Cleveland Browns swing and miss on second defensive tackle free agent

After a visit with the Cleveland Browns yesterday, free-agent defensive tackle Mike Daniels signed elsewhere, making the Browns 0-2 this offseason.

Earlier this week defensive tackle and 2017 Pro Bowler Mike Daniels was released by the Green Bay Packers. Upon his release the Cleveland Browns came swooping in on him in hot pursuit; he signed with the Detroit Lions on Friday after visiting the Browns Thursday.

That makes two strikes on John Dorsey and the Browns after also missing out on former Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy after he signed with the Carolina Panthers upon leaving Cleveland without a deal. The worst part of missing out on both Daniels and McCoy is that the Browns are admitting they have a depth problem along the defensive line but have failed to address it.

Last year, edge rusher Myles Garrett and defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi ranked among the top of the league in snaps played. Both players were run into the ground and saw their production slowly drop as the season went on.

While the Browns have addressed the problem off the edge, adding Olivier Vernon and playing last year’s fifth-rounder Genard Avery as strictly an edge thus far in camp, defensive tackle remains an issue. The Browns did not draft a defensive tackle during the draft and, even though they added Sheldon Richardson in free agency, limited depth remains behind him and Ogunjobi.

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Last year, the Browns made numerous additions to their roster as players were becoming final cuts, signing the likes of Brian Price and Carl Davis. They had also given significant playing time to former undrafted free agent Trevon Coley significant playing time.

None of these players should be heavily relied upon in 2019. Yet, after failing to add depth to the defensive line, it is looking likely that one or two of these players will be forced to play again.

There are now limited options remaining on the open market and it is seemingly looking like the Browns will have to wait until cut downs again to look to add to the defensive tackle group.

While Dorsey has added a ton of talent to the Browns’ roster over the past year and a half since becoming general manager in Cleveland, he should not be exempt from criticism as well. The failure to add depth to the defensive line is one that could come back to haunt the Browns should Ogunjobi or Richardson go down with an injury.

Outside of injury, these guys will not be asked to play every defensive snap and asking them to do so will run them right into the ground, just as it did Ogunjobi a year ago. While there is still time to correct the depth in the defensive trenches, the talent is drying up as the Browns have yet again struck out on a big-name defensive tackle.