Something big is coming to the Cleveland Browns on the defensive end. I can feel it. GM Andrew Berry and Brass Browns usually do a great job of hiding their hand, but on this front, they feel confident that they have shown that they want to do a splash with the starting DE place, opposite Myles Garrett.
I may drink too many tea leaves, but it’s hard not to read all the signs at Berry & Co.
And it really goes back to the last off-season. Remember Jadeveon Clowney’s repeated courtship? Browns was lucky to avoid this disappointment, but it was not out of a lack of attempt to sign the big DE ticket.
They tried again – supposedly – with JJ Watt. Although no exact details have ever been confirmed, the Browns have had many reputations as one of the first teams to try to attract the former Texan star. He decided to go to Arizona on a longer-than-expected contract.
On Tuesday, they let Adrian Clayborn go. Number 3 DE last year is 32 and did not have a big impact on Browns in his season in Cleveland, but he was created as a starter in front of Garrett. With Olivier Vernon, a free agent waiting and also in the early stages of recovery from a broken Achilles, Clayborn’s throw leaves Porter Gustin and Joe Jackson in that place.
Nothing against Gustin or Jackson, but it’s hard to imagine that any of them are more than situational submarines to defend a legitimate competitor. Removing Clayborn from the books frees up $ 3 million extra to spend on someone who can be an impact performer for a Browns team that has legitimate competitor status.
The big question now is, what is the movement?
Is he a prominent veteran agent, someone like Carl Lawson of Cincinnati or Shaq Barrett of Tampa Bay? The Browns have the camera cover to do this and the attraction of being a worthy landing place for a ring-chaser.
Or will it be a sketch? The Pass-Rush class has no elite, none that project as much over the general 11-20 range. Currently, the Browns are in 26th place. Players such as Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari, Zaven Collins, a remarkably versatile Tulsa, or Jayson Oweh, the strange Penn State athlete, should be considered. Berry and Browns have the ammunition to trade if they also have a specific target in mind.
It will be fun to see how they play and who gets to be the new defensive end of the start. Expect it to be a significant move, regardless of the direction the Browns are turning. They spread too much breadcrumbs so that the route does not lead to a big celebration.