3 potential free agents Cleveland Browns should target covering all units
By Jacob Roach
Cleveland Browns free agency target no. 2, DJ Jones, Defensive Tackle San Francisco
To say that the Cleveland Browns defensive tackles struggled up the middle against the run would be an understatement. The Pittsburgh Steelers were a bad running team this year, but they noticed the weak tackle play in Cleveland and exploited it in both matchups. The Browns are also likely to lose both of their starters at that position so adding at least one in free agency is a must.
DJ Jones has the size you want in a defensive tackle, standing at 6 feet tall and weighing in at 304 pounds. He is what the Browns hoped Andrew Billings would be, a big, strong player that holds his ground and fills holes. This season in San Francisco he started all 17 games for the 49ers and finished with 10 tackles for loss and 2 sacks.
His strength is in the run game he just isn’t the kind of player that gets pushed around by the opposing lineman. When you put on the tape of Jones you just see a guy that fills his gaps and holds the point of attack. He plays with a great pad level, takes on blocks really well, and is just relentless in the run game, exactly what the Browns were missing this season.
Jones’s contract in 2021 was for less than 3.5 million against the cap, making him another affordable contract. They would still need to add a pass-rushing defensive tackle somewhere but Jones would help to fill a major need for this team.