3 free agents the Cleveland Browns should avoid at all costs

1. Bud Dupree, EDGE

One of the newest entrants to the open market is Bud Dupree who spent the past two seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Dupree found out recently that he was going to be released by the Titans.

A former first-round pick out of Kentucky, Dupree rose to prominence with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who he spent the first six seasons of his career playing for. He played well throughout the first four seasons of his career but it was in 2019 when he really saw it all come together.

That year, Dupree had 68 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Despite the numbers, the Steelers still weren't ready to commit long-term and he was hit with the franchise tag in 2020. He again played well with 31 tackles and eight sacks in just 11 games but suffered a torn ACL in Week 12.

Dupree then hit the open market and the Titans threw caution to the wind by signing him to a five-year, $82.5 million deal despite knowing he wasn't fully healthy. He even began the offseason on the PUP list. He did return but an abdominal injury cost him more time and again, Dupree played just 11 games.

That apparently is his magic number because again in 2022, Dupree suited up for 11 games but wasn't overly effectve. In 22 games for Tennessee, he had just 35 tackles and seven sacks.

His inability to stay on the field should be a caution for any team, but especially for the Browns. They've had far too many players sent to the IR in recent years to pretend they'll have better luck with an injury-prone player. Perhaps Dupree gets healthy and has a great season, but it's best to let someone else take that risk.