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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Bengals defenseman Carl Lawson posted a photo of himself on Twitter Tuesday after the 4 p.m. franchise deadline. passed with the caption “Weapons for hire”.
Lawson, 25, is one of less than a half-dozen players still on the Browns’ radar who are heading for free agency next week after the scoring deadline.
A leading defenseman who was in their sights became unavailable Tuesday when the Bucs linebacker extended Lavonte Davis. He agreed to two-year terms worth $ 25 million, including $ 20 million guaranteed, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com.
The Bucs had always maintained that they wanted to keep their defensive captain, but it seemed uncertain after franchising wide receiver Chris Godwin on Tuesday. The move also paved the way for the most wanted Shaquil Barrett to eventually hit the market, but they also seem determined to keep him.
Of the defensive linemen the Browns could target, only the Giants’ Leonard Williams was a franchisee. The move came as no surprise, given that Williams, who played indoors in 2020, finished seventh in the NFL with 11.5 sacks and led all players to his position with 30 hits.
As it stands, the Browns should be able to land one of the best free agent pass-rushers in a saturated market for the position.
In addition to the $ 24.6 million they already had, they cleared an additional $ 3 million on Tuesday by releasing defensive end Adrian Clayborn, who signed a two-year deal in the last offseason worth of $ 5.75 million. In 15 games with two starts, he had 12 tackles and 3.5 sacks. He was the Browns’ 17th best defensive player, according to profootballfocus.com.
With the Browns looking to replace Olivier Vernon, who suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in the season finale, they will be targeting a pass-rusher capable of delivering double-digit sacks, and there are plenty of contenders.
One of the most intriguing is Lawson, who some thought the Bengals could get past. The Bengals want to keep him, but may not be able to.
Fourth-round pick in 2017, Lawson won the 9th NFL pass-rush rating by profootballfocus.com. He only had 5.5 sacks but should almost double that when playing against Myles Garrett. He also tied for 15th in the NFL with 34 rush. Spotrac.com estimates its market value at $ 8.8 million per year, but pff.com has it at $ 13.75 million per year.
The Browns also love the Broncos, eight-time Pro Bowler Von Miller, but the Broncos are looking to rework his $ 17.5 million salary in 2021 to keep it.
Here’s a look at some of the other top players who will hit the market – with the trading period starting on Monday – if their teams don’t sign them first:
Bud Dupree from Pittsburgh
Age: 28 Market value: $ 18.2 million per year
The Steelers chose not to mark Dupree, who suffered an ACL tear in Week 12, for a second straight season. After 11.5 sacks in 2019, they franchised him in 2020 at $ 15.8 million, and he was on his way to another double-digit sacking season before tearing up the ACL against the Ravens. He was second on the team behind TJ Watt with eight sacks and has 19.5 over the past two seasons for eighth-place finish in the NFL.
Dupree, who turned 28 in February, said recently doctors told him he would have to go full blast through training camp in August.
But like the other best rushers on the market, it won’t be cheap. Spotrac.com estimates his market value at around $ 18.2 million per year, which would make him the second-highest paid player on the team behind compatriot Myles Garrett.
Shaquil Barrett from Tampa Bay
Age: 28 Market value: $ 19.7 million per year (per spotrac.com)
A 3-4 outside linebacker, Barrett isn’t necessarily a 4-3 base defense scheme from defensive coordinator Joe Woods, but teams aren’t much in their base these days anyway. He would be a great addition to Garrett and would undoubtedly return to double-digit sacks in 2021. Pro Bowler 2019, he led the NFL with 19 sacks in 2019 and played under the franchise tag in 2020. He had no only eight sacks in 2020. for 21st in the NFL, but tied for the NFL lead with 24 rush and sixth with 42 presses, including 11 in the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl. In 2020, he placed 21st out of 108 top players qualified by profootballfocus.com.
Yannick Ngakoue from Baltimore
Age: 25 Market value: $ 15.5 million per year
As is the case with Dupree and Lawson, the Browns would not only get stronger, but also weaken a rival division with that signing. The Browns attempted to trade for Ngakoue last year while he was with Jacksonville, but talks collapsed when he changed agents along the way. Still, I was told he really liked the Browns and wanted to play here. A 2017 Pro Bowler, Ngakoue tied for 21st in the NFL last season with eight sacks in Minnesota and Baltimore, and could likely increase that total here with some continuity. He’s not great against running, but could be very effective as a situational passer.
Arizona Haason Reddick
Age: 26 Market value: $ 11.6 million per year
The No. 13 overall pick in 2017, Reddick became consumable when the Cardinals signed JJ Watt. But he’s just come out of a breakout season in which he finished fourth in the NFL with 12.5 sacks, a half more than Garrett. Five of them came in Week 14 against the Giants, but he also led the NFL with six forced fumbles. Pff.com ranked him as the 25th best marksman out of 108 qualifiers.
Trey Hendrickson from New Orleans
Age: 26 Market value: $ 10.3 million per year
Hendrickson finished second in the NFL to TJ Watt with 13.5 sacks in his first season as a starter. Even Sean Payton noted that he would be paid this offseason because of it. The question is: can he maintain this level of production? He also finished 20th in the NFL with 14 tackles for loss and was ranked 28th out of 108 on edge by pff.com.
Jadeveon Clowney from Tennessee
Age: 28 Market value: $ 6.5 million per year
The Browns liked Clowney enough in the last offseason to make him a one-year higher offer than anyone else and a competitive multi-year deal. He chose to sign with Tennessee, where he reunited with former Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel, for a year at $ 13 million. But he missed eight games with a knee injury that required surgery and hasn’t been sacked in his first eight games. He’s still a top defenseman who is excellent against running, and would likely have more sack production here in front of Garrett. The Browns could find a player they really like at a bargain price this year.
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