3 free agents the Cleveland Browns should aggressively pursue
By Greg Newland
The Cleveland Browns enter the 2023 offseason once again looking for answers. Andrew Berry should pursue these 3 free agents to fix a lot of issues.
As we head into the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs, the Cleveland Browns remain in offseason mode and continue to calculate everything that once again went wrong in the 2022 season. It’s easy to point the finger at not having Deshaun Watson for the first 11 games of the season, but anyone who watched the games this year knows that’s not the case.
Andrew Berry went all in on Watson which still could be the right decision, but he is going to be on top of his game as a general manager for the next two seasons. Not only will he be limited in his cap space because of multiple large contracts already on the roster, but he will also be limited in the number of draft picks he has based on the haul it took to get Watson.
Berry and Kevin Stefanski shook up things early firing their defensive coordinator Joe Woods and hiring a coaching veteran in Jim Schwartz. With there likely to be a lot more moves this offseason, here are three free agents the Browns should be aggressively after.
Browns FA Target No. 3 – Mecole Hardman, Wide Receiver
Not a top priority but certainly on the list this offseason for the Cleveland Browns is filling the void at the third receiver. Berry drafted Michael Woods and David Bell to attempt to fix the issue, but neither has worked out after Anthony Schwartz struck out in 2021.
A guy that could be of interest is Mecole Hardman who is currently playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. For so long Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce overshadowed him, and now the addition of Kadarius Toney and the emergence of Isiah Pacheco in the running game there is a great chance that hardman will be looking for a new home in 2023.
In his first three years in the league, Hardman had just under 1,800 yards receiving to go along with 12 touchdowns, but production has been limited in 2022 with so many other weapons for Patrick Mahomes.
Hardman is a former second-round pick which Berry will like and is the perfect fit in the slot for Watson. Not only does this additional make sense from a scheme perspective, but the price should also be right for the Browns as well.