Cleveland Browns should be aggressive in free agency
By Greg Newland
Strength in the middle of the defense
While no one questions the effort and heart of the Cleveland Browns linebackers, they were just undermanned in 2020. Part of that was because of injuries, but part was because the Browns just didn’t have a ton of talent. A knee injury in training camp seemed to slow Mack Wilson down all year, and Sione Takitaki and B.J. Goodson struggled in coverage and lacked athleticism for outside runs.
Rookie Jacob Phillips did show some promise, but he missed multiple games with a knee injury which is never a good sign. With the hole being so apparent in games this year, look for Berry to finally spend some money at the position to try and plug the swiss cheese defense of 2020.
Avery Williamson (Steelers) could be a major name to watch for. Williamson is only 29-years-old and is coming off a big 2020 season. Williamson was traded from the Jets to the Steelers before the trade deadline, and he ended up being a major piece of the defense with 52 tackles in only eight games. Pittsburgh will likely have a huge interest in re-signing, but cap issues could prohibit that from coming to fruition.
A signing like this would be the most uncharacteristic of Berry but maybe the lift this team needs. Wilson, Phillips, and Takitaki can handle the outside, but they need an enforcer in the middle of the defense to help defend the run. Don’t be surprised to see Berry spend some money on linebacker which goes against the analytical approach.