5 Free Agent Defensive Tackles Cleveland Browns could target in 2023

For the Cleveland Browns to improve their performance in 2023, they need to find a free-agent defensive tackle or two to give new DC Jim Schwartz a fighting chance

The Cleveland Browns are aiming to improve their defensive unit for the 2023 season and with the hiring of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, they will likely look to build up their defensive line — and there are several free-agent defensive tackles that would be excellent targets to consider.

While the front office will be limited with the funds this offseason, we should still expect to see them try and come up with some unique ways of spending on new deals.

Here are three players they should target as they search for that improvement along the line.

Cleveland Browns target No.5: Fletcher Cox, DT Philadelphia Eagles

The reason to try and go with Fletcher Cox in free agency is his connection to Jim Schwartz — but it also doesn’t hurt that they might be able to get him on a cheaper deal than most on this list.

Cox earned $14 million this past season but most projections have him making about half of that as the 32-year-old player looks to finish his career. Schwartz was in Philadelphia between 2016-2020 and was one of the reasons the 11-year veteran became a regular Pro Bowler and the Eagles went to the Super Bowl in 2018.

He’s played his entire career in Philly and racked up 65 sacks, 13 fumble returns, including three touchdowns, and 57 quarterback hurries. Is Schwartz coming to Cleveland attractive enough to him to bring him over to the Browns? It could be a difficult sell but it’s not the most unlikely either. Another Eagle, Javon Hargrave will be on the free agent market as well but he’s going to demand in the range of $20 million to sign.

Cleveland, at the moment, is really strapped as far as cap space being in the red because of the current deals the team has on contracts of players like Deshaun Watson and Myles Garrett. If they can come up with some creative ways to manage their funding and even restructure a few current contracts of some of their stars, then maybe the team can go after a few higher-valued defensive tackles we look at next.

Cleveland Browns target No.4: Daron Payne, DT Washington Commanders

Daron Payne’s name has been popping up in many conversations among Browns fans. However, while he’s a great ball player, his market value is really high, and won’t likely be a strong candidate to come to Cleveland.

Still, he got fans excited recently when he was “geeked” about a jersey swap with Amari Cooper who was on Payne’s team during their days at Alabama.

Payne just finished up his most productive season with the Commanders as he finished with 11.5 sacks, 64 tackles, 18 tackles for losses, and 20 quarterback hits. He just completed his fifth season and will be looking to strike gold with his next deal, and could be looking to approach the $20 million mark with that type of production.

He’s progressively improved every season and the idea of giving a coach like Jim Schwartz a chance to mold a young upcoming 25-year-old seems like a great deal, but the cost might be too high for the Browns this offseason.

It certainly helps to have a player like Amari Cooper on the team and maybe that could factor into any decision made by all parties so we shall wait and see how things pan out.

Cleveland Browns target No.3: Sheldon Rankins, DT, New York Jets

A more reasonable free agent in comparison to a player like Payne could be someone like Sheldon Rankins, of the New York Jets. His going market value is expected closer to the $7 million range.

Rankins has played in the league for six years after being selected at No. 12 in the 2016 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. His best season statistically was back in 2018, when he racked up eight sacks, recorded 40 tackles, including 12 for losses, and had 15 quarterback hits.

This past season while playing in New York, he did have 43 tackles and three sacks. In the game against the Browns in Week 2, Rankins recorded five tackles and had one quarterback hit.

The Jets could be rebuilding parts of their defense as they have several free agents who could be looking to move on.

As for Rankins, while he hasn’t knocked anyone’s socks off in his career, he still has some good upside. He scored out at a 73.1 according to Pro Football Focus and his 33 solo tackles ranked him the 19th best in the league.

For comparison, current Cleveland defensive tackle Jordan Elliott ranked 47th overall with 25 tackles on the season and he graded out at only a 40.4 according to PFF.

Cleveland Browns target No.2: David Onyemata, New Orleans Saints, DT

Another free agent who might be looking for a change of scenery is David Onyemata, who’s played for the New Orleans Saints for the past seven seasons. He’d also be a better bargain for the Browns as they look to find potential starters that fit into their budget.

Onyemata was a Saints fourth-round pick back in 2016 and has been a steady presence on their defensive line. He’s a bit older compared to what Cleveland might be looking for, but with an old-school coach like Schwartz coaching up the defense it might be a good move to bring in a savvy vet.

Onyemata’s career can be described with one word — consistent. He’s recorded a total of 244 tackles, including 43 this past season to go along with five sacks. He also had five tackles for losses and hit the quarterback 11 times providing some decent pressure up the middle.

As for what it might take to lure him to Cleveland, his market value is projected to be in the $9-10 million range. While that’s still pretty high, he’s a tackle that has shown a steadiness to it that many other players can’t maintain from year to year.

Cleveland Browns target No.1: Khalen Saunders, Kansas City, DT

When you’re watching the Kansas City Chiefs take on the Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend in an AFC Divisional Game, keep an eye on Kansas City defensive tackle Khalen Saunders.

He’s finishing up his rookie contract after being drafted by the Chiefs back in 2019. He’ll be looking for a raise in his second contract as he hits free agency. While the Chiefs are a winning organization, Saunders might be attracted to play for a coach like Jim Schwartz who has a history of producing Pro Bowlers.

Saunders really came to play in his fourth season as he recorded career-highs in nearly all major statistical categories. While he wasn’t a starter, he still produced while playing close to 40 percent of the defensive snaps.

He tallied 48 tackles this season along with 3.5 sacks. In his best game of the year, a Week 3 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, he had eight tackles and two quarterback hits. He had a grade of 60 with PFF and tied for seventh place with 20 assisted tackles.

His market value is listed out at between $6-7 million, but the Browns might be able to sign him to a deal a bit cheaper with some incentives built in along the way.

While none of these free agents are great bargains at this point, we’ll have to track the market as free agency gets underway in mid-March. Cleveland needs to invest in this part of the team the most and I’d suspect they will figure out a way to pay a player or two a bit more than many of us are predicting at this point.

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