Cleveland Browns offseason blueprint: How many roster spots are up for grabs?
By Sam Penix
Free agents
Rashard Higgins
It’s very unlikely that both Higgins and Landry will be on the team next season. Higgins does basically everything that Landry does, except he can also operate in the 10-20-yard range, unlike Landry. He’ll also likely be quite a bit cheaper as well. Higgins will probably be back, but there’s no guarantee.
Kendall Lamm
Lamm has been a quality backup for the past two seasons, but with players like Alex Taylor providing better athleticism and versatility at a lower cost, Lamm may be on the outside looking in.
Marvin Hall
Hall was brought in to provide some semblance of a vertical threat, but that didn’t really materialize. The Browns are sure to address that need with better and younger players, so Hall won’t be back.
Taywan Taylor
A 2017 third-round pick by the Tennessee Titans, Taylor has been targeted twice in six games over the past two seasons, catching neither of them. He won’t be back either.
JoJo Natson
Natson was signed to return punts, and then was used as a gadget player to try and create some misdirection on offense before tearing his ACL. That role will be filled by someone else.
Larry Ogunjobi
Ogunjobi was playing out of position for much of 2020, but he’s been on a downward trend since his rookie season, and the excellent physical ability that he possesses has not manifested itself in consistent production. He’ll be too expensive for his performance, and will need to be replaced.
Vincent Taylor
As the team’s fourth DT and backup (and only true) 1-tech, Taylor didn’t play too badly. He could be re-signed to a cheap deal and then perhaps cut if the Browns can find a 1-tech in the draft.
Olivier Vernon
It’s a shame that Vernon suffered a torn achilles in Week 17, because he was Cleveland’s best defensive player from Week 8 onward. He was playing himself into a new contract with the team, but now may not be ready for the beginning of next season. It’d be great for the Browns to sign him to a good-faith one-year deal, stash him on injured reserve, and let him play his value back up towards the end of the year.
Malcolm Smith
Smith was the team’s best coverage linebacker, but that doesn’t mean he was all that good at it. He’ll be 32, and his role could be better filled by younger, faster players.
B.J. Goodson
The same goes for Goodson, who called signals for the defense but whose lack of instincts and speed were evident whenever he was on the field. Phillips should take over at MIKE for Goodson.
Tae Davis
A core special teamer, Davis could be brought back and given a larger role on defense given his physical traits.
Elijah Lee
A mid-season waiver claim, Lee helped out on special teams, but will likely be replaced in 2021.
Kevin Johnson
Johnson was signed to play the slot, and while the former first-round pick wasn’t bad, he wasn’t all that good either. There will be much better options available for around the same cost.
Karl Joseph
When he was deployed as a moneybacker in the box, Joseph outplayed all of Cleveland’s linebackers near the line of scrimmage. He could easily be retained to play that role more often next season.
Andrew Sendejo
One of the league’s worst starting safeties last year, it would be a huge surprise to see Sendejo kept around.
Terrance Mitchell
Mitchell is a fine player, but he’s not the type of guy you want starting on a Super Bowl contender. Perhaps he’ll be brought back as depth, but if that happens, his snap count should plummet.
Cody Parkey
He’ll never live down the Double Doink, but Parkey was overall solid last season. There will be competition for him in training camp, but it wouldn’t be a surprise for him to return.