Browns Free Agency Slog Could Continue Another Two Months

The Cleveland Browns have been patient this offseason. Patient to the point where someone can both marvel at their temperament in negotiations and want them to hurry up and fill out their roster already, but this process is likely to drag out until June.

Trading Baker Mayfield is certainly a priority for the Browns. The Browns appear inclined to rollover Mayfield's $18.8 million salary into 2023 for the sake of cap flexibility, so they can wait until July or August to trade him if necessary.

The Browns still need to fill out the rest of their roster, which could include three defensive linemen, another receiver and another safety, enabling them. Currently, the Browns have approximately $20 million in cap space with another $7.5 million coming courtesy of designating Austin Hooper a post June 1st release.

This helps explains the patience from the Browns, operating largely out of necessity. Yes, they have some money, but it needs to stretch to address their roster deficiencies. As a result, the Browns have put offers out to players who are likely hoping for more, resulting in the stagnation. As players continue to get signed by other teams, the Browns might represent their best offers, increasing the likelihood deals get done.

The Browns can continue to use void years to sign one-year deals for free agents, but any dead money they must pay in 2023 should be balanced against cap space they intend to rollover. Ideally, they would rollover more cap space than than they have dead money in 2023 as it would increase their overall pool of money to operate. If the Browns plan to roll over all of the money from Mayfield after he's traded as well as the money they will get for Hooper, that would give them a little over $26.3 million to rollover. That should represent the red line for potential dead money.

The Browns are already scheduled to pay a total of $19.622 million in 2023 for four players who will not be with the team. $7.5 million to Austin Hooper, now a member of the Tennessee Titans, plus $6 million to offensive tackle Jack Conklin, $3.75 million to corner Troy Hill and $2.372 million for linebacker Anthony Walker, all scheduled to be free agents after this season.

Subtracting the $19.622 million of dead money from the $26.3 million figure they might want to rollover, that would leave the Browns with a little over $6.6 million to use in void years before they cross that red line, which then reduces the amount of money they'd have to use in 2023.

Every dollar they spend this year is a dollar they cannot rollover and use to payoff dead money next year.

The Browns do have a couple avenues to create additional cap space should they deem them necessary. One is to extend tight end David Njoku, lowering his cap figure for 2022 from $10.93 million and having the money increase over the life of the contract coinciding with the increase in the salary cap. Another option would be to trade the rights to running back D'Ernest Johnson. They could also simply remove the tender they have on him that is worth $2.433 million. The Browns may employ these regardless if only to increase the amount of cap space they can rollover into 2023.

Looking at the Browns roster, no spot is weaker than the defensive line. Currently, the Browns have the worst set of defensive tackles in the NFL, a position that cost the team multiple games in 2021. There are only three on the current roster including Jordan Elliott, Tommy Togiai and Taven Bryan as the team expects to bring in additional help. Myles Garrett is as good as the league has to offer at defensive end, but the Browns don't currently have a starting caliber player to put across from him.

Naturally, that leads to Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney was good for the Browns in 2021, remains a free agent and is the best option available in terms of talent. The Browns offer amenities Clowney likes including the presence of Garrett and defensive coordinator Joe Woods, but his primary motivation is money. He hoped for bigger offers, both in terms of salary and years. For the third season in a row, those offers have not come for Clowney, which makes a reunion with the Browns more realistic.

The Browns would probably like to negotiate a two-year deal with Clowney topping out at around $25 million. Two years would enable the Browns a decent runway to plan for the future at the position, but it would also enable them to pay less the first season. The Browns might also like to include a void year to help mitigate the impact of one, if not both years of the contract.

Clowney, in position where he's taking less than he wanted, would likely prefer a one-year deal for $12 million, so he can once again try to maximize his value next offseason.

April 14th was the date when Clowney agreed to terms with the Browns last season. That was impacted by meniscus surgery that needed to heal so he could pass a physical. He may have signed when he did in no small part because the COVID-19 protocols allowed him to do his own thing until training camp. This year, Clowney is healthy and able to sign at his leisure, but he may not be too keen on attending a mandatory offseason program, which may delay the move until the team goes on Summer break.

Should they fail to land Clowney, other free agent options including Jerry Hughes, Melvin Ingram, Justin Houston and perhaps Olivier Vernon. All into their 30s, they can rush the passer effectively, but they are at a point in their careers where handling a full load of reps is impractical, which then means the team would still need another defensive end to effectively cover the position.

It's possible the Browns could sign two of these four, but that could end up costing more than Clowney, which might mitigate injury risks, but undermine them financially.

With these veteran defensive linemen, they all might be inclined to wait until after mandatory offseason programs end to sign deals. They can make a strong case that they know their bodies better than the team and want to handle things their way to ensure their health in preparation for the season. It's an argument J.C. Tretter had been making in terms of his preparation during his career with the Browns. That could happen with the veteran defensive tackles as well as the ends.

The Browns need two defensive tackles that can step in and function as two-gapping run cloggers. One of those could be a bigger ticket item like Calais Campbell or Akiem Hicks. Both fit the scheme the Browns play and represent significant upgrades to what the Browns currently have. They also come with risks. Hicks has missed a number of games over the past three years while Campbell has been terrific, but he's 35 years old.

There is likely one contract to be had, worth as much as $8 million. The Browns are hoping that one of Hicks or Campbell will take it to anchor the interior.

The other defensive tackle contract would be likely worth far less, around $3 million, perhaps less depending on the caliber of player they can attract. Players that could be of interest here might include Eddie Goldman, Linval Joseph and Zach Kerr. An opportunity to play with Garrett, Clowney and either Hicks or Campbell could prove to be an effective sales pitch.

Between those three defensive line contracts, the Browns may have spent through most of the $20 million of their available space, which is why they might need to create more cap space or use some of that $6.6 million through void years to keep costs down.

The problem is the Browns still haven't addressed wide receiver or safety. It simply may not be realistic to deal with through free agency given their needs.

Ronnie Harrison might be the Browns fallback option for safety at this point. Worried about losing the game of musical chairs, Harrison might be willing to take a low money deal in order to try to reclaim the form he showed in 2020, potentially setting him up for a far more lucrative deal on the open market in 2023.

Wide receiver may have more names, but it's going to be challenging to afford another veteran like Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry or Will Fuller.

Should the Browns fail to attract Campbell and Hicks, they might have some money to spend at receiver, but the cost would be substantial. Heading into the third season in a row with an undermanned defensive interior would be a major disappointment. This year's NFL Draft doesn't have much to offer in terms of immediate help, adding urgency for the Browns to address it in free agency.

In the event these free agent options force the Browns to wait until this summer, they can't really afford to make a big move at another position. Save for acquiring Watson and Amari Cooper, the Browns have signed players to deals to relatively low figures. Backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett has been the biggest signing of free agency to this point, set to earn $4.65 million this season, accounting for 2.1 percent of the salary cap.

Maybe there the Browns have worked out some deals with a wink and a nod, perhaps even a handshake that are set to come to fruition in June. Until they sign the contract, both sides could change their minds. That could have an impact on the way they approach the NFL Draft at the end of the month.

Andrew Berry has said he approaches the offseason like an expansion team, trying to maximize opportunities and find good investments. That would suggest they would like to select what they feel are the best football players available. Should the Browns go into the draft with a bunch of holes on the roster, it will be a test of his mettle, whether he's able to stick to that philosophy and avoid chasing needs that might force him to sacrifice value.

The draft does put some pressure on receivers to sign because the talent and supply available is consistently high at a cheap rate. Beckham isn't likely to be impacted much given his recovery from his ACL, though he doesn't appear to be a realistic option for the Browns anyway. Meanwhile, Landry and Fuller might feel pressure to get deals done, avoiding the possibility of facing an even bleaker market in May and June, perhaps waiting until July to sign a deal.

That should embolden the Browns to stick to their numbers. They may want to see what happens in the draft before they sign another veteran to the receiver room, getting a look at them at in rookie and team minicamps before determining if they need additional help. If they feel good about a rookie they draft, they might be inclined to use that money elsewhere on the roster or roll it into next year. If Fuller or Landry wants to sign at their number, it further strengthens the receiver room, giving them another weapon.

The pace of the Browns offseason has been slow, first dictated by their pursuit of Deshaun Watson, now by their available cap space after acquiring him. The return to a normal offseason could further extend what is already an insufferably long process before getting meaningful resolutions for the remaining holes on the roster.

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