2. Sheldon Richardson, Defensive Tackle
When the Cleveland Browns season ended, there was some question about the status of Sheldon Richardson — from outside sources of course, not the team. Richardson has been a solid defensive tackle for the past two seasons for the Browns but he also makes a whole lot of money and will be 31 this November.
The concerns seemed to die out when Cleveland elected not to re-sign Larry Ogunjobi, making Richardson’s spot seem safe. But then, the Browns added Malik Jackson.
On the surface, this is a complete depth move. Jackson, who is also 31, won’t exactly push Richardson for starting time but is there to play in a rotation alongside him. But as you look deeper, you could see why a move could still be on the table.
In addition to Jackson and Richardson, the Browns have Andrew Billings and Jordan Elliott on the roster. Billings is the lone one-technique whereas Elliott and Jackson are better suited in the three-technique, which is where Richardson plays.
Perhaps the team envisions Elliott in the nose spot, but they could also add someone fairly cheap as a backup and look to save money by trading Richardson and keeping Elliott where he is.
If they did go this route, they would save roughly $11.5 million by moving on from Richardson. And just for some comparison, OverTheCap.com has Richardson at $13.16 million this season and Jackson at just $1.1 million.
Another option would be to extend Richardson and re-work the overall cap hit, but a trade could always be a possibility. And it became an even bigger one with the signing of Jadeveon Clowney.