The Cleveland Browns didn’t have the best 2022 season as they finished with a 7-10 mark and last-place honors in the AFC North. While there were some good moves made — including trading for quarterback Deshaun Watson and wide receiver Amari Cooper as well as drafting cornerback Martin Emerson — there were other moves made that didn’t go as planned.
Cleveland has struggled to find the right players to fit into their defense of late but now the organization parted ways with defensive coordinator Joe Woods and brought in veteran coach Jim Schwartz to help build up the defense again. The Browns have been a mess with stopping the run as they ranked at the bottom of the NFL standings in that department. Part of that issue has been because the Browns haven’t drafted well nor found decent free agents at the defensive line position to make serious progress.
Let’s first take a look at a few of those free agents that won’t be back on defense and then a couple of offensive player free agents that will not be back in Cleveland after brief stints.
Browns DT, Taven Bryan
A former Round 1 pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018, Taven Bryan, signed a one-year deal for $4 million with the Browns during the last free agency market season. He had never been a regular starter on the defensive line until he came to Cleveland while he had a couple of moments, including a few sacks, he only finished with 26 tackles on the season and never had one of those “wow” moments where you were like, “well where’s that player been all this time”.
The Browns had a really poor defensive line unit that could never stop the run a year ago. With the arrival of Jim Schwartz, he will make it a priority to upgrade that line, whether that be in free agency or the NFL Draft. Because of this, Bryan will likely look to move on as it doesn’t seem that the Browns will bring him back.
Browns DE, Chase Winovich
Chase Winovich, the former New England Patriots defender, was brought to Cleveland in hopes that he could provide a spark at the defensive end spot in a backup role to give breaks to Myles Garrett and Javeon Clowney on the edge.
Unfortunately, Winovich was injured quite a bit this past season, and while he had a few good games where his name was called, it wasn’t enough to be excited about his return. As mentioned earlier with Schwartz, taking over as defensive coordinator, he will look to find his type of players to fit his defense and Winovich likely didn’t do enough to capture Schwartz’s interest in all likelihood.
The former Michigan Wolverine was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft by New England, where he spent his first three seasons. He only was able to play in eight games, including two starts this season for the Browns, and recorded 20 tackles and had one sack.
Now he’s a free agent and he will likely look to strike a deal with a new team. He could follow the Browns’ former defensive coordinator Joe Woods down to New Orleans where he was recently named the Saints’ new defensive coordinator.
It’s a bit of a disappointment that Winovich missed an opportunity in Cleveland because of his nagging injury. He’d been looked at as a good replacement for Mack Wilson, who went to Winovich’s old team the New England Patriots in a trade that swapped the two players.
Wilson had a decent season back in New England but didn’t do anything spectacular either. So, I’d say it was a bit of a wash with the trade results.
Browns TEs Pharaoh Brown and Jesse James
If nothing else, both Pharaoh Brown and Jesse James have cool names, but neither tight end did enough this season with Cleveland to have the team bring them back next year. Brown had been in Cleveland in the past and was a late signing in October of this past year. James had played in Pittsburgh with the Steelers and also spent time with the Detroit Lions.
James only played in two games with the Browns this past season and never recorded a catch. He cost them a little over $1 million but produced nothing.
Brown signed with Cleveland after he started the season with the Houston Texans.
In Cleveland, he actually got five starts mostly due to when David Njoku and Harrison Bryant were injured. He finished with five catches for 45 yards for the Browns. Despite the fill-in role, Cleveland will likely look to draft another tight end or pick up a different one in free agency going into the 2023 season.
Cleveland has two tight ends in David Njoku and Harrison Bryant that are primary targets in the team’s offense. While Njoku is the assumed leader of the pack, one never knows when that next injury strikes, so the Browns would be wise to invest either in a draft pick and get a player like Dalton Kincaid or pick up a free agent tight end like Irv Smith Jr. from the Minnesota Vikings.
He was once coached by the Browns’ current head coach Kevin Stefanski when he was still coaching with the Vikings.
3 free agent tight ends the Cleveland Browns could affordably add
David Njoku will be the No. 1 tight end for the Cleveland Browns in 2023 but they need another capable player and these free agents fit the bill