The NFL free agency window for players to sign with teams opens soon and the Cleveland Browns will be active in trying to secure new and old players
The NFL offseason is just starting to warm up this week with the NFL Combine taking place in Indianapolis this week. Many NFL teams and fans of the game are watching every sprint, jump, and run around orange cones and trying to figure out who’s going to be the next NFL star. It’s great to see a player run the 40-yard dash in 4.22 seconds but how does that look on any given Sunday during the NFL season?
Beyond the NFL Combine this week, the league has the free agency window opening up on March 14th when players can start chatting with teams. These players are veterans and have a track record of success in the NFL and for a team like the Cleveland Browns, will likely help their team get back to the postseason sooner than relying on rookie players they draft in April.
Here are a few bold predictions that could change the look of this Cleveland team that is very close to vying for a championship.
Cleveland Browns free agency bold prediction No. 5: Browns will re-sign TE David Njoku
There will be many offers coming David Njoku’s way when the free agency window opens in just over a week from now. He’s been with a member of the Browns since 2017. There are numerous stories out there on what could happen with Njoku who had one of his better seasons as he grabbed 36 passes for 475 yards and four touchdowns. He had a career-best 13.2 yards per catch average too.
Cleveland has two other tight ends on the roster in Austin Hooper and Harrison Bryant. There is speculation that Hooper could be released by Cleveland to increase their cap space and target other free agent players this offseason. According to spotrac.com, if Hooper were cut by the team after June 1st, they would absorb $3.75 million in dead cap money, but they’d also save $9.5 million in cap space.
Will some team or the Browns be willing to sign Njoku on his next contract for double-digit millions? The veteran tight end made $6 million this past year and it might take a team over $10 million to pull him in on their team. To franchise tag Njoku and keep him Cleveland for one more season the number might look like $10-11 million.
In a recent tweet on Twitter, the tight end shared his enthusiasm for rejoining the Browns.
Much can happen during this frantic part of the offseason, but as for Njoku and the Browns, it certainly looks like the two will stick together.
Cleveland Browns free agency bold prediction No. 4: Browns will lose out on bidding wars for DE Jadeveon Clowney
As much as most Browns fans would love to see Jadeveon Clowney re-sign in this free agency frenzy about to take place, it might not be enough to keep him in Cleveland. Despite having a resurgence to his career getting to play opposite his Browns defensive lineman teammate Myles Garrett and setting his best statistical numbers since he left the Houston Texans in 2018.
He’ll like be looking for a big payday of upwards of $15 million a season and there will surely be multiple teams in the mix vying for his services. He’s said in the past that he loved playing opposite Garrett this past year but he’s also seeking a lot of money and wants to play for a winning organization. The Browns finished with a record of 8-9 and missed the playoffs after reaching the postseason the year before.
The Browns will certainly try and get him back but the other factors for Clowney’s decision might be too much and expect Cleveland to wish him well elsewhere. There are several other free agents available that could step in and provide similar production as Clowney did this past season. But it will still be tough if he departs.
Cleveland Browns free agency bold prediction No. 3: Browns lands DE Chandler Jones
With the idea that Jadeveon Clowney leaves Cleveland for another team in free agency, the Browns will need to target another veteran defensive back and pass rusher. Chandler Jones has been a staple with the Arizona Cardinals and has had a solid career that started in New England.
In his 10-year career between playing for the Cardinals and the New England Patriots, he’s registered 107.5 sacks, 33 forced fumbles, and been a menace to quarterbacks around the league over his career. In that career seven of his ten seasons, he’s recorded double-digit sacks. He had a career-high 19 of them in 2019.
His last contract with the Cardinals was very pricey as Chandler made over $20 million last season. However, now at the age of 32, a team like the Browns could potentially work a new deal out that would be structured to help both sides out. According to spotrac.com, his value this next season is listed at around $14.5 million on a new deal.
The downside here is his age and it doesn’t exactly fit the Browns previous gets in free agency however his consistency over the years could be a nice replacement if Clowney couldn’t be re-signed.
Cleveland Browns free agency bold prediction No. 2: Browns get veteran WR Mike Williams
There are several big-name free agent wide receivers available when the free agency window opens in over a week including Allen Robinson, Chris Godwin, and Mike Williams. News also broke this week that the Dallas Cowboys might be releasing their star wide receiver, Amari Cooper. So, there will be an opportunity for the Browns to make a splash and sign one of these players.
Mike Williams, from the Los Angeles Chargers, would be my pick because he’s a big receiver and has had an outstanding and consistent career. Watching him burn the Browns secondary twice in this previous season only reinforced the need for Cleveland to try and bring in a player of Williams’s abilities to help get this team back to the playoffs.
In his previous three seasons, the 6-foot-4 receiver recorded nearly 3,000 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns and he has proven to have a knack for scoring on big plays. He led the league in receptions over 40 yards with nine of them.
Williams can help the Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield out next season with his versatility and ability to create on offense and he’d be providing him a big target.
Cleveland Browns free agency bold prediction No. 1: Browns get a new backup QB in Marcus Mariota
Assuming the Browns release their current backup quarterback Case Keenum to save money as the team looks for more cap space, they will have to sign a new veteran quarterback to back up Baker Mayfield. Mitch Trubisky and hometown kid of Cleveland, who’s a free agent too could be someone that the team looks to.
However, I think the more likely replacement to Keenum would be Marcus Mariota. He was the former Tennessee Titans starter for several years and his versatility and running ability he has to escape the pocket and gain yards for his team could all be selling points to a Cleveland team needing a quarterback that would potentially fill in for Mayfield but also push him for starting duties this upcoming training camp.
Mariota made $3.5 million a year ago with the Las Vegas Raiders and he’ll be looking for a better deal and the potential to start games next season. Cleveland certainly would seem a possibility for Mariota. The Browns current quarterback is going into his lame-duck season and has only this next year left on his rookie contract to try and convince the front office to offer an extension.
Mariota is a really good quarterback that could be a bridge to a new quarterback the Browns might draft in this year or next year’s draft should they either decide to move on from Mayfield or if he elects to look for a fresh start himself when he hits free agency.