3 Cleveland Browns who will outperform their 2021 contract

The Cleveland Browns roster is stacked right now and part of the reason for that is the fact that they have some players on great contracts, like these three

A huge part of building a team in the NFL is finding players who can come in and perform at a high level for a bargain. It’s a balancing act when it comes to the salary cap and the Cleveland Browns have done a good job of making sure they build their team the right way.

It might not always work out, which is why we have looked at three players who might not live up to their contract in 2021. Here, we look again at the salary situation and identify three members of the Browns who will outplay their salary for the coming season.

Note: We have left players on their rookie deals off this list because their contracts are usually set, meaning any good player will be outperforming that contract for the majority of their deal.

All salary information will be courtesy of OverTheCap.com.

3. Malik Jackson, Defensive Tackle

One of the toughest moves to deal with this offseason was seeing Sheldon Richardson being let go. He’s been one of the leaders on the defensive line but his salary was rather high. Heading into 2021, chances are Malik Jackson will be the player who takes over for Richardson.

According to Over The Cap, Jackson will make just over $1.8 million this season. Last year, Jackson had 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Philadelphia Eagles in a rotational role. He was coming back from a foot injury that cost him 15 games in 2019 and he could end up being closer to the player we saw in 2018 with Jacksonville.

Having said that, Jackson won’t be an every-down player but the truth is, he will play better than his salary suggests.