3 backup plans for Cleveland Browns now that J.J. Watt is off the market

J.J. Watt won’t join the Cleveland Browns, but they can still land a new defensive end

Many around the league including Cleveland Browns fans were shocked Monday at the news of J.J. Watt signing a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals. The money (two-years, $31 million, with $23 million guaranteed) makes sense, the weather makes sense, and even Watt announcing the decision himself makes sense.

What doesn’t make sense is going to a team that is still a long way from competing for a title? When Watt asked for his release in February, many speculated it was from not wanting to go through a complete rebuild and wanting to have a chance at a Super Bowl, when clearly it was about winning games, but also getting paid.

I’ll never fault an NFL player for getting paid, it’s human nature to want to earn as much money as possible and these players are no different. I am surprised though that he didn’t take a little less guaranteed money to go to a team that had a chance to win immediately.

Honestly, while I was excited at the opportunity to have Watt on the Cleveland Browns roster, it’s probably best that it didn’t happen. Watt has shown he can be an elite player, but injuries have been too consistent as of late to invest that much money.

At this point, no matter how much you wanted Watt, it’s time to move on and refocus on the next target. Here are three alternative free agents this year that may end up being better fits at defensive end for the Cleveland Browns in 2021 than Watt would have been.