As the legal tampering period is set to begin tomorrow, the Cleveland Browns will look to get significantly better. Especially on the defensive side of the football. While their salary cap situation is still a bit rough, sitting $14 million in the red, they have until Wednesday to restructure contracts. This means they can come to agreements with free agents on Monday, even if the cap space is not officially cleared.
Here, we take a shot at a mock free agency for the Browns. Who could they sign? How will they create cap space? We address all of this here. For the value of the players signed, we will be using PFF’s free agent valuation numbers.
Restructure the contracts of Deshaun Watson and Myles Garrett
I am not a salary cap expert, but Jack Duffin of The OBR is. And while restructuring four players is a bit much, restructuring two pillars who will be here long-term makes sense, so that is what we do here with Myles Garrett and Deshaun Watson. Duffin estimates these restructures coming in at the figures below:
Watson: adds $36 million in cap space
Garrett: adds $13 million in cap space
After these restructures, the Browns now have $35 million to play around with in free agency, which could give them the money for one big signing, a few depth pieces, and solid rotational players.
Cap space remaining to spend: $35 million
Sign safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a 3 year/$34.5 million deal
PFF has the market of C.J. Gardner-Johnson at $11.5 million per year, which is $7 million less than that of Jessie Bates. Gardner-Johnson brings risk, but also massive reward as he has proven to be a ball hawk.
As Greg Newsome II will no longer play in the nickel, Gardner-Johnson also has proven success in the slot. With him and Delpit, the Browns now have a pair of versatile safeties who can rotate back or up at will for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to play with.
Signed to a similar number the Browns were able to backload the contract of John Johnson III with void years. Expect the Browns to do that this year as well. They will give Gardner-Johnson a minimum base salary in year one, just as they did with Johnson III. We estimate a year-one cap hit of about $3.75 million in year-one for Gardner-Johnson.
Cap space remaining to spend: $31.25 million
Swing big on DT Javon Hargrave at 3 years/$55 million contract
Hargrave is 30 years old, but playing some of his best football. Interior defensive linemen are proving to play well into their 30s as well, so a three-year deal with two years guaranteed would not be a bad swing for the Browns to make. Especially considering they currently have the worst crop of defensive tackles in the NFL.
Using general manager of the Philadelphia Eagles Howie Roseman (a mentor to Andrew Berry) as a barometer when he signed Hargrave to a three-year deal back in 2020, the defensive tackle had a first-year cap hit of $3.45 million. This deal is looking at over $5 million per year more than he got three years ago, so the first-year hit will be higher as well.
This puts Hargrave’s year-one cap hit at $5 million in 2023.
Cap space remaining to spend: $26.25 million
Now add an EDGE defender in Ogbonnia Okoronkwo for 2 years/$11 million
The Browns need to find a running mate opposite Myles Garrett. They will likely dip into the pool in the 2023 NFL Draft. However, to raise their floor right away, they will sign a veteran pass rusher as well in the form of Ogbonnia Okoronkwo. PFF has him valued at $5.5 million per year, so we sign him to a two-year deal for $11 million total.
The Browns now have Garrett, Okoronkwo, and second-year players Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas off the edge. They likely continue to add to this group.
One of the best edge defenders on the market is projected to come at a low price of just $5.5 million per year. And as the Browns have already backloaded their two bigger deals here, we will keep that cap hit square here.
Cap space remaining to spend: $20.75 million
Add another defensive tackle in Greg Gaines for 2 years/$6 million
Again, the Browns fielded the worst unit of defensive tackles in the league last year. Only Perrion Winfrey is safe in that room. After signing Hargrave, we double up here and land former Los Angeles Ram Greg Gaines at $3 million per year over two years.
A plug along the interior, Gaines brings a presence the Browns have missed for years: someone who can anchor in double teams against the run. Not only that, but Gaines has proven to be a productive pass rusher from the interior as well, racking up 8.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits over the past two seasons in Los Angeles.
The Browns still likely add a third defensive tackle in the draft.
Cap space remaining to spend: $17.75 million
Add linebacker depth in Azeez Al-Shaair for 2 years/$8 million
The Browns need to leap at MIKE linebacker, especially as four players in that room are set for free agency. Here, they land the 26-year-old linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. After four successful seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, he comes to Cleveland and will be asked to take on a bigger role.
Predominantly a WILL with the 49ers as he played with Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner, Al-Shaair was forced to start at MIKE for two games in 2021, grading out well when asked to take on that role. The potential is there, and MIKE is a lower-risk position to take that swing at than defensive tackle on this current defense.
Cap space remaining to spend: $13.75 million
Bring back a locker room glue guy in Anthony Walker Jr. at one-year/$2.25 million
The Browns are set to lose four linebackers, leaving Jacob Phillips as the most seasoned guy in the room. And he is far from a lock to make the roster. As the Browns transition to a new defensive coordinator, bringing back one of the most respected guys in the locker room and a mentor to younger players has no risk at this price tag that PFF values him at.
He can start at MIKE if needed, he can provide depth behind Al-Shaair and help the 26-year-old transition from WILL to MIKE in Cleveland well, and even mentor a young linebacker the Browns could land in the 2023 NFL Draft.
There is literally no risk to this move at all.
Cap space remaining to spend: $11.5 million
Bring in another center in Corey Levin on a one year deal worth $1.08 million
Corey Levin comes in at the veteran minimum for a five-year veteran at just over $1 million. As the Browns are expected to watch Ethan Pocic walk after his breakout season, they do here exactly what they did a year ago: bring in a veteran with starting experience to compete and support Nick Harris.
That man is Corey Levin, who has spent his whole career with the Tennessee Titans to this point. Levin started three games at center this past season for the Titans and graded out well all things considered for a team that faltered down the stretch.
His main responsibility will be to backup Harris, but in case of another injury, Levin can plug in and start for the Browns if needed.
Cap space remaining to spend: $10.42 million
Leave $7.75 million for the rookie draft class and $2.67 million for wiggle room
The Browns then need space for their draft class, which is currently tabbed at just over $7.7 million. With two fourth rounders and two fifth rounders, there is room for the Browns to make draft day trades, especially without a fourth rounder next year. So this figure could change. But we are rolling with this $7.7 million number for now.
On top of that, the Browns will leave wiggle room to address positions of need in case of an injury at key positions. So we leave an extra $2.67 million in wiggle room as well. In case of a severe injury to a significant player, the Browns could always restructure another deal as well to create more space.
As more cuts come in, and as the Browns likely trade out of a couple of their six day-three picks, this number will grow from $2.67 as well.
Wrapping up this mock free agency
To recap, we left $2.9 million in cap space on the table for wiggle room in case a midseason trade needs to be made or if an injury at a key position happens to shake out. Outside of that, the Browns were able to land an upgrade at safety, defensive tackle, defensive end, and linebacker, and even add depth to those positions as well.
Adding Gardner-Johnson and Hargrave are the two big swings the Browns take here, backloading their contracts as they do all their big deals to keep the cap hit in year-one low. Then adding Okoronkwo and Gaines, the Browns create formidable depth upfront defensively before even adding a couple of other pieces in the draft. Al-Shaair and Walker Jr. give the Browns both an upside piece and a high-quality locker room leader to their second level. Levin creates an identical center situation to a year ago, where Harris is given the chance to win the job but a fallback is created just in case.
The remaining salary cap left will remain fluid on top of that $2.67 million as other players on the roster will get cut, and some draft capital will be traded out of. Overall, this would be an excellent haul for the Browns and not a haul that is overly unrealistic.
