7 Players the Cleveland Browns should have never let get away
By Randy Gurzi
Jabaal Sheard. 6. player. 53. . DE. (2011-2014)
Another player who got away but never should have is defensive end Jabaal Sheard. Selected 37th overall out of Pittsburgh in 2011, Sheard joined the NFL just one season after he received the award for the Big East Defensive Player of the Year. As a rookie, he became a starter from Week 1 and played in all 16 games.
He made the Pro Football Writer’s of America All-Rookie team after recording 55 tackles and 8.5 sacks that year. While that sack total remains a career-high for Sheard, he hasn’t exactly been a slouch since that season. His sophomore campaign was just as strong as it saw him again notch 55 tackles with seven sacks.
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A coaching change took place ahead of his third season as Rob Chudzinski and his staff came in. He then went through another change the following year as Mike Pettine was brought in to replace Chudzinski
. Sheard also found himself moving to linebacker during this transition but he continued to play well despite all the change — although he wasn’t getting the sack totals he was used to.
Sheard left following the 2014 season, signing with the New England Patriots on a two-year, $11 million deal. That move was good for him as it led to Sheard winning a Super Bowl ring following the 2016 season. It was also a good move for the Pats as he provided them with 13 sacks in two seasons including eight in 2015 despite playing just 13 games.
After two years in New England, he was again a free agent and has since joined the Indianapolis Colts. Over the past two seasons, he’s registered 5.5 sacks in each campaign. He’s clearly a valuable edge player and the Browns could have used his services over the years.