Browns: Is Benson Mayowa worth a look in free agency?
By Thomas Moore
The Cleveland Browns can use some depth at the defensive end position and former Dallas Cowboy defensive end Benson Mayowa might be worth a look.
The Cleveland Browns look to be in the market for some more talent at the defensive end position.
General manager John Dorsey believes that a pass rusher is one of the five keys to building a winning team, so it would not be a huge surprise if the Browns come out of the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft with North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb to pair with second-year defensive end Myles Garrett and third-year defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah.
While that three-headed pass rushing machine would put quite a fright in opposing quarterbacks, the Browns also need to build some depth at the position, especially given that they have gotten nothing out of defensive end Nate Orchard and the roster currently includes players like Ricky Ali’ifua and Lavar Edwards.
That could lead Dorsey to take a look at defensive end Benson Mayowa, who was reportedly released on Wednesday by the Dallas Cowboys in a move to shave $2.75 million off the salary cap.
The transaction was first reported by ESPN’s Field Yates:
Source: the Cowboys have released veteran DE Benson Mayowa.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 7, 2018
Mayowa spent two seasons with the Cowboys after joining the team as a free agent from the Oakland Raiders in 2016. He had seven sacks with the Cowboys, with six of them coming in his first year in Dallas, to go along with 38 tackles and 24 quarterback pressures.
All told he has played in 57 games in his five seasons since entering the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2013.
Mayowa is a good run defender, which is always a plus for a Browns team that hasn’t always been able to stop the run. And, at 26, is a good mix of a veteran that is not too beaten down by the game to still be effective.
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The Browns would not be looking at Mayowa as anything more than a backup, so he could be worth at least bringing to Berea for a visit to see how he would fit in defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ system.