Cleveland Browns: 5 Players to sign in second wave of free agency

2. Nigel Bradham, LB

Outside of Browns fans, it feels like not enough people are talking about the issues that the Browns could potentially have at linebacker right now given how their roster currently shakes out. For starters, Cleveland said goodbye to both Joe Schobert and Christian Kirksey this offseason — though the latter has been dealing with injuries over the past few years.

Since then, however, Cleveland hasn’t made any moves to address the position. As of right now, it seems as if they are content to let some combination of Mack Wilson, Sione Takitaki, Willie Harvey and B.J. Goodson take the field at the position. If they don’t want to get burned consistently in the middle of the field, however, they should look to upgrade both in free agency and the draft.

Nigel Bradham is the best linebacker remaining in free agency by a wide margin. The former Eagle is not a complete player as he has endured bouts of poor run defense — though he has the speed to make plays in that regard. Where he’s excelled, however, is using his athleticism in coverage against tight ends and running backs.

Adding Bradham to a modest contract, which is likely all he could demand at this point, would behoove the Browns in a big way. They need a veteran who has a good, defined ceiling that can come in and shore up a unit featuring a ton of youth and inconsistent performers. Bradham should be able to do that.