4 free agent edge rushers the Cleveland Browns need to consider this offseason
By Greg Newland
After watching the Super Bowl on Sunday, there is one big takeaway for the Cleveland Browns this offseason — they need another dominant pass rusher opposite of Myles Garrett in 2021. With the Kansas City Chiefs being without their starting tackles, Patrick Mahomes looked as average as I’ve ever seen with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers putting a tremendous amount of pressure on him.
Olivier Vernon was starting to come on and fill that role in 2020 before an Achilles injury that took him off the field. Because of his age and such a serious injury, Vernon’s days in Cleveland are likely done and Andrew Berry will be looking to fill the major void in free agency with a player who has a proven track record.
Melvin Ingram:
One veteran the Cleveland Browns could look to is Melvin Ingram, who has spent all nine years with the Los Angeles Chargers. While there is likely some allegiance to his old team because of the long-term relationship, the Chargers have plenty of others to sign and could be ready to move on after Ingram missed 9 games in 2020 with a nagging knee injury.
What is even more problematic with Ingram is his best season in the NFL is now four years behind him. However, at age 32 Ingram may be in a situation where he just wants to win now and could be willing to take a short-term deal in the $14-15 million per year range. If that was the case, the Browns could be a good fit.
Ingram is a smaller rush end at 6-foot-1, 265 pounds, but with a high motor, he has shown in the past he can be a dominant force. After a few down seasons compared to his 2017 campaign where he racked up 10.5 sacks, the Browns could get a motivated veteran who wants to try and get one more contract before riding into the retirement sunset.
Ingram isn’t an exciting option in my opinion, but at the right price, I can see Berry getting excited about a strong return on investment if the knee injury is no longer an issue.