3 pending free agents Browns should retain and 2 they should not

With a record of 11-6 this past season, the Cleveland Browns should have a reason to believe in their chances in 2024. Cleveland was able to notch their impressive record despite being without most of their star players for the majority of the year. They weren't satisfied with the one-game postseason run but the future is bright for them.

Of course, they can't just run it back without making any changes. We can see that's not their plan as they already moved on from several offensive coaches, including offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt. They still need to make a few hires and then it will be all about their roster moves.

First up will be their decisions on pending free agents. Here, we get a jump start on that with three players the Browns should re-sign and two that they need to let walk.

Browns should retain: Corey Bojorquez, P

Ahead of the 2022 season, the Browns added Corey Bojorquez, who continued to make his way through franchises that play in cold weather. He started his career with the Buffalo Bills where he played from 2018 through 2020. From there, he spent one year in Green Bay with the Packers. Now, Bojorquez has two seasons in Cleveland under his belt.

During those two years, he's proven to be a major weapon. Bojorquez has an average of 49 yards per punt including 49.4 in 2023. He also had more punts during this campaign than at any other point in his career, which led to 4,294 yards. Bojorquez pinned the opponent inside the 20 31 times and had a long of 73 yards.

He's not your average kicker and in some of the low-scoring games this year, he was a primary reason they pulled out wins. Keeping him means the defense will continue to have favorable positions as he flips the field with ease.

Browns should not retain: Kareem Hunt, RB

Cleveland originally moved on from Kareem Hunt and it appeared for a minute he would take the Jarvis Landry path and sign with the New Orleans Saints. That never materialized, nor did the rumors that he was heading to Indianapolis or Green Bay.

Instead, he sat out the first two weeks of the year but got a call from his former team following a devastating injury in Week 2. With Nick Chubb suffering a torn ACL and MCL, which required two surgeries, the Browns brought back Hunt who had spent the past four seasons with his hometown team.

This time around, he found himself being called upon primarily for short-yardage and goal-line situations — a role he thrived in. Overall, Hunt had just 411 yards while averaging a career-low 3.0 yards per attempt. He did, however, score nine touchdowns and then added two more in the postseason.

Despite playing his role well, the Browns don't need to bring Hunt back in 2024. That's a tough thing to hear for someone who is understandably a fan-favorite but the ground game was a major disappointment in 2023. Instead of running it back with the same crew, Cleveland needs to find more consistent players. They also need someone who can start (not Jerome Ford) until Chubb can return — because it might not be Week 1 when he comes back.

Browns should retain: Sione Takitaki, LB

A third-round pick out of BYU in 2019, Sione Takitaki has developed into a solid linebacker for the Browns. He started to come on strong in 2022 when he had 71 tackles and a sack and even took over at the middle linebacker spot when Anthony Walker, Jr. was lost for the year.

Takitaki excelled in this role but then he too was sent to the IR as he suffered a torn ACL late in the year. As he aimed to get healthy, he wound up re-signing with Cleveland on a one-year deal. He then surprised everyone when he started the year on the active roster, rather than on the PUP.

When Week 1 came around, he was on the field and once again played well. The fifth-year pro recorded 65 tackles and two sacks while breaking up two passes. Now headed for free agency for the second year in a row, Takitaki needs to be a priority for the Browns to re-sign.

With Walker and Jacob Phillips also set for free agency, Cleveland needs to try and keep someone who can start for them. Phillips isn't an option since he can't stay healthy and while Walker is a talented leader on the defense, he too has been dealing with too many injuries. Not only has Takitaki been more dependable but he's also more versatile. That's why he's the linebacker they need to focus on bringing back.

Browns should not retain: Joe Flacco, QB

There wasn't a better story down the stretch of the season than the one surrounding Joe Flacco. The 38-year-old quarterback was out of the league until November when the Browns brought him in. Originally expected to backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Flacco was pressed into action when the rookie suffered a concussion.

Flacco and the Browns lost his first start against the Los Angeles Rams but then they took off. The veteran quarterback led his team to four wins in a row and was lighting up the scoreboard in the process. In five games, Flacco had 1,616 yards passing with 13 touchdowns.

As good as he was for this offense, Flacco had a "fatal flaw" that wound up costing them in a huge way in the playoffs. During his five games, Flacco had eight interceptions and never had a game without a turnover. Against the Houston Texans, he threw two picks to start the third quarter — and each was returned for a touchdown.

Cleveland was trailing before the picks but the turnovers put it out of reach. Now looking ahead, the Browns are expecting Deshaun Watson to return and will have DTR as his No. 2. Bringing back Flacco shouldn't be in the cards since it could wind up being a distraction. Fans loved him and at the first sign of trouble from Watson, Flacco will become the most popular man in northeast Ohio.

The Browns can find another backup to compete with DTR if they're not sold on him in this role but at this point, keeping Flacco might be more trouble than it's worth.

Browns should retain: Maurice Hurst or Shelby Harris, DT

There really could be two players here as the Browns had two defensive tackles step up next to Dalvin Tomlinson this year — and each were playing on one-year deals. Maurice Hurst was the first player signed and he was a bit of a risky pick-up. Hurst missed the entire 2022 campaign and had issues in each season before that.

Cleveland wound up getting 13 games out of him and he was one of the best defensive tackles in the entire NFL. Unfortunately, he was one of many players to end the season on the IR but he had 22 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one of the most impressive interceptions of the entire season.

The other free agent addition was Shelby Harris, who started seven games while playing in all 17. Harris even took on more when Hurst went down and he stepped up his game in a major way.

Harris finished with 28 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and batted down five passes at the line of scrimmage. For good measure, he even blocked a 31-yard field goal in their win over the New York Jets.

Typically in this situation, the younger player would be the ideal signing — which would be Hurst. He was also the better player according to PFF. However Harris, who will be 33, has been far more durable. He also showed no sign of slowing down.

Cleveland has Tomlinson locked up for two more years but they have to bring one of these guys back to play alomgside him. It would be great for both to return but at least one has to be under contract when Week 1 rolls around.

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