Cleveland Browns: 4 players of interest who escaped franchise tag

The Cleveland Browns had no one they wanted to franchise tag but that doesn’t mean they can’t still benefit from the tag deadline passing by

Tuesday, March 9 was the deadline for NFL teams to place the franchise tag on their players, and the big news centered around those who either got the tag or landed a big contract in lieu of being tagged.

Players such as Allen Robinson, Justin Simmons, and Chris Godwin were just some of the names hit with the franchise designation to keep them with their respective clubs for at least one more season. There were also deals struck by Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys (on Monday) and Lavonte David and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which kept them around without the need of the one-year designation.

As for the Cleveland Browns, there were no free agents anyone expected to see getting the tag, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t interested in the events unfolding. Cleveland is fresh off their first winning season since 2007 and chances are, general manager Andrew Berry is looking for someone to spark them even further in 2021.

With that being said, we look at four players who escaped Tuesday without the franchise tag that could fill a position of need for the Browns.

4. Bud Dupree, EDGE

A former first-round pick, Bud Dupree hits the open market after spending the past six seasons with the hated Pittsburgh Steelers. Dupree was a bit of a late-bloomer when it came to rushing the passer. He had just four sacks in his rookie season but then recorded 4.5 in just seven games in 2016 after starting the year on the IR.

He continued to play well but didn’t truly put up the sack numbers the team hoped for when taking him out of Kentucky until 2019. Playing on the fifth-year of his rookie deal, Dupree had a career-high in both tackles (68) and sacks (11.5).

It wasn’t enough to get him a long-term deal as the Steelers placed the franchise tag on him in 2020. He had eight sacks and 31 tackles in his first 11 games, again playing well but suffered a torn ACL in Week 12. That injury could make it hard for him to land a multi-year deal and could drive his price down — something that could interest Cleveland as they have shown a fondness for the one-year contracts.