ones that can come in and start or rotate.
The Browns could also use a nickel cornerback if free agent Kevin Johnson is not rehired and there is at least one that makes sense. I also think it will be difficult to keep at least one of your own agents free.
Our Browns writers are trying to find out how the Browns can win over the free agency, and mine starts with that proven pass-rusher, which should be priority # 1:
Here are the others:
Doug Lesmerises’ plan includes a big security name
Scott Patsko and I agree with one of our top pass-rushers
Ellis Williams also has a pass-rusher at the top of her list and appoints some FAs to keep
1. Carl Lawson, Yannick Ngakoue or another striker, a multi-year business of about $ 10 million to $ 15.5 million a year
Here’s how it works: The Browns will enter the two-day trading period on Monday (contracts can be finalized on the first day of the league year on Wednesday) with a list of winners according to their ranking. They will speak to the agents on the best of their list and talk about the general terms of the contract. The agents will then, in some cases, take these preliminary offers back to the original team to see if they want to match or exceed.
If they let the player out, the Browns may have to enter a bidding war with other teams for their services.
In the case of Carl Lawson of Cincinnati, for example, many teams will be interested and the price may go up. The good news for the Browns, who have about $ 25 million in cap space, is that many teams have very little to spend, so they will have the advantage.
Lawson and Ngakoue are two of the most intriguing players on the Browns’ radar because of their age (25) and productivity. Lawson said last week that the Bengals are ahead, but he wants to hear the offers and knows there will be a lot of interest.
Last season, he finished as the NFL’s 16th best edge-rusher out of 108 qualifiers under the Pro Football Focus, and got the ninth best pass-rush note with 84.9. In terms of pass-rush productivity, he tied for ninth with an 8.5 mark. For comparison, Garrett was 25th with 7.4.
According to NextGenStats, Lawson was tied for third fastest in the NFL among players with at least 200 passing rushes last year. The first five were like this:
- Tj Watt 0.72
- Bud Dupree 0.72
- Lawson 0.73
- Yannick Ngakoue 0.73
- Garrett 0.74
There is a wide disparity in Lawson’s market value, with spotrac.com estimating it at $ 8.8 million per year and PFF estimating it at $ 13.75 million per year. A full-time starter last season for the first time, he only had 5.5 sacks last season, but is capable of doubling the opposite of Garrett.
As for Ngakoue, the Browns tried to negotiate with him last year, when he was with the Jaguars, but conversations failed when he switched agents halfway. He was traded to the Vikings and then to the Ravens, and ended up with 8 sacks to tie for 21st in the NFL. He is also capable of more here, considering that he is young and has a lot of growth potential.
They said the Browns still like him a lot and vice versa.
Chosen in the third round of Maryland, Ngakoue made it to the Pro Bowl in 2017 and was the 37th best edge-rusher out of 108 qualifiers, according to the PFF. He was only 52nd in accelerated productivity, which is something to dissect.
PFF estimates its market value at $ 15 million per year, and spotrac.com at $ 15.5 million.
But there is much more to where this came from in this passenger cornucopia. The list includes Trey Hendrickson of New Orleans, Haason Reddick of Arizona, Matt Judon of Baltimore, Clowney of Tennessee, Shaq Barrett of Tampa, Romeo Okwara of Detroit, Bud Dupree of Pittsburgh, Takk McKinley of Las Vegas and Melvin Ingram of the Chargers.
Regardless of who he is, the Browns will have their man, probably in the early days.
2. Jayon Brown of the Titans, linebacker, 4-year contract, $ 11 million per year
Browns need speed in the linebacker and a player who can cover backs and tight ends, and Brown, 26, fits the bill. He ended 2020 as the 24th best linebacker in the PFF with a score of 64.4, but 12th with a coverage note of 73.5.
A full-time holder for the past three years, Brown ended with a career record of 117 tackles in 2019 and a record of six sacks in 2018. Brown’s risk is that he suffered a fracture and dislocation of his left elbow on November 22 . he demanded end-of-season surgery, but received medical clearance last week.
The Titans’ main tackler when he got hurt, he was also the defensive signal caller and brings the leadership the Browns will need if they lose BJ Goodson in the free agency.
Brown is the quick linebacker that the Browns needed in the 22-17 loss to the Chiefs, and he is also a good defender.
If the Browns do not hire him, another one in his sights is Denzel Perryman of the Chargers. PFF ranked Perryman as his number 2 defender in 2020, despite the fact that he played only 317 snaps. He also drew with Browns’ Sione Takitaki in second position in defense against racing, with an 86.3 score. Sixth-year professional Perryman has made an average of $ 6 million a year for the past two years and could be a lot cheaper than Brown.
3. Brian Poole of Jets, nickel cornerback, two-year contract, $ 4.3 million per year
The Browns will need a good nickel cornerback if Kevin Johnson is not rehired, and Poole, 28, would be an excellent choice. PFF ranked him as the tenth best NFL cornerback in 2020, despite the fact that he underwent shoulder surgery at the end of the season after nine games and was limited to 483 clicks. He was also 5th in the tackle with a score of 83.6, and the tackle is vitally important in this position.
Poole, 28, also tied 14th in slot coverage, compared to Johnson’s 32nd. Pittsburgh’s Mike Hilton is another viable option, and he can play both inside and out. But he has lost double-digit tackles in three of his last four seasons.
Whatever the case, the Browns need an excellent third cornerback, because they faced three wide receivers 70% of the time in 2020, and it will be the same this year.
4. Rashard Higgins, recipient, one year, $ 3.5 million with incentives
The Browns really want Higgins back, and he wants to be here, but it will all come down to its market value. Spotrac.com estimates this to be around $ 6 million a year, and if anyone comes close to it, they will need to grab it.
Ideally, the Browns would probably like to sign it with a one-year contract, but they can sweeten the pot with performance-based incentives. Higgins will know his market in the next few days and may have to decide whether or not he wants to get a discount from his hometown for the second consecutive year. If it’s close, it probably will. If he has a chance to establish himself and his family for the rest of his life, he will obviously have to do that.
Higgins is capable of producing much more and will likely have more targets in 2021, now that the coaches have understood their chemistry with Baker Mayfield.
If they do not sign Higgins again, they will consider bringing back speedster Breshad Perriman, who played for the Jets last season.
Remarkable
On Sunday afternoon, the Browns were prepared to let cornerback Terrance Mitchell, a free agent, leave, and there is a good chance he was gone. He started all 16 games in place of Greedy Williams, but the Browns seem to want to go in the other direction. They could always hire him again later, but he doesn’t seem to be in the background. … David Njoku would have liked to be traded, but the market was not there at this point for a player who picked up 19 passes last season and owes $ 6,013 million in 2021.
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