The NFL’s first day of free agency, popularly known as the legal period of manipulation, ended without much activity from the Cleveland Browns. GM Andrew Berry and the Browns made a great play according to John Johnson, but this is the only player to arrive after the first day.
The Browns still need a passing runner to line up in front of Myles Garrett, a position many expected Cleveland to feature prominently in free agency. This did not happen on the first day, at which time there was a frenzy in the runners of steps throughout the league.
Some of the offers are crazy money, contracts with which the Browns are smart not to compete or hire. A couple of potential goals mentioned prominently by Cleveland ended up getting a lot more money from other teams than the Browns would rationally spend.
Take Trey Hendrickson. The prominent Saints head to Cincinnati for $ 60 million in four years. This is a huge amount of money for a player with 20 sacks in four seasons. More than half (13.5 to be exact) arrived in his contract season while playing almost exclusively in past situations.
Would Hendrickson help the Browns? Absolutely. But at this price? This would reduce any potential Baker Mayfield extension or other ways the team has to spend to keep the core of the emerging young contender intact.
Hendrickson replaces Carl Lawson in Cincinnati. Lawson would have looked great in a brown uniform, no doubt. But he’s paying for the Jets,
For #Jets and Carl Lawson: 3 years, $ 45 million with $ 30 million guaranteed. Up to $ 47.4 million. Huge deal. https://t.co/JbL2TsViT0
– Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2021
A $ 15 million a year deal to be Garrett’s No. 2 in Cleveland is simply not a feasible option, not even in the long run. It’s hard to justify paying so much for a second violin. It’s likely that someone who can command this type of contract isn’t too long to be a second violinist.
On Monday, there were several big perks to going through the runners:
Pass-rushers …
Shaq Barrett: 4 years, $ 68 million
Bud Dupree: 5 years, $ 82.5 million
Trey Hendrickson: 4 years, $ 60 million
Matt Judon: 4 years, $ 56 million
Carl Lawson: 3 years, $ 45 million
Leonard Floyd: 4 years, $ 64 million
Yannick Ngakoue: 2 years, $ 26 million
Romeo Okwara: 3 years, $ 39 million* The structure / warranties always tell the full story.
– NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) March 16, 2021
Olivier Vernon had to make a pay cut to stay with Cleveland last offseason and luckily it worked for both sides. Hopefully the Browns have learned from this experience that you don’t need the top-tier salary to get the kind of fast production and overall level of play that Vernon skillfully provided in 2020.
The Browns have shown great interest in guys like Jadeveon Clowney and JJ Watt during Berry’s reign at GM. Clowney is still there a year after not getting a single sack; hopefully, this love affair has faded.
The market should settle now. Fewer teams need headlines in the position, and the amount of equipment the best remaining guys can afford is also much lower than at the beginning of the legal manipulation period. The rest of the names aren’t premium players, but it looks like the Browns are fine with not paying for two premium defensive ends. Among those who still can help the Browns:
- Takkarist McKinley
- Tarell Basham
- Haason Reddick
- Carlos Dunlap
There’s also the draft next month and the Browns are in a row in the first round where they should be able to get an instant starter on EDGE, if they so desire. It’s not time to panic (it’s a day after all), and Berry and the Browns are smart enough and patient enough to let the market bring them closer.