5 free agent cornerbacks the Cleveland Browns should target in 2022
By John Suchan
The Cleveland Browns will have an opportunity to search the free agency market of cornerbacks in hopes of building some depth at that position
One of the highlights of the Cleveland Browns recent season was their win against the Cincinnati Bengals back in November. In that game, Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow was seemingly going down the field with his offense and they were ready to score the first touchdown on the day.
However, Cleveland cornerback Denzel Ward made a perfect play defensively and jumped in front of Cincinnati’s star receiver Ja’Marr Chase and went 99 yards the other way for the pick-six. From there, the Browns rolled on and beat the Bengals soundly that day.
Ward’s stunning pick was a great example of how cornerbacks can influence a game. This offseason the Browns have an opportunity to look around the league through free agency and also in the upcoming draft to try and bolster the cornerback room as it sits now in Berea.
They have corners Greedy Williams, A.J. Green, and Greg Newsome II all returning. Ward is also due to be back and will be getting paid $13 million in this fifth year of his rookie contract. There have been talks between the Browns and Ward on a new contract extension in the past. That conversation could continue this offseason, but it’s not a done deal yet. Stay tuned.
M.J. Stewart, another cornerback for the team, is a free agent and could be looking for a bigger deal than the Browns are willing to give him on his next contract.
There’s a huge number of free-agent cornerbacks available this spring and the Browns will likely be in the market looking for a good deal. There are many higher-priced corners, with many more years of experience out there this offseason, including Stephon Gilmore, Patrick Peterson, Joe Haden, and Kyle Fuller. However, the Browns would likely be looking at more reasonably priced free agents.
Having Newsome II and Ward likely locked in as the starters going into next season, the Browns would be looking for depth at the position. Do they concentrate on finding that talent from the large pool of players available in the market or do they settle on drafting a few backs from the college ranks?
Cleveland has been signing players in previous years from free agency, usually coming off of initial deals with other teams. With that in mind, we’re going to showcase several cornerbacks the team should consider and try and sign. Some are coming off of those rookie deals and others are still young but may have had a contract or two already.