3 Free agents Cleveland Browns could still sign in August
By Randy Gurzi
3. Larry Warford, Guard
One of the riskier moves made by former general manager John Dorsey was when he traded right guard Kevin Zeitler to the New York Giants in exchange for edge rusher Olivier Vernon. It was easy to see what he was doing as Dorsey landed a pass rusher coming off his first Pro Bowl campaign. Pairing him with former No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett was a smart move on paper but there were risks.
Not only was Vernon coming off a second-straight season with injury problems but Zeitler was an excellent guard for the Browns and there was no replacement on the roster. Dorsey hoped Austin Corbett could be the guy, but the No. 33 overall pick from the prior season proved to be a bust and was gone before the season ended.
After him, Cleveland tried Eric Kush and Justin McCray but they also were unable to hold the job down. In the end, Wyatt Teller ended up being the starter and while he was decent, simply handing him the job without competition seems dangerous. And now that Drew Forbes has opted out of the 2020 season, that’s what’s happening.
For that reason, the Browns should look to add some depth and there’s still a quality player out there in Larry Warford. Coming off his third-straight Pro Bowl appearance, Warford lost his job when the New Orleans Saints drafted Cesar Ruiz in the first round. Warford then became a salary-cap casualty as the Saints preferred to pay a third-string quarterback $16 million per season.
That could be great for Cleveland if they were to decide to give Warford a call. He wouldn’t be a long-term answer given his age but as a one-year rental, he could really help this line gel together.