5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
By John Suchan
Free agent No. 4: Khalen Saunders, DT, Kansas City Chiefs
Khalen Saunders, a former Western Illinois college player is now a two-time Super Bowl champ. Saunders finished his fourth season with a total of 48 tackles and three and a half sacks. He had a solid Super Bowl performance as well against the Philadelphia Eagles as he recorded a sack and two tackles, including one for a loss.
He had been playing in about 40 percent of snaps this season on defense and got 52 percent of snaps in the Super Bowl. Cleveland is in desperate need of finding a few new defensive linemen and Saunders could help them out a lot. With new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz leading the way, I would think that Saunders might be intrigued by coming to Cleveland.
Saunders will be looking to get paid with his second contract after his rookie deal. Most projections see him getting $6-7 million. That’s not too pricey for a player that could make a difference.
Free agent No. 3: Juan Thornhill, S, Kansas City Chiefs
We still don’t know what the Browns are going to do at safety next season. Juan Thornhill, the starting safety for the Chiefs could be there for the taking in free agency if Cleveland decides to part ways with John Johnson III.
Johnson has had a turbulent time with the team as he’s called out the previous coaches and other players at various times in the last two seasons. The Browns could be looking to release or trade him because he would cost the team around $11 million if he were to stay.
Thornhill just finished his fourth season in Kansas City and had been the regular starter. He was originally drafted in the second round out of Virginia in 2019. This year he recorded 71 tackles and had three interceptions. He’s tallied eight interceptions in his brief career.
In the most important game of the season, Thornhill was playing well and helped the Chiefs get stops in the second half in a comeback win. He finished with five tackles, including one for a loss and a pass deflection in defending one of the best wide receiver groups in the NFL.