An Honest Assessment Of Free Agency Week One
Mandatory credit: Jeff Lange USA Today
Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns are only through the first week of free agency and they’ve already started with a bang. The roster only had a minimal number of holes heading into the season and Berry has already plugged a majority of those.
There are still a number of talented guys on the free agency board, but looking at this roster it feels like the Browns are out of expensive moves. The depth chart has filled in nicely and saving a restructure or two for next offseason to create cap is likely the right move.
You’ll hear some disappointment from fans that a guy like Christian Wilkins or Calvin Ridley wasn’t signed, but after seeing the contracts they got you would have been severely overpaying and it was the right decision. Let’s dive into a few of the signings and how they will affect the 2024 season.
The Guy No One Knows – Tony Brown
A lot of guys have likely not heard of Tony Brown and will read the headline that the Cleveland Browns signed a backup cornerback. The real impact Brown will have on this roster is special teams. And after losing Mike Ford who was the special teams ace last year, Brown will fill in nicely.
The Brown signing also makes sense with his history with Bubba Ventrone in Indianapolis. There is no doubt that special teams are a huge factor and Brown makes this group better.
The Biggest Priority – Jerry Jeudy
To this point, we haven’t seen a ton of production from Jerry Jeudy who was originally a first-round pick just four years ago. So, while the Browns only gave up a fifth and sixth-round pick for Jeudy, they were forced into a new contract which certainly lessened the value of the deal.
I’m excited to see how this one plays out as Jeudy certainly has a lot of upside potential in this offense, but it makes me nervous they paid him the money they did in an extension with his best season of 972 yards which was two seasons ago.
With Amari Cooper, Jeudy, and Elijah Moore there is little argument that the Browns don’t have the talent it takes to be a legit group of receivers, especially when you factor in having David Njoku at tight end as well.
Highest Risk – Maurice Hurst and Devin Bush
After solving defensive tackle last year with Dalvin Tomlinson and some key pieces, the group was depleted when they lost Jordan Elliott, Maurice Hurst, and Shelby Harris. Berry went the cheaper route vs. a guy like Wilkins bringing back Hurst and Harris who both played well last year, but there is certainly some risk, especially with Hurst.
Five years into his NFL career, Hurst has only played a full season once. He missed four games last year with the Browns and only appeared in two games in 2021- while missing the entire 2022 season. It’s a low-risk, high-reward signing, but given the need at the position I was surprised to see Berry take the risk with Hurst. On the flip, this will be a home run if he can stay healthy in 2024.
Linebacker was also a tough position this offseason with losing Anthony Walker, Sione Takitaki, and Jacob Phillips who all started a large number of games for the Browns. Berry brought in Jordan Hicks to pair along with Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, but the rest of the depth still scares me.
The solution was Devin Bush who fits the Berry mold, he’s a former first-round pick with all the talent in the world, but he’s yet to put it all together on the field. He’s played a lot of football over the last five seasons, but his most productive season was his rookie year with the Steelers.
Jim Schwartz could certainly get the most out of Hurst and Bush in 2024 which would make them two of the best signings in recent Browns history, or they could fizzle out and barely see the field. Either way, I’m excited to see how it all plays out.
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