4 defensive sleepers Cleveland Browns should sign in 2021 free agency

2. Takkarist McKinley, EDGE

Last season, the Cleveland Browns tried and failed to acquire defensive end Takkarist McKinley more than once. An athletic freak at UCLA, McKinley was taken 26th overall in the 2017 NFL Draft which proved to be a round with several busts at defensive end. There was McKinley at 26, Charles Harris at 22, and Taco Charlton at 28 — all who are no longer with their teams — and Solomon Thomas at No. 3 who is about to head to a new team.

Not to brag, but the Browns did perfectly fine with their pass rusher, landing Myles Garrett at No. 1 overall, but outside of T.J. Watt (who went to Pittsburgh at 29) none of the others have met their expectations.

While it’s true there were some misses, it doesn’t mean the players don’t have talent. That’s especially true of McKinley who clearly has believers in the NFL since he was claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals, the San Francisco 49ers, and Las Vegas Raiders last season. On the flip side, he was waived by the Atlanta Falcons, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the San Francisco 49ers so he clearly has some stuff to work out.

Despite his inability to stick with any team in 2020, Takk is a pure pass-rusher who has immense untapped potential. He also started to come on early in his career, recording 13 sacks in his first two seasons before picking up just 4.5 in his final 17 games with Atlanta.

Cleveland was interested once before and they might be again. There’s definitely risk involved here but the potential reward is worth that gamble.