3 Browns free agents who could still re-sign with Cleveland

2. Matthew Adams, LB

In 2023, the Browns made special teams a priority. They replaced their special teams coordinator Mike Priefer with Bubba Ventrone and then went out and got him a couple of specialists. One was Michael Ford, who came over from the Atlanta Falcons. The other was Matthew Adams, a linebacker who spent the previous season with the Chicago Bears. Before that, he was with the Indianapolis Colts where he worked under Ventrone.

Cleveland was able to perform much better in coverage on both kicks and punts and Ford and Adams deserve a lot of credit for that.

This year, they will be without Ford, who signed with the Houston Texans. The Browns countered by signing cornerback Tony Brown, who was also a former Colt. However, they still haven't brought back Adams.

A former seventh-round pick, Adams finished his first season in Cleveland with 17 tackles and a forced fumble. He appeared in all 17 games and started their Week 18 finale against the Cincinnati Bengals. Even with that start under his belt, his path to the field is on special teams and the Browns would be doing themselves a disservice to simply let him walk.

There are other linebackers out there who could fill in should they elect to go in a different direction but his familiarity with Ventrone makes him the ideal choice.