Five Browns players who might be finished in Cleveland
By Dan Justik
Olivier Vernon
Olivier Vernon was brought to Cleveland with mild expectations last offseason after struggling to live up to his contract with the New York Giants. Now after one season in Cleveland, Vernon’s future with the team looks murky.
Vernon was making a quiet impact for the Browns defense at the start of the 2019 season. He was making the fundamental plays on most snaps, allowing his teammates to make plays. Vernon did not make many splash plays himself, but his strong understanding of positioning and controlling the line of scrimmage let others make plays.
However, Vernon’s season was limited to only 10 games after dealing with a knee injury for a large portion of the season. In those 10 games, Vernon made 26 total tackles, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and 11 quarterback hits.
Although he helped the defense when he was on the field, the biggest problem for Vernon is just being able to stay on the field. Vernon has missed 15 games the last three seasons. A team like the Browns are not going to want to pay a player one of the largest cap hits on the roster if that player cannot stay on the field.
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Because Cleveland can save $15.5 million by cutting Vernon with no dead money, it would not be a surprise if Vernon’s time in Cleveland could be short. He may have helped the defense, but he would be paid too much money with the significant durability questions surrounding him.