Browns Pre-Free Agency Mailbag, Including The Latest On Dre'Mont Jones, Jessie Bates lll, Javon Hargrave
The Browns will be aggressively trying to bring in talent beginning today as the start of free agency kicks off. With that being said, who are the Browns pursuing and what is the latest as they prepare to extensively negotiate with key defenders? I give the latest here.
Who do you think the Browns main targets in free agency are?
The Browns are going to be looking at a wide variety of players who're hitting the open market. Some of those names include Jessie Bates lll, Dre'Mont Jones, Javon Hargrave, Yannick Ngakoue, and several others. In addition to those players, the Browns have their eyes on depth players as well as some of their own pending free agents.
Deion Jones, Anthony Walker and Sione Takitaki are three players the Browns will monitor as their markets shape up. All three have a shot at being re-signed by Cleveland, however, the most likely appears to be Takitaki at the moment. Walker is also a player who is highly respected within the Browns organization and is someone they can likely get for cheap.
The Browns will be squarely in the mix for several of the big-time free agents like Bates, Hargrave and Jones. Ngakoue is a guy who the Browns have had interest in for years now and could be the perfect fit to replace Jadeveon Clowney, who's going to sign elsewhere this off-season.
Are the Browns frontrunners for Jessie Bates lll?
It's still too early to tell if the Browns are frontrunners to sign the 26-year-old safety. However, they will be right in the thick of it when it comes to teams in the market to land him.
It has previously been reported that Bates would welcome the idea of playing with Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. It's worth noting that Watson and Bates also share the same agent.
Bates won't come cheap though. I'm expecting Bates to land a multi-year deal with a team that pays him somewhere just under the $20 million mark annually. The Browns can do it if they want and a Bates signing would make a lot of sense, based on apparent front office values.
In the past, the Browns front office has shown their willingness to pay big-time money to players who hit the open market in their prime. Look at Austin Hooper and John Johnson lll, just to name a couple.
In a potential contract, the Browns would likely also protect themselves just in case the signing doesn't pan out, like they did with Hooper and Johnson. Bates or not, the Browns will still be aggressive in acquiring a top tier safety and a defensive tackle.
Odds of landing Dre'Mont Jones?
This is a similar situation to Bates. It's still too early to tell what the odds are of the Browns landing the former Saint Ignatius graduate and Ohio State Buckeye.
Jones is open to the idea of playing in Cleveland for the team he grew up rooting for, according to Cleveland.com.
Jones would require the Browns to pay him a steep price tag nonetheless. If Cleveland does not want to pay him big money in the open market, another team will.
The Browns will explore all options and decide what the best move for the organization is. That could mean brining Jones to Cleveland, it could mean reuniting Hargrave with Jim Schwartz in Cleveland or that could mean pursuing a different player all together.
No matter what way you put it, the Browns will be keeping close tabs on Jones and Hargrave both.
What are the chances that Odell Beckham Jr. comes back to the Browns?
My understanding is the chances of Odell Beckham Jr. returning to the Browns is slim.
Yes, the Browns attended the private workout in Arizona that Beckham held for NFL teams to see what he can do since recovering from his second ACL surgery.
However, Beckham back in Cleveland doesn't seem too likely at this point. There are a handful of teams who are in on his market and a couple that make a ton of sense.
I know there were rumors towards the end of the year last season on Beckham potentially teaming up in Dallas with CeeDee Lamb. With the possibility of Aaron Rodgers heading to the New York Jets, that seems like it could all of a sudden become a real possibility as well.
Only time will tell but as of now, the Browns don't seem likely for Beckham but they're certainly not out of the race completely.
