Cleveland Browns and Jason McCourty a poor match

The Cleveland Browns may still be working on their secondary, but adding free agent Jason McCourty would not really help the situation.

The Cleveland Browns put some work into the secondary during the 2017 NFL Draft by selecting safety Jabrill Peppers and cornerback Howard Wilson.

That came on the heels of giving cornerback Jamar Taylor a new contract and the possible return to health of cornerback Joe Haden after surgery on his injured groin.

But could the Browns still be looking to bolster the secondary – especially at the cornerback position?

That is the idea posited by Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport, who posits that former Tennessee Titans cornerback Jason McCourty would be a welcome addition to Cleveland’s secondary:

"Right now, the Browns are a motley crew of “who?” except for Haden, and given all the money the team has left in the war chest, there’s little reason not to consider adding some veteran help in the secondary."

"McCourty had 67 tackles and two interceptions a year ago, but isn’t a great cover corner. He ranked 69th in that regard last year, per PFF. But McCourty offers the Browns a couple of things that are in short supply in the defensive backfield in Cleveland."

"The first is toughness. McCourty has never been shy about getting dirty in run support, piling up over 60 tackles five times and amassing an eye-popping 105 stops back in 2011. The second is experience. The Browns could use a corner opposite Haden, who has been around the block once or twice, and McCourty has made 90 starts in his career."

While the idea of adding toughness to the defense is always welcome, a match between McCourty and the Browns seems unlikely.

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McCourty will turn 30 in October and in case anyone hasn’t been paying attention the Browns are currently working to get younger – not older.

The Browns currently only have four players on the roster who are older than 30 – punter Brian Colquitt, offensive linemen John Greco and Joe Thomas, and defensive end Desmond Bryant (who is likely to be next veteran released by the team) – so adding a player in that age bracket is probably not happening.

As for experience, while two of the four cornerbacks that will see playing time this season – Wilson and second-year player Brien Boddy-Calhoun – have limited experience, Taylor is entering his fifth season and has appeared in 48 games, which is more than enough experience.

Taylor was also named one of the most-improved players in the league by Pro Football Focus, the same group that ranked McCourty as one of the worst cornerbacks in the league.

Next: Predicting the Browns starting defense in 2017

So while the Browns have the financial capacity to sign McCourty as a free agent, there are better ways for them to be spending their money.

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