3 free agents in 2023 Browns need to prioritize this offseason

1. Sione Takitaki, Linebacker

Over the past two weeks, Sione Takitaki has been arguably the best player on Cleveland’s defense outside of Myles Garrett. He’s been playing the MIKE position more often and had eight tackles and a quarterback hit against the Ravens. That was followed up with 13 tackles and a sack in Week 8 as the Browns knocked off Cincinnati.

It’s not a coincidence that the defense overall has been better these past two weeks with Takitaki stepping up. He’s also starting to get the recognition he deserves for his stellar play as of late.

A former third-round pick out of BYU, Takitaki has always been a grossly underrated player in Cleveland. He’s typically played the SAM linebacker position and since they’re constantly in the nickel, he’s been limited on the field.

However, when he was in the lineup he was constantly getting the job done. He’s not only been the best linebacker on the team when it comes to run defense but he rarely misses a tackle — which has been a concern from just about everyone else.

With all of that being said, it would be wise to make Takitaki the permanent MIKE linebacker and offer him a new contract in the offseason. He likely wouldn’t break the bank and would allow them to have a steady presence rather than continuing to bring in veterans on one-year deals.

3 Browns who have been pleasant surprises through 8 weeks

The 2022 season has been a disappointment so far for the Cleveland Browns let's look at 3 players however who have been pleasant surprises.