While you watched the Super Bowl, you might have been wondering what free agents between both teams could make their way to the Cleveland Browns next season
Cleveland Browns fans got to watch a lot of fun Super Bowl XXLII commercials as they dreamed of their team finally getting to the big game in their lifetime. To get to that Super Bowl next year, the Browns need to look at several free agents that will test the market in the next few weeks.
Here are five players from the Super Bowl LVII rosters that could help Cleveland in the future. While these players were all valuable to their team’s successful season, they could look to strike lucrative deals elsewhere.
While Cleveland, right now is in the red, in terms of cap space to sign players this offseason, the team will likely look to restructure a few contracts of their big-name players, like Myles Garrett, and sign some of these free agents.
5 Free agents from Super Bowl LVII Cleveland Browns should target
No. 5: Mecole Hardman, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City was without Mecole Hardman in the Super Bowl, as he was placed on IR this past week due to an injury to his pelvic area. However, he was a valuable member of the Chiefs since he was drafted in 2019 and played in the previous K.C. Super Bowl appearance in 2020.
Before this season, Hardman was used as a receiver as well as a returner. During the 2021 campaign, he caught 59 passes for 693 yards that included two touchdowns. This year, he went for six touchdowns.
The Browns are looking for another wide receiver or two this offseason and Hardman would be a nice addition to the group. They have their No. 1 guy in Amari Cooper but teammate Donovan Peoples-Jones is still striving to be that consistent No. 2 wide receiver.
The price to get Hardman could be a question mark for the Browns as it’s projected that he’d cost upwards of $10 million a season as he looks to cash in on his second contract after his initial rookie deal.
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.
No. 2: Fletcher Cox, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
I wrote recently about Fletcher Cox being an available free-agent defensive tackle that could certainly help a Browns team that’s in search of a few good players to help stuff the run. Without building up the defensive line, Cleveland will continue to struggle as a whole team.
Cox has been in the NFL for a while, and though his age could be some concern to the analytic guys in the Browns organization, bringing a two-time Super Bowl player in makes a lot of sense.
Also, Cox learned from his former defensive lines coach Jim Schwartz when the two were in Philly together in 2017 and 2018. Schwartz is now the Browns’ defensive coordinator, and a reunion of the player and coach would be a good move.
In 2022, Cox recorded 43 tackles and had seven sacks. He also forced a fumble and recovered one as well. In the Super Bowl, he only recorded one tackle as the Chiefs’ offensive line did a good job of protecting their quarterback. The former first-round pick of the 2012 NFL Draft has a lifetime 6-5 record in the postseason and that type of experience can go a long way when wanting to build a winning program.
No. 1: C.J Gardner-Johnson, S, Philadelphia Eagles
A former fourth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints back in 2019, C.J. Gardner-Johnson has made a name for himself and will be a well-sought-after free agent this offseason. He tallied an impressive six interceptions this past year, along with having eight pass deflections, 67 tackles, five tackles for losses, and one sack after being traded to the Eagles this past offseason.
As we mentioned earlier, Cleveland needs some help with their secondary and with John Johnson and Ronnie Harrison likely both on the move, they need some good replacements to play on the backside of the defense. Cleveland has Grant Delpit in the strong safety position and Gardner-Johnson would seem like a good addition to play alongside Delpit.
It’s expected that Gardner-Johnson will be earning a huge paycheck when he strikes his next contract, north of $12-13 million per season, but if the Browns part ways with Johnson and can restructure the contracts of a few key members of the Orange and Brown then maybe they could be in the hunt for a player that makes a difference.
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The Cleveland Browns have a lot of pressure on them to improve in 2023 which is why they could start to make some bold decisions