Cleveland Browns: 5 free agents to stay away from
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns need to be strategic when free agency opens on March 9, meaning that they should stay away from these five players.
Free agency in the National Football League is a mixed bag depending on how teams approach the endeavor.
For those teams that are smart and strategic, free agency provides an opportunity to add a complimentary player or two at a reasonable price. Those teams approach free agency as a way to add short-term depth or help at a position of need.
Then there are those teams that still believe that free agency offers a path to success and a way to cover up for failed drafts. The scenario plays out every year, a team “wins” the offseason in free agency only to lose once the regular season begins, which is really the only time that a team needs to win.
The Cleveland Browns enter free agency in a good position. While they may not have as much cap space as the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders, at an estimated $38 in cap space the Browns can be players once free agency begins on March 9.
Related: Cleveland Browns: 10 players to look at in free agency
The Browns need to be wise in how they use that cash, however. Signing players in free agency usually means you are paying someone for what they did for their previous team, with no guarantees you will be receiving that same production. Free agents also tend to find themselves at or near the top of a team’s payroll, meaning that a team is not able to reward the players they have developed accordingly.
There should be some players that will interest the Browns, but knowing which players to stay away from is just as important as knowing which ones to sign.
With that in mind, here are five expected free agents that the Browns should stay away from at all costs.
Next: Quarterback Kirk Cousins