Cleveland Browns: 5 Free agents to sign before training camp

1. Everson Griffen, EDGE

For as talented of a player as Jadeveon Clowney, there are several red flags that come with him, specifically with signing him to a long-term deal, which is assumptively what would happen if he were to land with the Browns.

The most obvious is the fact that he’s had some years of inconsistent performance, including the 2019 campaign in Seattle. Just as much as that, Clowney also doesn’t have the cleanest track record regarding injuries. And to top it off, he’s the most expensive player left on the market.

Having said all of that, I still like the idea of further upgrading the edge of the defensive line in Cleveland. And for that reason, I believe that Everson Griffen may actually be their best option on the free agent market.

Though Griffen is much older than Clowney at 32 years old, he’s also been more consistently healthy and productive. Griffen has played in fewer than 15 games just twice in 10 seasons and has at least eight sacks in six separate seasons, all of those coming in the last eight years and including three double-digit sack seasons.

Clowney is, undeniably, the sexier free-agent pickup for the Browns. Having said that, if they were to sign Griffen, they wouldn’t be tying up as much money for as long and would be getting a more reliable player to supplement Myles Garrett and Olivier Vernon.