Cleveland, Ohio The Browns head into the summer with plenty of weaponry to add to their roster. It may need some contract rearrangement and manoeuvring, but GM Andrew Berry will find money to spend.
Traditional free agent lists are uninteresting. Let’s have some fun. In a series of eight pieces (one per division), we’ll select one free agent from each team worth pursuing for the Browns. It might be a large name, depth, or whoever has the least bizarre name on a list of awful names.
The NFC West has more depth options than anything else, but there’s a little spark with a receiver who spent the previous two seasons in Arizona. Otherwise, the Browns might look for another backup quarterback or add depth to the offensive line.
Here is one player from each of the NFC East teams that the Browns should consider.
Brown was unable to replicate his 2021 breakout year in Baltimore before being dealt to the Cardinals, but he still managed 118 catches, 1,283 yards, and seven touchdowns during the last two seasons. And his 11.3 yards per reception last year was consistent with his final season in Baltimore.
The shifty, speedy Brown understands how to play with dual-threat quarterbacks, having spent the most of his career with Lamar Jackson and plenty of time with Kyler Murray in Arizona and college at Oklahoma.
He’ll certainly profit from the receiver market drying up and the cap exploding, so it could be a pipe dream, but if the price is right and he wants to stick it to the Ravens after they sold him two years ago, what better way to do so than to sign with Cleveland?
Shelton played all of his snaps at centre last season, but he has also played both guard positions throughout his five seasons with the Rams. The Browns have the interior of their line locked in, so Shelton, who turns 29 in June, would be added as an extra interior lineman if he signed here.
Nick Harris is a free agent, and while the Browns selected Luke Wypler, having another body that can play all three inside spots would be beneficial if Shelton is not given another starting shot.
Safety Tashaun Gipson Sr. was the first notion here, but we also want to look at the backup quarterback market. Darnold has gone from being a probable first-round choice in 2018 to entering free agency before his 27th season, with little guarantee he will ever be a regular starter in the NFL again.
He started the 49ers’ regular-season finale last year, completing 16 of 26 passes for 189 yards and a touchdown. In his six starts to finish the season at Carolina in 2022, he completed 58.57% of his passes for 1,143 yards, seven touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Talk about a non-threatening backup for Deshaun Watson. Darnold is mobile enough to run a Kevin Stefanski offence, and if one of the bigger names as backup quarterback does not land here, he has started some games and could definitely get you through a few weeks if necessary, especially with this defence.
Brown is a familiar face, having spent five games with the Browns in 2020 and last season in Seattle with new Browns offensive line coach Andy Dickerson. Throughout his five seasons with the Dolphins, Giants, and Lions, he has played centre and both guard positions.
When looking for extra linemen, familiarity is key, and Brown provides exactly that for the Browns and their staff.
