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4 XFL free agents Cleveland Browns need to sign

By Elliot Kennel

CARSON, CA - MARCH 08: Tre McBride #15 of the LA Wildcats gets past safety Robenson Therezie #37 of the Tampa Bay Vipers at Dignity Health Sports Park during an XFL game on March 8, 2020 in Carson, California. L.A. won 41-34. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - MARCH 08: Tre McBride #15 of the LA Wildcats gets past safety Robenson Therezie #37 of the Tampa Bay Vipers at Dignity Health Sports Park during an XFL game on March 8, 2020 in Carson, California. L.A. won 41-34. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images) /
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CARSON, CA – FEBRUARY 16: Wide receiver Adonis Jennings #18 and offensive tackle Storm Norton #72 of the Los Angeles Wildcats block safety Tenny Adewusi #20 of the Dallas Renegades for wide receiver Kermit Whitfield #10 of the Los Angeles Wildcats as he gains a first down in the first half of the XFL game at Dignity Health Sports Park on February 16, 2020 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA – FEBRUARY 16: Wide receiver Adonis Jennings #18 and offensive tackle Storm Norton #72 of the Los Angeles Wildcats block safety Tenny Adewusi #20 of the Dallas Renegades for wide receiver Kermit Whitfield #10 of the Los Angeles Wildcats as he gains a first down in the first half of the XFL game at Dignity Health Sports Park on February 16, 2020 in Carson, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

2. Storm Norton, Offensive Tackle, Los Angeles Wildcats

Would you like to bet that Storm Norton is going to going to be signed by the Browns? Norton is a left tackle, standing 6-foot-7 and listed at 317 pounds. Norton has bounced around in the NFL a bit, getting auditions from the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals and the Minnesota Vikings. Of course, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski was an offensive assistant at Minnesota, so the Browns definitely have the best possible scouting report on Norton.

Norton had generally good reviews in Minnesota, but it didn’t help him that in the last exhibition game of 2019, he got called for holding which cost the Vikings a touchdown. That’s not a good thing, but that happens to a lot of good tackles.

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If a second opinion is needed, they can draw upon the firsthand observations of Kareem Hunt who played college ball with Norton when they were both with the University of Toledo Rockets, just down the road a piece from FirstEnergy Stadium. At Toledo, Norton made  First-Team All-Mid America Conference two years in a row.

Pete Smith of Sports Illustrated Browns Maven wrote an editorial urging the Browns to take a look at the big kid. Brent Sobelski of Bleacher Report flatly calls him the “best offensive lineman of the XFL.”  Lance Zierlein of NFL Draft Tracker at NFL.com points out that in 2017:

"“Toledo had the seventh-best offense in the country based on yardage (517.8 per game) and ranked in the top twenty nationally in scoring. A lot of that had to do with the protection Norton gave to quarterback Logan Woodside and the holes he made for running back Kareem Hunt.” — Zierlein, NFL.com"

The MAC is probably underrated as a source of quality NFL players. Nevertheless, the perception is that the big guy needed quality game reps and he got a few in the XFL.

Heck, who do the Browns actually have to play tackle? Give this kid a shot.

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