Joe Schobert making it incredibly hard for Cleveland Browns to let him walk
By Dan Justik
Joe Schobert is having one of his best seasons in the NFL during his contract year, making it incredibly difficult for the Cleveland Browns to let him walk.
The Cleveland Browns have several key players finishing up their rookie contracts in the next couple of seasons. But Joe Schobert, one of their most important players on the roster, is due for a new contract at the end of the 2019 season.
Although Schobert’s talent and performance over the past few seasons should have landed him an extension already, he is still in line to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. And based on his play this season, he would be a highly sought after free agent.
Schobert is having the season that any player in a contract year would dream to have. He has started all 11 games, and missed his only snaps of the season in the waning moments against Miami, and has compiled 97 total tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles, four interceptions, and nine passes defensed.
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Schobert is the prototype for a do-it-all, versatile linebacker. He is arguably the best linebacker in the league in coverage. And although he has struggled with missed tackles during his career, he has greatly improved in that area in 2019. He is making splash plays all over the field and doing so consistently throughout the course of games. He is also the leader and the on-field brain of Cleveland’s defense.
How well Schobert has played this season is making it even harder for the Browns to decide to let him walk at the end of the season. He is a play-maker for the Browns defense and helps put other defenders in the right position to make a play. For the Browns, the smart decision would be to sign Schobert to an extension as soon as possible.
Up until this point, there has been little talk about the Browns and Schobert working on an extension. However, Schobert confirmed last week that his agent and the Browns have spoken about a new contract.
With how well Schobert has played, he will certainly become one of the highest paid linebackers in the NFL. He has outperformed almost every linebacker this season, and is having the same type of season as two of the top linebackers in the NFL, Luke Kuechly and Jordan Hicks.
Even though the Browns will be cap-strapped in the future, Schobert is not one of the players who should be used to save cap space. He is too important for the Browns defense to let him walk at the end of the season, and he is proving that this season.
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He may decide to wait until the end of the season to sign a deal so he can maximize his worth, but Schobert has made it incredibly difficult for the Browns to let him leave as a free agent at the end of the season. At this point, the Browns should try to finish an extension for Schobert as soon as possible.