As we close the first full week of the NFL free agency period, the Cleveland Browns have certainly been active. Thus far Andrew Berry has focused on bolstering his defense (specifically the line), but he still likely has a few moves up his sleeve.
It’s been a strange offseason as we have yet to see guys get completely overpaid. Javon Hargrave (DT), Dre’mont Jones (DT), and Jessie Bates (S) were all on the Browns radar and did get pretty big money from other teams.
But other than that, the deals have been underwhelming. We haven’t seen general managers overpay for receivers, pass-rushers, or running backs. There are certainly some talented guys in this year’s free agency class, but it’s also not as deep as it has been in the past.
With the market sliding, the longer you wait the better deal you could find. I previously expected Berry to fill a lot of holes in the draft, but he may have the ability to find some depth in free agency which would be a huge benefit.
Below are three guys whose price tag may be dropping and would be great fits in Cleveland.
Browns Free Agent Target No. 3: Kyle Rudolph, TE
With Hayden Hurst now off the board the Cleveland Browns should look to Kyle Rudolph. Even though he is 33 years old he would be a huge upgrade to Harrison Bryant and has familiarity with the system.
Rudolph won’t blow you away with speed and athleticism, but he can catch the ball, get some yardage, and is an above-average inline blocker.
The Bryant experiment was fun for a while, but I’m not sure he is going to be in the long-term plans. Rudolph certainly isn’t a long-term solution either but could give you some valuable snaps in 2023 and come at an extremely discounted price.
Browns Free Agent Target No. 2: Devin Bush, LB
There has been some chatter that the Cleveland Browns and Anthony Walker have some mutual interest on another contract. Walker was off to a great start in 2022, but an ACL injury could lower what Berry is willing to offer and keep a deal from happening.
Truthfully, at the price linebackers are going I would like to see the Browns bring back Walker and sign a guy like Devin Bush to really bolster the position. I know you have Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Jacob Phillips, and Sione Takitaki already on the roster, but year in and year out we see at least two of these guys go down for the season.
Berry will likely have an interest in Bush because he is a former No. 10 overall pick that never lived up to expectations. He spent his first four seasons in Pittsburgh where he had 70 plus tackles in three of four seasons, but his athleticism limited him at times.
Bush isn’t a threat to blitz and does struggle in pass coverage but can be a stout interior run defender which JOK and Phillips can struggle at. I know it’s not always best to constantly rotate players based on situations but being six deep at linebacker is never a bad thing.
Trumaine Edmonds got a monster deal, but other than that only one other linebacker has even sniffed the $10 million per year with a lot of solid players like David Long only getting $5.5 million.
Bush isn't going to be an elite player on this roster, but if you can snag him for $3-4 million per year, he is a great piece to this roster. It’s hard to think a fresh start is what he needs because the Steelers' defense is so well coached, but another one or two-year contract with not a ton of guarantees could pay off huge for Berry.
Browns Free Agent Target No. 1: Mecole Hardman, WR
Perhaps the slowest position of all this free agency has been at wide receiver. It feels like in the last three offseasons we have seen a bunch of no-names get $10 million plus per year and then do nothing.
With limited deals and only two guys even touching $10 million per year, the Cleveland Browns should look to sign another wide receiver to go with Amari Cooper and Donovan Peoples-Jones.
Originally, I expected a guy like Mecole Hardman to be a bit too expensive, but now it looks like you could get him for $4-6 million per year. At age 25, this could be another three-year deal with basically a team option in year three to see how things go.
Hardman has always been overshadowed in Kansas City, but in his first three seasons, he had over 500 yards receiving and 16 touchdowns in four total seasons. 2022 was a disappointment with only 34 targets and 25 catches, but he has proven he can be an elite third receiver on an NFL roster in previous years.
I know there is some excitement around Jerry Jeudy but given that you would likely have to give up your second-round pick and possibly a player to get him, I would sign Harman in a second.
Originally, some thought Hardman could get up to $8 million per year. As time passes the deal should only get better for Berry and the Browns. Let’s hope the thought of playing with Deshaun Watson is a positive for Hardman.