Cleveland Browns: 5 Dream targets in 2021 NFL free agency

Cleveland Browns dream free agency target No. 1: Mike Hilton, CB

While many Cleveland Browns fans will cross their fingers hoping Cleveland lands cornerback Stephon Gilmore in a blockbuster trade with the New England Patriots, they need to remember Gilmore is going in to his 10th year as a pro.

That’s where Mike Hilton comes in. The jackknife slot corner has shown over the past two seasons that he is far more than a practice squad player. Over his last two seasons, Hilton only had four interceptions but his pass coverage is not what Cleveland should look for. In those same two seasons, the physical corner posted 94 solo tackles, 14 tackles for loss,and 10 QB hits.

Paired with Cleveland’s resident Pro-Bowl cornerback Denzel Ward, defensive coordinator Joe Woods could open the playbook to exploit all types of weaknesses in offensive lines and create a blitz attack similar to what fans saw from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020.

If skeptics need more convincing, signing a player like Hilton, who spent much of his career thus far on practice squads and in backup roles, likely wouldn’t cut deeply into the Browns’ caps space, leaving room for the addition of more pieces.