Browns: Stealing one player from every AFC North foe

Pittsburgh Steelers: T.J. Watt, EDGE

Yes, the Browns have Myles Garrett who is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. And they have Za'Darius Smith as well, who has at least 10 sacks in each of the past three seasons. But even so, the player to steal on Pittsburgh has to be T.J. Watt.

Not only is Watt a couple of years younger than Smith but he's also had more overall success as a pass rusher. After six seasons in the NFL, Watt already has 77.5 sacks for his career — which is more than the 54.5 Smith has put up in eight seasons. It's also more than Garrett has in the same amount of years played as he enters 2023 with 74.5 sacks to his name.

Of course, this isn't to say there would be no use for Smith if the Browns were able to steal Watt. Instead, it would give Cleveland — by far — the best pass rush in the NFL. And it's not as if Jim Schwartz couldn't find a way to use all three players. In fact, he's already doing this with his current lineup.

During mandatory minicamps, Schwartz had a lineup on the field that consisted of Garrett and Ogbo Okoronkwo on the EDGE, with Smith lined up in the middle. Given the fact that both Smith and Garrett are over 270 pounds, they could easily move them around and use the 254-pound Watt the same way they planned on using Okoronkwo.

Honorable mention: Cam Heyward

If someone was absolutely adamant about not taking Watt, another option would be Cam Heyward. He currently plays defensive end in Pittsburgh's 3-4 scheme but could slide inside for Cleveland.

He would be an ideal fit next to Dalvin Tomlinson and if he were a few years younger, he could be the pick over Watt. The one holdup with Heyward is that he just turned 34, therefore wouldn't be around much longer.