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So far we’ve covered potential free agents for the Browns at the Edge/DE, Safety and Cornerback. Today I’m going to take a look at the Interior Defensive Line position. This position group has numerous “what ifs” involved. First, the Browns have to decide what they’re going to do with DT Sheldon Richardson. Richardson is currently slated to make $13.7 million in 2021, the last year of his contract. Knowing the Browns are probably going to lose DT Larry Ogunjobi to free agency, restructuring and extending Richardson would make sense. But that’s up to Richardson and his agent. He is on his fourth team and will turn 31 during the 2021 season. Convert cap salary into up front cash and add one or two years. This gives a player financial security and future security. The Browns did the same with OT Chris Hubbard last year when they restructured him.

The other big question is J.J. Watt. Reports today are Watt is interested in signing with the Browns, however remember he has other teams on his list. Most NFL fans look at Watt as an Edge because of his sack totals, but he’s really a DT in the 4-3 scheme. If the Browns were to sign Watt and they may not be the front runner, but they do have a shot, then the team could concentrate on other defensive positions. The one thing I’ve learned about the Browns front office, they’ll make their pitch to a free agent with several contract options. If said free agent decides to take their time to decide, the Browns move on quickly. They’ll be aggressive with Watt, but won’t spend too much time on it, moving on to other free agents. ESPN said a dozen teams are interested in Watt and listed four of those teams. Buffalo, Tennessee, Green Bay and Cleveland. Of those four, only the Browns have the cap space at this time to sign anyone. So which IDL free agents not named Watt could the Browns sign? Here’s a short list.

Leonard Williams, New York Giants. Williams has been one of the most consistent and valuable interior defenders since 2015. Very good run defender who on occasion can provide an interior pass rush. He did have a career high 13 sacks in 2020. According to Spotrac his market value is $11.2 million per year on a five year contract.

Dalvin Tomlinson, New York Giants. A great run defender when playing the nose tackle position. He can finish off plays and has one of the best run stop percentage in the league. An average pass rusher. The Giants won’t be able to keep both Williams and Tomlinson. According to Spotrac his market value is $9.5 million per year on a four year deal.

Sheldon Rankins, New Orleans. I keep going to the well with the Saints because they will digging out of a cap hole till the start of free agency. Rankins has had injury problems. His best season was 2018. A solid run defender and a below average pass rusher. According to Spotrac his market value is $11.3 million per year on a four year contract.

Others to watch. Deatrich Wise, New England, Shelby Harris, Denver and Kawann Short, Carolina. Short was just released this morning, is a two-time Pro Bowler and has a career PFF grade of 91.6 (2013-2020). Here’s todays mockery of a draft.

26. Gregory Rousseau, Edge, Miami.

58. Jay Tufele, IDL, USC.

89. Amari Rogers, WR, Clemson.

91. Elijah Molden, CB, Washington.

111. Tariq Thompson, S, San Diego State.

131. Walter Little, OT, Stanford.

170. John Bates, TE, Boise State.

211. Rachad Wildgoose, CB, Wisconson.

248. Paddy Fisher, LB, Northwestern.

Today’s news will be dominated by J.J. Watt. The rumors were started by a Mary Kay Cabot tweet. I haven’t seen it because she blocked me last off-season. I got really tired of the “trade OBJ” narrative. I want everyone to temper their expectations. Watt has his list down to five teams and the Browns are one of them. My guess on the other four are Tampa, Colts, Titans and Seahawks only because Watt wants to win a ring. The Colts have the most money, but have a QB problem, they don’t have one. Tampa has less money available than the Browns but have 30 of their own free agents they have to deal with. The Seahawks have a little cap space ( $4.9 million), so they’ll have to clean up some cap room. The Titans have Mike Vrabel and are currently $3 million over the cap. They have to create room to sign their own free agents. Just the fact a big name free agent wants to come to Cleveland will warm the hearts of long time Browns fans like me. Lets do this AB. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

Last week I started the discussion of fixing the Browns defense through free agency and the draft. I highlighted the most important position group that needed an upgrade, DE/Edge. This week I’ll look at the safety position. Since last week’s blog, there has be news on the salary cap. Last week it was reported by Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network that the cap would be increasing from $175 million to $185 million. Over the weekend Adam Schefter of ESPN reported the cap would be between $180 and $181 million. So this means the Browns will have between $24 to$29 million in cap space. Remembering that GM Andrew Berry likes to sign players in their mid twenties coming off their first contract here is a list of safeties the Browns might be interested in signing.

Marcus Williams, New Orleans. William’s coverage grade by Pro Football Focus has been in the 90’s since he entered the league in 2017. He also has the highest rate of forced incompletions during that time period and is a very solid run defender. Due to the Saints cap situation, worst in the NFL, Williams will be available. Market value according to Spotrac is $9.4 million on a five year deal.

Marcus Maye, New York Jets. A very versatile safety. Since 2017 has played free safety, strong safety and some slot corner. When targeted, he is the best at breaking up passes. Can line up anywhere on the field. and is solid against the run. Finished the 2020 season with a PFF grade of 82.8, fourth best among safeties. Market value according to Spotrac is $8.3 million on a three year deal.

John Johnson, III, LA Rams. Had an injury plagued 2019. But when healthy he is an elite coverage safety. Came on strong in 2020. In three out his four seasons in the NFL, he has never been below a PFF coverage grade of 84.9. He finished 2020 with a PFF grade of 85.6, third highest for safeties. Market value according to Spotrac $8.3 million on a five year deal.

Others to watch. Xavier Woods, Dallas, Keanu Neal, Atlanta and Jaquiski Tartt. Just remember as the beginning of the league year on March 17th approaches, more players will become available as teams fight to get under the cap. As for the draft, here’s my second mock draft.

26. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB/S, Notre Dame.

58. Jay Tufele, IDL, USC.

89. Patrick Jones, Edge, Pittsburg.

91. Monty Rice, LB Georgia.

110. Davis Moore, IOL, Grambling.

130. Deommodore Lenoir, CB, Oregon.

168. Richard LeCounte, III, S, Georgia.

206. Shi Smith, WR, South Carolina.

250. Jovani Haskins, TE, West Virginia.

If GM Andrew Berry does use all the Browns draft picks, this draft covers a lot of bases. Owusu-Koramoah is listed as a LB, however he has the athletic ability to drop in coverage and be that “rover’ back that DC Joe Woods wants to use. Safety Grant Delpit was going to provide that role in 2020. I really like LB Monty Rice as a middle linebacker. He has great lateral movement, can fight through traffic and is a hitter. Tell me what you think, this is only one of many mocks I’m going to do till draft day.

Next week I’m going to look at the cornerback position and do yet another mock draft. If the 2020 season proved anything, you can never have enough quality cornerbacks and there will some available. Everyone stay safe. Go Browns and RIP Marty Schottenheimer, you brought the gleam back to the Browns.

It’s time to start forecasting, so lets start with free agency at the position the Browns have the most urgency to fill, defensive end/edge rusher. The Browns have to find someone to compliment DE Myles Garrett. If DE Olivier Vernon hadn’t gotten hurt, I fully expected the Browns to make a serious attempt to resign him. But coming off an Achilles injury at 31 years of age it’s not an option. I expect the Browns to sign an edge rusher in free agency and draft one as well. Let’s start with free agency.

As I mentioned last week, Cincinnati DE Carl Lawson is the type of player the Browns are looking to sign. He is 25 years old coming off his rookie contract. When he was drafted he looked like a fourth round steal. He had 59 pressures on 389 pass rush attempts his rookie year. However, he has never reached those benchmarks again. He’s more of a situational pass rusher and is a liability in the run game. So who else might the Browns go after?

Roman Okwara, DE, Detroit. After his first 1000 snaps as a pass rusher, he was below average. In 2020, specifically since week 12, he had the third best pass rushing grade according to Pro Football Focus. He finished 2020 with a PFF pass rush rating of 85.4. That was ninth best in the NFL. As a number two pass rusher he fits the bill perfectly. His market value for 2021 according to Spotrac.com is $10.1 million per year on a three year contract.

Yannick Ngakoue, DE, Baltimore. There were rumors that Browns GM Andrew Berry attempted to trade for Ngakoue last year before he was traded to the Ravens. While he is a good pass rusher, Ngakoue is defiantly a liability in the run game. When he lines up wide, since 2017, he’s had the eighth best pass rushing PFF grade at 89.1. If a team has a strong interior rush, he’s a great fit as a situational pass rusher. His market value for 2021 is $15.5 million on a four year contract.

Trey Hendrickson, DE, New Orleans. Made great strides in 2020 after three average years, recording 13.5 sacks. He had 4.5 sacks in 2019. In his first four years in the league, he is mid level in both pass rushing and run defending, but like Okwara, it appears he is ascending at the right time. His market value for 2021 is $10.3 million on a three year deal.

Others to watch: Solomon Thomas, San Francisco, Bud Dupree, Pittsburg and Hasson Reddick, Arizona.

Trades: The big question on Browns Twitter, would Andrew Berry make a trade for DE J.J. Watt? Berry did try and improve the pass rush last year by attempting to trade for Ngakoue and trying to sign DE Jadeveon Clowney, but would he trade for the 31 year old Watt? While Watt’s sack production has declined since he had 17 sacks in 2018, he still registered a 85.5 pressure rate last year. Trading Watt makes perfect sense for the Texans. They are around $16.4 million over the cap and by trading Watt, they would take his $17.5 million salary off their cap with no dead money ramifications. This trade would have to happen before the start of the league year.

My First Mock Draft: I don’t think Andrew Berry will use all nine picks and I don’t figure in trades in my mocks. Here are my nine picks.

26. Jaelan Phillips, Edge, Miami.

58. Tommy Togiai, IDL, Ohio State.

89. Keith Taylor, CB, Washington.

91. Monty Rice, LB Georgia.

110. Amari Rogers, WR, Clemson.

130. Brady Christenson, OT, BYU.

Noah Gary, TE, Duke.

Marco Wilson, CB, Florida.

Benton Nelson, S, Virginia.

Have at it and tell me what you think. This draft hits some key needs for the Browns. Next week I’ll look at the safety position in free agency and do another mock draft. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

Now that we know the Super Bowl participants, can we all agree that fourth down has been the major topic of this years playoffs. I have never seen a year where fourth down can make or break a good coach’s decision making. Wow. Getting back to the Super Bowl, how close are the Browns from making their first appearance? Pretty, pretty close. If GM Andrew Berry and the Browns front office can do to the defense this year, what they did to the offense last year, the Browns are close. The process begins with the Senior Bowl this week. With the NFL Combine going virtual, the Senior bowl still affords the Browns to personally watch practices and speak individually to draft prospects. The off-season has begun.

Lets start with the schedule. Besides Pittsburg, Cincinnati and Baltimore, the Browns host Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Las Vegas and Houston. Their road games are the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City, Green Bay, New England and Minnesota. The home schedule is pretty good, while the road schedule is daunting. I’m glad there’s only one west coast trip. The key to this schedule are when the games are played and how they’re spaced out. Due to the Browns success, there will probably be at least four prime-time games. The Kansas City game, if the Chiefs win the Super Bowl, has Thursday night season opener written all over it. The amazing thing about the 2020 Cleveland Browns, they never lost two games in a row. That’s preparation by the coaching staff. To make the next step, the Browns need to win their opening game, win their division, beat teams coached by Andy Reid and John Gruden (0-8 vs Reid and 0-6 vs Gruden) and win two playoff games in a season. Sounds simple right?

First, the Browns have to fix their defense either through the draft or free agency. Since free agency starts first, you have to look at the teams who are over the salary cap for potential free agents. With an expected salary cap of $175 million, there are currently thirteen teams over the cap. The Giants ($3.3), the Titans ($7.4), the Bears ($10.7), the Vikings ($12.8), the Texans ($18.3), the Chiefs ($ 18.9), the Raiders ($23.5), the Packers ($28.6), the Rams ($30.5), the Steelers ($ 34.9), the Falcons ($36.3), the Eagles ($53.5) and the Saints ($112.1). That’s an incredible list. The Giants and the Titans could do restructures and get under the cap, but signing free agents would be difficult. As for the other teams, trades would their best option. This puts more players on the market. GM Andrew Berry’s ideal free agent is a player in his mid twenties coming off his first contract. But if Berry feels the Browns are close to the next level, then acquiring a big name defensive free agent has to be considered. Think defensive end or safety. As for the draft, the Browns have nine picks and I do not expect Andrew Berry to use all nine.

For the first time in a long time the Browns return their entire coaching staff and front office. They return their offense in tact and get Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit back from injury. This team has the capacity to handle both a virtual combine and pro days better than most NFL teams. They spent the last three weeks of the season game planning virtually Next week I’ll start my way too early free agent tracker and throw in a mock draft. The future looks bright. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

Well it’s been 48 hours and it’s time to move to the off-season. If you had told me the Browns would hold Kansas City to 22 points, I would’ve thought the Browns would have won. How many Browns fans thought when safety Karl Joseph intercepted the ball in the end zone with about eight minutes to go in the game,” here we go.” I did. This offense was built for a long drive for a touchdown. After watching the game again, I’m comfortable with Kevin Stefanski punting the ball with around four minutes to go. The defense just needed to make a stop. And despite what Browns twitter says about firing DC Joe Woods, stop. Just stop. They lost their number two corner and their starting safety in training camp on the same day. Woods won the Steelers wildcard game with his scheme. The entire year the Browns played cover two defense 1% of the time. In the Wildcard game the Browns played cover two defense 26% of the time. He basically installed a new defensive scheme with one practice and missing his number one corner and his number three corner. Simply put, the players didn’t execute. If the Browns invest heavily in defense this off-season, like they invested in offense in 2020, then the defense will make giant steps in 2021.

The Browns are on to the off-season 2021. The goal is to win the division and advance farther in the play-offs. I have complete faith in GM Andrew Berry and this front office. First there will be no changes in the coaching staff. Nice change of pace, right Browns fans? The Browns have nine picks in the 2021 draft starting with the 26th pick in the first round. Andrew Berry has already proven he lets the draft come to him and knows talent. I still can’t believe I haven’t looked at a mock draft and it’s January. As for the salary cap, the Browns have a little more than 24.6 million in cap space based on a 176 million dollar salary cap. This includes the fifth year options for Baker Mayfield and Denzel Ward. The big question will be the wide receiver position. Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry will be owed over 30 million and Beckham’s 15.7 million is guaranteed because of his injury and is due the third business day of the new league year. Because of the injury, he may not be ready till training camp, so trading him now is not an option. This offense does not rely on the WR position, but does need a burner on the outside. Asking Landry to restructure is an option.

First, the Browns need to pick up the fifth year options on Mayfield and Ward. No brainer. Even though both RB Nick Chubb and RG Wyatt Teller are signed through 2021, offer both contract extensions. Ward and Mayfield’s contract extensions aren’t a priority until later in the spring. As for key Browns free agents, try and resign WR Rashard Higgins. I have a feeling he’ll test free agency, but his relationship with Mayfield will help the Browns. I would also try and resign OL Kendall Lamm. He proved his worth this season. As for the defense, I think the Browns will try and resign free sign CB Terrance Mitchell and Larry Ogunjobi, but I think both will test free agency and move on. The Browns do get DT Andrew Billing back, so losing Ogunjobi won’t hurt so much. I would resign LB B.J. Goodson, CB Kevin Johnson and S Karl Joseph. Goodson took over the defense this year, Johnson proved to be a valuable third CB and Joseph played really well down the stretch. A safety room of Grant Delpit, Ronnie Harrison and Joseph is one hell of a great start for next year.

As for other teams free agents, it’s still to early to tell who the Browns will target. But I do know Andrew Berry likes to target players in their mid twenties who are coming off their first or second contracts. Catch players entering their prime. This team is ascending. They have their franchise QB, their franchise head coach and a young and hungry team. Finally, the Browns will become a desirable destination for free agents. Times have changed. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.

It’s playoff Victory Monday and those weren’t the same old Browns. No head coach, no OL coach, no assistant OL coach, no TE coach, no WR coach, no All-Pro LG, no number one CB and no number three CB. Then they lost their All-Pro RT and their starting LG. It did not matter. The Browns practiced once last week, once. The first playoff win since 1994. The Browns beat the Steelers twice in seven days. Twice. To make it sweeter, the Browns made Big Ben cry. The Browns wanted this game more than the Steelers. The Steelers had a sack in 73 consecutive games going into Sunday. They did not sack QB Baker Mayfield. I don’t remember the broadcasters saying T.J. Watt’s name once. Mayfield had a Pro Football Focus rating of 90.5. That’s the fourth highest rating by a QB making his first playoff start. He was 21 of 34, 263 yards and three touchdowns. Again no interceptions. The 28 points the Browns scored in the first quarter were the most points scored in the first quarter by a playoff team in NFL history.

All three phases of the game showed up and played. It really helped that the Browns were up 7-0 before the offense got on the field. Michael Dunn, Kendall Lamm and Blake Hance (who?) combined for 68 pass blocking snaps against the league’s best pass rush. They allowed only two pressures. Damn. Here’s a tweet I still can’t believe, “Brent Sobleski@brentsobleski·6mThe Browns will pay Blake Hance $39,706 for driving from New Jersey, not practice with the team, replace injured third-string guard Michael Dunn, survive 14 snaps against Cam Heyward and become a legend.” Because Kevin Stefanski tested positive last week, he and Hance haven’t even met each other yet. Hell, Mayfield introduced himself to Hance before the game. Both OC Alex Van Pelt and DC Joe Woods called great games. The Browns offense kept the Steeler’s defense on their heals and the Browns defense, while not getting a sack, kept the pressure on Big Ben.

Injuries and Covid. RT Jack Conklin (hamstring), LG Michael Dunn (calf) and Robert Jackson (hamstring) are all day to day. As for the Covid list, the Browns reported no new positives this morning. Baring any negative tests, all coaches and players should be back by Thursday. It would great to have everyone back to practice this week for the Kansas City game on Sunday. Speaking of the Chiefs, do the Browns have a chance to beat Kansas City? Yes they do. The Browns need to control the line of scrimmage and run the ball. Pat Mahomes can’t beat you if he’s sitting on the bench. Enjoy this one Browns fans. Everyone stay safe and Go Browns.