Cleveland Browns: 5 Free agents to sign before training camp
The Cleveland Browns could sign any of these free agents before training camp.
It’s a running joke about the Cleveland Browns that they win the offseason more than they win in the regular season. And for now, they appear to be winners of the 2020 offseason, so they’re par for the course. This offseason, however, feels a bit different when you consider what they’ve been able to do.
New general manager Andrew Berry has found a head coach, Kevin Stefanski, who seems actually suited for the job. He’s also added more weapons on offense and drastically fortified the offensive line, all in the name of helping out the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield, become the player they drafted him to be.
Amidst all of this, there are still more moves that could be made so the Browns have fewer avenues for failure in the 2020 NFL season. Namely, they could look to add more free agents before training camp. As they have the most space left in the league, these are five players they could possibly target.
5. Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE
Jadeveon Clowney is the elephant in the room for the Cleveland Browns and their pre-training camp free agency plans. There has been clear interest in the former No. 1 overall pick as they’ve offered him but, be it because of money or other factors, a deal just hasn’t gotten done.
It’s not difficult to see why the Browns would be entertaining the notion of bringing in a player of Clowney’s talent. Just in terms of need, Cleveland saw how shallow they are at defensive end last season when Myles Garrett was suspended for the second half of the season. Moreover, Olivier Vernon was banged up for large chunks of the year. Thus, they need another impact player at that spot.
At his best, Clowney can be that player. There are few players at any position in the NFL who can be as dominant among his peers as Clowney from a physical perspective. His blend of speed, explosiveness and strength is rare. Adding that with another freak like Garrett would scare every NFL offensive line.
However, Clowney is going to be expensive, he’s obviously got some hang-ups about coming to Cleveland and, frankly, has not always lived up to his physical potential. Subsequently, he comes in at No. 5 because he feels like the wild card in everything we’re seeing to this point.