Many have said that the Cleveland Browns have had one of the best offseasons in the NFL. In this article, I will prove why that statement is true. We will start with the Free Agency class.
Austin Hooper
Former Falcons tight end Austin Hooper was one of the biggest names in this year’s free agency. And knowing that new coach Kevin Stefanski loves to run an offense with two tight ends, a Hooper-Njoku pairing will be one of the most deadly duos in the league. Hooper will undoubtedly be a top target for Baker Mayfield, who already liked to throw a ton of passes to his tight ends last season. Definitely a huge signing for Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns.
Jack Conklin
Jack Conklin is a offensive tackle who is coming to Cleveland from the Tennessee Titans. Conklin, in my opinon, is the best signing that the Browns made. Going into Free Agency, offensive line was the biggest need for the Browns. Now after signing Conklin, offensive line is one of the strongest units in Cleveland. Jack Conklin will not only bring offensive line, but he will bring mentorship to the young guys.
Karl Joseph
Karl Joseph, safety from the Raiders, is another one of my favorite new Cleveland Browns. He’s an experienced safety and is one of the hardest hitters in the league. He’s going to be another good mentor to the young players and he will be a very solid leader for the secondary. Safeties were another big need going into the offseaon, and bringing in Karl Joseph has already made the secondary much more talented.
Case Keenum
While he will not be our QB1, Case Keenum will be one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league, and is going to be a good mentor to Baker Mayfield. And its always good to have a veteran backup just in case an injury happens, or if Baker doesn’t end up having as good of a season as hoped. But he will bring good mentorship and will be great to have for a young QB who needs to have a comeback season.
Adrian Clayborn
Adrian Clayborn will add to an already stacked defensive line. If Olivier Vernon doesn’t end up having that great of a season, Clayborn can sub in for him at the starting spot and make a good impact. He’s one of the more underrated signings and is easily one of the most important ones. Clayborn is 31, so he has the experience, so he will adjust to the defensive scheme well.
B.J. Goodson
With there being a big gap at linebacker, Goodson won’t make the biggest impact, but he will certainly be an upgrade. He could be a substitution guy for us, or he may just be a special teams player for us. Not a bad signing though.
Andy Janovich
The Browns traded a 2021 7th round pick to the Denver Broncos for fullback Andy Janovich. He’s one of the better fullbacks in the league in my opinon, and will bring great protection for the deadly RB duo of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt.
Kevin Johnson
The Browns brought in cornerback Kevin Johnson to add some depth to the core. He will be a good option as a substitution and could possibly play some CB3 based on how Terrance Mitchell performs.
Andrew Billings
Another very solid underrated signing for the Browns. On a conference call, Billings seemed ready and prepared to come into an already loaded defensive load. He will most likely be our DT3 but will bring in great depth.
Other Smaller Signings
S Andrew Sendejo
WR/KR JoJo Natson
CB Donovan Olumba
OL Evan Brown
Now, we will look at the Browns draft class.
Jedrick Wills Jr.
With the 10th pick, the Browns selected offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr from Alabama. He is extremely athletic and will be ready to start by week one. He was definitely one of the top tackles in the draft class, if not the best. He has good power and can easily move on his feet. Really his only big disadvantage is his height. There could be a mismatch with the taller defensive ends, but with his power, he should be able to succeed.
Grant Delpit
With the 44th pick, the Browns selected safety Grant Delpit from LSU. He was one of the better safeties in the draft and the Browns are lucky that he fell all the way to pick 44. He is good at run defense, and he’s a hard hitter. Delpit and Karl Joseph will be a deadly hard hitting safety duo. He also can play through injury, so he will be ready to play even if he’s not feeling 100%.
Jordan Elliott
With the 88th pick, the Cleveland Browns selected DT Jordan Elliott from Mizzou. He has good lean mass, he has good balance, and he has good lateral quickness. His reaction time is pretty slow though, and he’s not an impact plater, but he will bring nice depth.
Jacob Phillips
With the 97th pick, the Cleveland Browns selected LB Jacob Phillips from LSU. He learns from his mistakes, and therefore will easily upgrade every season. He could also be solid on special teams, and he doesn’t miss many tackles. One of his down sides is that he lacks physical strength, but theres always room to improve.
Harrison Bryant
With the 115th pick, the Cleveland Browns selected TE Harrison Bryant from Florida Atlantic. He brings good movement around the field and can make good catches through contact. He also had very good route bursts. However, he’s not the best red zone target, and could tighten his routes up. He has been compared to George Kittle though.
Nick Harris
With the 160th pick, the Cleveland Browns selected OL Nick Harris. He shows great versatility and can switch between center and guard. He’s not exactly NFL-ready yet, but he does have great determination. However, he is a bit stubby, and he’s not the best when adjusting to new schemes.
Donovan Peoples-Jones
With the 187th pick, the Cleveland Browns selected WR Donovan Peoples-Jones. He has great size for a receiver, and has good footwork. He also can break tackles. His play speed isn’t the fastest, and he does have occasional focus drops, but overall he is a steal at 187.
Hopefully this article was a good guide to Cleveland’s great offseason, now to see how it pays off on the field.
