With facilities opening up, the timing could be right for Everson Griffen and the Cleveland Browns
This offseason has been a lot of fun for Cleveland Browns fans. The majority of the high-profile targets that the team was looking at ended up signing, which has their roster looking more impressive than it has in years.
There are very few holes and almost no positions up for camp battles — at least outside of linebacker and possibly right guard that is. They also have a lot of star power, including Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon, and Sheldon Richardson all on the same defensive line.
And according to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com, they could be interested in adding another big name — Everson Griffen. By now, we have all heard Griffen’s name linked to Cleveland as he has connections to head coach Kevin Stefanski and defensive coordinator Joe Woods who each coached in Minnesota, where Griffen has spent his entire career.
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Pluto says Griffen is a player to “keep an eye on” and points to the team re-opening their facilities as a big reason for this long-rumored move to finally come to fruition.
"“The Athletic’s Chad Graff reported Griffen wants to visit teams in person, and that may finally be possible with COVID-19 restrictions being lifted. The Browns value defensive linemen far above linebackers when it comes to spending. Keep an eye on Griffen.” — Pluto, Cleveland.com"
The COVID-19 restrictions clearly impacted the offseason as some players were signed even before taking physicals, as was the case with Karl Joseph, the Browns new safety. However, there were surely some players that teams weren’t going to be interested in signing without being able to get that all-important physical.
On the flip side of that coin, there were probably also some players who weren’t going to sign without being able to see everything their prospective new employer had to offer. And for someone such as Griffen, that approach would make a lot of sense.
Griffen knows his career won’t last forever and at 32-years old, he’s going to want to make the best decision he can. He’s going to want to see the city, the team facilities, and much more as he makes his decision.
Now that he could do that in Cleveland, there’s a shot they might finally be able to bring him in. If so, this defensive line would be nasty.