With Andrew Berry letting the free agency market cool off a bit, the Cleveland Browns should try and sign these three players before the 2022 Draft.
While it’s certain that the Cleveland Browns are all in on their future after trading six draft picks for the star quarterback, Deshaun Watson, it’s still not clear what his availability will be like for the 2022 season.
With the latest report that there won’t be any trials held until after the 2022 season, there’s a chance that there may not be any suspension at all this year. However, a lingering suspension for the 2023 season could be just as damaging.
Remember, Watson has failed to be indicted on criminal charges for any of the cases, but he still faces 22 civil suits. There isn’t a great comparison in recent history, but many do believe that he will face at least a four games suspension with the likely hood of it being six or even eight games.
While it’s great that Watson can start to focus totally on football, these distractions will once again be back and I’m sure the Browns organization is ready for this to be in the rear-view mirror and just deal with the consequences now.
The good news for the Browns is they have a talented roster, and even with Jacoby Brissett at quarterback, they have a strong chance at winning games. It would be nice to see a couple of cupcake teams early in the season, so the Browns have a great chance of winning even if Watson is suspended.
The bad news for the Browns? They still have a few holes on this roster that need to be addressed. And while I’m a big fan of building through the draft, the positions with the biggest holes currently are tough to fill in later rounds.
For the Browns to have a real shot at competing for a Super Bowl in 2022, Andrew Berry should sign these free agents before the draft.
Cleveland Browns Free Agent Target No. 3: Star Lotulelei, Defensive Tackle
A free agent signing that matches the Andrew Berry strategy would be former Buffalo Bill defensive tackle, Star Lotulelei. The former first-round pick had several successful seasons with the Carolina Panthers and signed a 5-year, $50 million deal with the Bills in 2018.
After two great seasons, Lotulelei missed 2020 after opting out because of COVID19, and wouldn’t return to the field until 2021. The monster defensive tackle then missed time in 2021 after struggling with COVID19, and then was never able to find himself back on the field.
After a full offseason to recover and only a few years left in his prime at age 32, Lotulelei is likely looking to join a competitive team where he can work his way in as a starter.
The Cleveland Browns could be a perfect fit who have a few young guys at the position, but no one as good at stopping the run as Lotulelei. Not only would he be a starter, his veteran experience and playoff history with the Bills could be extremely beneficial to the team.
Given that he has made it as a free agent this far, the market likely isn’t as hot for him as expected. Look for Berry to take advantage of that and try to swoop in and get him on a one-year deal to give him a chance to get one bigger contract before his career ends.
Cleveland Browns Free Agent Target No. 2: Will Fuller, Wide Receiver
The Cleveland Browns traded for Amari Cooper and are expected to draft a wide receiver with pick No. 44 in the 2022 NFL draft, but I still think they will look to add another wide receiver in free agency.
The only guys left from last year are Anthony Schwartz and Donovan Peoples-Jones (DPJ). Schwartz was less than impressive and even though DPJ has shown some promise, I don’t think he is slated as a starter at this point.
If the Browns do go wide receiver at pick No. 44, they will likely get someone very talented in a deep class of receivers. With that, I love the addition of Will Fuller. Not only does he have a strong relationship with Deshaun Watson, but you will also likely get him at a huge discount because of all his injuries.
DPJ may not be in love with being the fourth receiver on the roster, but you also have some solid depth for if (likely when) some sort of injury happens. You will also give your rookie a little more time to adapt to the NFL if he doesn’t transition quite as quickly as you expected.
Fuller’s best season was in 2020 when Watson was his quarterback. He racked up 879 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, all coming in only 11 games of action.
I get it, the injury risk is high with a guy like Fuller. But if you can steal him from $5-7 million on a one-year deal, I think Berry should pull the trigger in a second.
Cleveland Browns Free Agent Target No. 1: Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End
I’ll be honest with you, it is getting tiring again with Jadeveon Clowney playing the waiting game. I’m not sure why he chooses the strategy either, every offseason it just seems to eliminate his options and he ends up signing another one-year deal trying to prove he is elite.
Don’t get me wrong, he was elite in 2021 for the Cleveland Browns, but I think teams have finally realized he isn’t an elite No. 1 option. The only reason he was so good is that a guy like Myles Garrett takes so much of the heat off him.
Yet, here I am listing him as the number one option.
Not only is Clowney a solid pass rusher, but he is also as good as they come at defending the run. He always has his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage, and he doesn’t miss tackles.
Yes, guys like Melvin Ingram or Trey Flowers would be great additions for the Browns, but they just lack that freak athleticism Clowney has and is so desirable. As valuable as Garrett is to Clowney, you could also argue it the other way.
The rumors are that the Browns have a two-year deal in front of Clowney now, but he continues to wait and see how things play out.
I think Berry is confident that he will be able to close this deal, but I would love to see it official sooner than later.