It may be six weeks before the NFL Draft, but the Browns front office has been busy over the last 2-3 days. The team has freed up a sizable amount of cap space, signed a pair of defensive linemen who could make an impact this fall, and, released two of the big names on last season's roster. Things have been interesting to start the free agency period up in Berea, Ohio! Let's take a look at the moves Andrew Berry and Co. have made so far.
Restructuring Deshaun Watson's contract
This was probably one of my biggest concerns with the whole Watson deal last season, and it still remains to be seen if he'll be worth the money that the Browns decided to pay him. But for now, they're cleverly working around his mammoth contract.
The Browns have converted most of the base salary (Watson is due to be paid $46 Million each year for the next four years) into a glorified signing bonus, which leaves the team with $36 Million to use in cap space. This allows them the flexibility to go after the players they need, and they've done just that so far with their first pair of additions in Free Agency.
Ogbo Okoronkwo and Dalvin Tomlinson
The team got right to work improving on the defensive line by adding these two. There's no sugarcoating things. The Browns were awful at stopping the run last season, and both of these moves were made for the express purpose of improving the run defense under new Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Ogbonnia Okoronkwo or "Ogbo" as he is called, is a 6'2, 253-pound defensive end, but he is able to compete with, and outplay offensive linemen who are much bigger than him. He does this by dipping his pads extremely low, getting great leverage, and an explosive first step off the line. Then, once he's figured out the angle he can take to get to the opposing quarterback or running back, very few offensive linemen can stop him. Add in the fact that he'll be a bookend pass rusher opposite of perennial All-Pro Myles Garrett, and the Browns have a legitimate chance to be a decent run-stopping defense in 2023.
As for Dalvin Tomlinson, he'll add a mammoth presence on the line! He's enormous, at 6'3 and 325 pounds! He's a nose tackle, and can clog up running lanes. The team he last played for, the Minnesota Vikings, made a run to the playoffs last season. The run defense was a big reason for that, and the Browns are hoping for the same to happen here in Cleveland for a possible push to the postseason in 2023.
Tomlinson was graded as the 16th best interior defender overall, and the 11th best pass rusher in 2022. While this is all on paper for now, and the new line hasn't played a down yet, the Browns are certainly taking steps toward building a stout defensive front that will allow Jim Schwartz to be extremely creative with his schemes. I like it!
Two big-name defenders from last year though, won't be a part of the attempt to build a Championship-level defense.
Browns release Clowney, Johnson
Clowney leaving comes as no surprise. Jadeveon Clowney all but sealed his exit from Cleveland late last season. The former #1 overall pick hasn't really panned out over his career. But he did complement Myles Garrett well as a bookend pass rusher when they played together. Unfortunately for Clowney, he didn't get the time he wanted on the field, let the team know it in blunt terms, and made sure his time in Cleveland was done after the 2022 season. In his two seasons in Cleveland, Clowney registered 11 sacks.
Veteran safety John Johnson III was also released by the Browns, after playing for two seasons with the team. He was a decent presence in the defensive backfield and a good leader in the locker room. But he often got burnt in coverage, and was frequently caught out of position last season as part of the Browns' defensive struggles.
As of this article, Cleveland has signed Johnson's replacement, Juan Thornhill, to a three-year deal worth $21 Million in total, with $14 Million guaranteed. Thornhill is an extremely athletic safety who won a pair of Super Bowl rings with the Chiefs before entering Free Agency. Before his rookie season at the 2019 NFL Combine, Thornhill posted a 44-inch vertical jump, and ran a 4.42 40-yard dash. The hope for the Browns is that Thornhill will be able to help out the cornerbacks in providing better coverage on deep pass plays.
The Browns secondary has been routinely gashed by deep pass plays over the last three seasons. They need to stop the bleeding in this area of the game, and Andrew Berry and the rest of the Browns front office is banking on Thornhill being able to do just that.
Other key signings/losses
The Browns have re-signed center Ethan Pocic, and linebacker Sione Takitaki. I was pleasantly surprised with how well Pocic did filling in for injured projected starter Nick Harris last season, and he may have just taken Harris' job from him. Pocic returns to the team on a three-year contract, and he'll be back alongside Pro-Bowlers Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller along the interior of the offensive line. That three-man combo could be one of the league's best if Pocic stays at the level he was last season, or is even better!
Takitaki has been a solid linebacker when he's been able to play. But unfortunately for him, he tore his ACL early last season and had to sit out the rest of the year. The Browns had four linebackers go down last season, but they still believe Takitaki has something to offer them.
Aside from re-signing Takitaki and Pocic, the Browns parted ways with defensive lineman Chase Winovich after one season. Winovich was acquired last year in a straight up player swap with the Patriots for linebacker Mack Wilson.
The Browns have been incredibly busy so far! Stay tuned to the B&B for all your Cleveland Free Agency news as we move through this offseason! GO BROWNS!
Sources: ESPN, Dawgs By Nature, NBC Sports, msn.com
Picture Credit: Jori Skowronski
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