3 Free agents Cleveland Browns have to let walk in 2020
By Randy Gurzi
All the attention for the Cleveland Browns is on the head coaching vacancy right now but we look ahead to free agency with these 3 players who the team needs to let walk in 2020
All the news surrounding the Cleveland Browns since their 2019 season ended has been consumed by head coaching and front office moves. That’s due to the firing of head coach Freddie Kitchens and then the subsequent “mutual parting” of them and general manager John Dorsey.
However, we now take a quick break from the talk about who will coach the team and who will be the GM to discuss the players on the field. Heading into 2020, the Browns have several free agents they need to make decisions on.
While many of them should be brought back, there are some who should be allowed to test the open market. Here we look at three such players.
Notable Omission: Dontrell Hilliard, RB
This season, a lot was made of the work being done during training camp by Dontrell Hilliard. The former undrafted free agent was returning kicks and making plays on offense that reminded the team of Duke Johnson — who was asking to be traded.
Johnson ended up getting his wish and some of the credit for that goes to Hilliard. However, when the season started, Hilliard faded away. He didn’t capitalize on his great camp and the Browns would be better off relying on D’Earnest Johnson as the third running back.
So why is he not in the top three? That would be due to the uncertainty around Kareem Hunt. If Cleveland doesn’t retain him, Hilliard might need to stick around. If they do keep Hunt, there’s really no reason to hold onto a running back that was the fourth-best on the team in 2019.