Ranking the Cleveland Browns 2019 Top-5 offseason moves
By Randy Gurzi
5. Signing Sheldon Richardson in free agency
This one was really an under-appreciated move by John Dorsey, but a solid one nonetheless. Cleveland started out the 2018 campaign with a strong defense. They held their own against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 as well as the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. As the season wore on, however, the defense started to slip.
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On the year, they ended up being ranked 30th in yards surrendered (393) and 21st in points (24.5) — according to NFL.com. They were especially bad against the run, giving up 135.2 yards per contest, which landed them at 28 out of 32 in the league. Understanding this needed to be addressed, Dorsey landed a big fish early in free agency as he came to terms with defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson on a three-year, $36 million deal with $21 million of that being guaranteed.
It was a big payday for Richardson, who was coming off a great season with the Minnesota Vikings. Originally drafted 13th overall by the New York Jets in 2013, Richardson went from a Pro Bowl player in 2014 to someone the Jets wanted to move on from. He was traded to the Seattle Seahawks in 2017 but didn’t re-sign there. Instead, he ended up taking a one-year “prove-it deal” with the Vikings.
With Minnesota, he proved to be a solid run-stuffer while still contributing as an interior pass rusher. Richardson finished the year with 49 tackles and 4.5 sacks — his highest sack total since 2015. For the Browns, he will line up next to Larry Ogunjobi who is fresh off a breakout campaign. Suddenly a position that was a weakness in 2018 is a strength thanks to this move.