3 splash free agents the Cleveland Browns should consider on defense
By Greg Newland
Browns Splash Free Agent Target No. 1 – Jessie Bates, S
The guy at the top of my sheet for the Cleveland Browns to at least look at is Jessie Bates of the Cincinnati Bengals. With contracts for Ja’Marr Chase and Joe Burrow coming up, I don’t see the Bengals being able to keep Bates another season. We all know that Paul Brown doesn’t have endless funds to pay singing bonuses and manipulate the salary cap like other teams.
With a new defensive coordinator coming in, there is a good chance that the Browns go back to a standard 3-4 defense. However, it appears that Joe Johnson is a likely cut, and I would be shocked if Ronnie Harrison returns for another year. That leaves Grant Delpit who is more of a strong safety and a huge gap at free where Bates would be a perfect fit.
Not only is Bates a ball-hawk, but he’s also fantastic in run support when needed. Having a backfield of Bates and Delpit would still leave me slightly concerned about getting beat deep but would definitely sure up the run defense which has been a huge concern.
Bates will be the top safety available and could go for big dollars, but again, safety is still a position in the league that hasn’t been paid even close to what top cornerbacks are receiving. Berry may see the opening to get an All-Pro caliber player and not have to spend $20 million per year.
Unfortunately, there is just no way the Browns can afford all three of these guys, but I would call it an extremely successful offseason if they were able to land one of these monster playmakers.
