Cleveland Browns have an opportunity to sign Pro Bowler Larry Warford

Though not in the market for a Pro Bowl guard like Larry Warford, the Cleveland Browns can not turn down an opportunity to make him an offer

The Cleveland Browns could be in a position to make an offer to Larry Warford, the three-time Pro Bowl guard for the New Orleans Saints, who is unexpectedly available after being cut. Warford is hardly a fossil at age 29 and he is a talented player, so why are the Saints getting rid of him?

He’s a salary cap casualty, it is as simple as that. He was in the last year of a four-year, $34 million dollar contract that carried a cap hit of $12.9 million this year, of which the Saints can clear only $7.75 million from. They’re stuck with more than $5 million worth of dead money, which is really a lousy deal.

Prior to making the cut, the Saints were in the red by about $17.8 million dollars, which they have to fix by the start of the season. Cutting Warford does not completely solve their problem, but reduces the red ink to about $10 million.

Several teams are in a predicament similar to the Saints this year, and it is fully predictable that Warford will not be the only Pro Bowl-caliber player that becomes available in order that NFL teams bail themselves out of tight salary cap situations.

Warford is an interesting guy. He was born in San Diego, California to an African American father and a Samoan mother. At Oceanside High School, he first played basketball, and then as a sophomore earned a job on the football team as an offensive tackle.

His dad retired from the Navy after his sophomore year and the family moved to Kentucky. At Madison Central High, he continued to develop and made first-team All-State from the AP and Louisville Courier-Journal as a senior. He played his college ball at Kentucky and was named  All-SEC all four years of his career.  Warford was then drafted in the third round by the Detroit Lions.

The Browns don’t exactly need a guard, as they have Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Drew Forbes, Chris Hubbard, Kendall Lamm, and rookie Nick Harris available to play guard. But only Bitonio is the equal of Warford, as the others are still trying to establish themselves. Room could be made if Warford signs. They would definitely be much improved with Warford, though they are probably okay with the people they have onboard already.

The Browns need not run out and throw buckets of cash at him, because they are not desperate, and as mentioned above there are going to be some other major talents that become available because of the salary cap combined with the lack of self-control on the part of many front offices.

The Browns will have to spend down extra carryover cap dollars saved from previous years. They are expecting several players to receive pay raises in 2021, and they need immediate help on defense more than they need to bolster the offensive line room.

The weird thing about this offseason is that most of the other NFL teams are also spending down their carryover, meaning that there will be some major cuts like Warford that will be made only for the purpose of getting under the salary cap for the start of the season. The Browns condition is not ideal, but most of the other potential contenders in the NFL are worse.

What then should the Browns do? Make an offer, but keep it low. The Browns have a shot at this because most of the other potential bidders are already spent to the max and are looking to cut and are not in the position to add new talent.