4 Free agent edge rushers Cleveland Browns need to target in 2022
By John Suchan
The Cleveland Browns should try and bring back Jadeveon Clowney next season but if they don’t there are several free-agent edge rushers that are available
The Cleveland Browns had defensive ends Jadeveon Clowney and Myles Garrett bookend a line that did pretty well last season. Garrett finished the year with a Browns single-season sack record with 16 of them. Clowney finished with nine sacks and had one of the best seasons of his career.
He came over to the Browns as a free agent last year after bouncing around the league the last couple of years. The former 2014 No. 1 draft pick of the Houston Texans hadn’t had a season as he did with Cleveland since he played in Houston.
Now, Clowney is a free agent again and will be looking to cash in on his big season that was. Do the Browns try to resign him when the free agency window opens in March? He had an $8 million deal with the team, but he will certainly demand more.
Keeping Clowney in Cleveland for the 2022 campaign should be a top priority of this team’s front office this offseason. Hopefully, Clowney found playing with Garrett helped reenergize his career. The team didn’t make it to the playoffs but with another year of Garrett and Clowney playing tag team on the opponent’s quarterback and seeking sacks the team should be in better shape to get back in contention.
However, if Clowney finds a better deal elsewhere once free agency begins, the Browns need to be ready to try and sign a new defensive end that will be able to replace the production we saw from Clowney this last season. They will likely look to the NFL Draft in a couple of months to pick up some players that could help on the defensive line, but that won’t immediately fill the hole that Clowney leaves if he does.
Let’s drive into the backfield and discuss several defensive end free agents that could potentially step in right away and help the team maintain their defensive success.