With the Cleveland Browns planning to move on from John Johnson, here are three free agents they could replace him.
It was no shock at all when news broke that John Johnson would be released by the Cleveland Browns when the league year starts on March 15th. Johnson signed a three-year deal back in 2021, and never quite lived up to expectations.
The biggest reason that Johnson was so inconsistent, he was asked to play out of position. Ronnie Harrison and Grant Delpit were the ones moving around the box, and Johnson was asked to be the ball hawker which is not his specialty.
With Harrison likely out and now Johnson released, the Browns will certainly be looking to add another safety. Luckily Jim Schwartz won’t focus on having three safeties on the field, so just finding one player would suffice. Here are three free agents that could make sense.
Free Agent No. 3 – M.J. Stewart
M.J. Stewart would not be a flashy signing, but he has spent a good amount of time in Cleveland which could be good or bad. Steward left the Browns in 2022 to go to Houston on a one-year deal where he thought he may get the opportunity to start.
Stewart played in all 17 games, but never did make a start for Houston and finished the 2022 season with 41 tackles, one pass deflected, and one forced fumble. Signing Stewart likely wouldn't fully fill the void at safety, but it could be a great move to add some depth and strengthen the special teams.
Stewart is smaller at 5-foot, 11-inches, but has strong ball skills. We can’t forget, in the 2018 draft, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drafted Steward in Round 2, meaning his ceiling could still be high.
Free Agent No. 2 – Jimmie Ward
After nine years in the NFL, all with the San Francisco 49ers, it’s hard to believe the Cleveland Browns could lure Jimmie Ward away. However, there is a lot of young talent on that team that will need to be paid, and there may not be room for a veteran like Ward who is certainly in the back half of his career.
Ward would not be a long-term fix in Cleveland, but a one or two-year contract makes a lot of sense while you start the grooming process of a draft pick from 2023.
Ward had a down year in 2022 only starting five games, but he still managed to have three interceptions, five pass deflections, and one forced fumble to go along with 50 tackles. But just one-year prior Ward started 16 games and had 77 tackles to go along with six pass deflections.
Ward is also smaller at 5-foot, 11-inches, but he makes up for it with his toughness. Not only would Ward be a guy who could contribute a ton on the field, but his leadership in the locker room would also be fantastic.
The real question is how much money he will get from someone else. At age 32 I think Andrew Berry would struggle to give him a contract in the $9-10 million per year range, but he very well could get that from someone else.
Free Agent No. 1 – Jessie Bates
I struggled to think that Jessie Bates was a realistic option for the Cleveland Browns a few weeks ago. But after listening to Andrew Berry talk earlier this week, you can tell he is in win-now mode. He is willing to restructure to create as much cap space as possible to bring in a high-caliber player like Bates.
There's no doubt that the Cincinnati Bengals would love to hold on to him, but if they want to keep this offense together (Joe Burrow, Ja’Mar Chase, and Tee Higgins) there are going to be some cap casualties. Remember, Mike Brown is one of the cheapest owners in the NFL and often isn’t willing to utilize signing bonuses to bring down the cap.
Bates is the perfect fit for the Browns. He's a ball hawker who has the ability to step up in the box for run support at well. He has five interceptions and 12 pass deflections the last two seasons and was one of the biggest leaders for the Bengals who have gone deep into the playoffs the last two seasons including a Super Bowl appearance in 2021.
There are two issues with Bates in my opinion.
One, will he take less to stay with the Bengals? Two, if he’s willing to leave over money, will the Browns be willing to give him the most? For two years we have said free agents will be drawn to Cleveland because the roster is so strong, but can we really say that anymore?