5 Former Cleveland Browns who would thrive on 2021 roster
By Randy Gurzi
1. Michael Dean Perry, Defensive Tackle
Our last player, Clay Matthews, Jr. would fill one of the biggest holes on the defensive side of the ball for the Browns, but there’s still one more that could use a big body — defensive tackle. And one player who would really come in and perform well at that spot if we could bring him back in his prime is Michael Dean Perry.
The brother of William “Refrigerator” Perry, MDP is from a family known for being massive and powerful. While the ‘Fridge’ received more press due to his great nickname and use on offense by the Chicago Bears, the Browns Perry brother was also a complete monster on the field.
A second-round pick in 1988 out of Clemson, Perry spent his first seven NFL seasons in Cleveland. After playing in a rotation as a rookie and recording 25 tackles and six sacks, he became a full-time starter in 1989 and made his first of three-straight Pro Bowls (he had six overall in his career).
His best season with Cleveland came in 1990 when he had 107 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Numbers such as that are unheard of for defensive tackles anymore but Perry was a beast when it came to sniffing out the ball carrier.
The Browns already have a potentially great defensive line with Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney, Takk McKinley, and Andrew Billings. However, they released Sheldon Richardson in a cost-savings move that could end up hurting them.
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Adding MDP as his replacement could end up not only filling the void, but it would be an upgrade as well — which is not a knock on Richardson, just a testament to how talented Perry was as a player.