The Browns Are One Move Away From Winning the Offseason

The Cleveland Browns have done well to beef up the defense and surround Baker Mayfield with talent, as evidenced by the selections of offensive tackle Jedrick Wills and safety Grant Delpit in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Even with all of that, Cleveland still needs one more over-the-top move if they want to take that next step and leapfrog the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC North and take the fight to the Ravens. That move involves cutting pass rusher Olivier Vernon and signing Jadeveon Clowney.

Clowney and Vernon both disappointed in the sack department last year, but Clowney's drop was due to constant double teams and Ken Norton Jr.'s scheme, while Vernon's slump was just a product of poor play.

Clowney has reportedly been in contact with the Browns frequently this offseason, with the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans also circling as it becomes clearer that he isn't going to return to the Seattle Seahawks. Signing Clowney would mean that neither he nor Myles Garrett would face as many double teams, and that would give Cleveland one of the most ferocious front sevens in all of football.

Clowney is not going to come cheap. In fact, his insistence that he not come cheap is the entire reason he is still a free agent. If Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry could somehow amass the money together needed to sign him, Cleveland could have enough defensive firepower to make noise in the AFC North.