5 Free Agents the Browns Could Sign After Creating Massive Cap Space

A couple of seasons ago, the Cleveland Browns made a franchise-altering move. Cleveland traded for Deshaun Watson from the Houston Texans , and in hopes he could finally give them some stability at the quarterback position, they handed him a five-year, $230 million contract.

That's an enormously large contract, and it's hampered the Browns a bit. In the process of trimming their roster down, they've been up against the cap limit, and it seems they needed a bit more financial flexibility. After restructuring Watson's contract, they've now got quite a bit of that.

On Thursday, $44.79 million of Watson's 2024 salary was converted into a signing bonus, which freed up nearly $36 million. Now, the Browns have over $62 million in available cap space, which is easily the most in the entire NFL .

With all that cap space, the Browns have some money to upgrade some areas around their roster. Let's take a look at five free agents the Browns would be smart to add before the 2024 season officially kicks off.

Related

Related: How Long Can Browns Expect Nick Chubb Sidelined

The injured star running back won't be ready to return to game action for Cleveland in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

1Kareem Hunt

Hunt has been a fallback option for the Browns before and could be again in 2024

Why not yet another reunion here?

Yes, the Browns have Nick Chubb on the roster. However, Chubb is still recovering from a devastating leg injury he suffered during the beginning of the 2023 season. He's not quite ready for game-action yet, and according to a recent report, the Browns are expected to place Chubb on the reserve/physically unable to perform (PUP) list, which will force him to miss the first four games of the season.

Last year, when Chubb went down, Cleveland looked for a familiar face in Kareem Hunt . Hunt stepped in, participated in each of the team's remaining 15 games, and did pretty well. The Browns did have Jerome Ford on the roster, so Hunt didn't need to have a massive load, but he played the secondary running back role well.

In 2024, the Browns still have Ford on the roster, and he'll be expected to take the lead role while Chubb is sidelined. Still, there was a reason Cleveland wanted to add Hunt last year. Ford is a good back by himself, but you likely need two proven backs to have a formidable running game in 2024. That worked for Cleveland in 2023, as they made the playoffs with average quarterback play.

With Chubb still not completely healthy as he recovers from a gnarly injury, it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring Hunt back, once again. Hunt would provide that two-back tandem for the first four games, and his presence would help the Browns be able to ease Chubb back into action rather than having to rely on him too much too quickly.

Hunt played for $1.25 million in 2023. A one-year deal around the same price seems good for both sides.

2Michael Thomas

Thomas is past his prime, but could bring a new dimension to the Browns' offense

Michael Thomas is another veteran who's been among the best at his position in the past, yet finds himself still searching for a new home for the 2024 season.

It'd be a lie to claim Thomas is the same player he once was, but it would also be foolish to act as if he couldn't bring value to the Browns' receiver room. Thomas quickly became a star upon entering the league, but it's been a long time since he's played at that level. His last season over 1,000 receiving yards came in 2019, and he hasn't reached the 500 receiving yard mark since then.

Now, the Browns do have some talented players at receiver, but based on their initial pursuit of Brandon Aiyuk, they also know they need to make some additions to the position.

Amari Cooper is still a legitimate star, and in 2023, he finished up his seventh season with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Cleveland also traded for Jerry Jeudy this offseason, giving them a solid second option. Elijah Moore had a solid year in 2023 as well.

However, with Cooper nearing age 30 and Jeudy being inconsistent during his career, giving Watson another weapon could be a good thing. Thomas wouldn't be a major improvement to the offense, but he doesn't need to be.

3David Bakhtiari

Bakhtiari hasn't played a full season in a long time, but could be a good addition to Cleveland

David Bakhtiari is a name that a lot of football fans haven't heard for a while, and that's because injuries have decimated the past three years of his career.

Bakhtiari was once known as one of the best left tackles in the sport. From 2016 to 2020, Bakhtiari was named a First Team All-Pro twice and a Second-Team All-Pro three times. The problem is, we're heading into the 2024 season, which is a bit further down the road than those glory years.

Bakhtiari has only played in 13 games over the past three years, which is why he's fallen off the map. However, when he's been on the field, he has been impressive, and he's spoken about his desire to find a home in 2024. If brought in, Bakhtiari shouldn't be expected to be a game-changer, but he can certainly add some more skill to a spot the Browns need to improve.

Jedrick Willis Jr. has been the Browns' left tackle for the past four years since he was drafted in 2020. He's had some good moments in the past, but in 2023, he struggled, posting a PFF grade of just 54. For comparison, during the 2022 season, when Bakhtiari played in 11 games, he posted a 79.8 PFF grade.

Bakhtiari hasn't played enough to come in and start. That's just unrealistic. However, he could provide a cheap, reliable depth option and give some pointers to Willis, who is still only 25, with room to grow himself.

4Kwon Alexander

Alexander would bring some much-needed depth to the Browns' linebacker room

Kwon Alexander is a name the Browns should be looking at.

Although there have been rumors about him landing with the Baltimore Ravens or the Green Bay Packers , Alexander remains a free agent. It took him a while to find a team for the 2023 season as well when Alexander joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in the middle of training camp. Although he played in more of a reserve role and only appeared in nine games for the Steelers last year, he was pretty solid.

Alexander made an average of just less than five tackles per game he appeared in, which is pretty solid for a backup. He managed to get in the backfield a couple of times, too, grabbing a sack and five tackles for a loss. Alexander proved to be a well-rounded player in 2023, making himself a force in the running game yet being solid on pass defense as well.

The Browns do have two solid linebackers on the roster. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a staple on their defense in 2023, and they brought in Jordan Hicks this offseason, who was solid in 2023 as well. Devin Bush is also on the roster, but he wasn't very good last year.

In short, the Browns lack depth at one of the most important positions on the defense. Alexander would be a cheap, reliable depth option who can play well against both the run and the pass.

5Xavien Howard

Howard is one of the biggest names still on the free agent market

Xavien Howard is easily the biggest name available at the cornerback position. Howard has been with the Miami Dolphins every year since 2016 and has developed into one of the better cornerbacks in the league during that time. Still, though, he finds himself unsigned coming into the 2024 season after being released by Miami earlier this offseason.

Howard's 2023 season was a small step down from the heights he'd seen earlier in his career, but he wasn't bad by any means. He still managed to rack up 12 passes defended, the same total from his 2022 season, one in which he was named to the Pro Bowl.

On the left side, the Browns have Denzel Ward , who has become one of the best cornerbacks in all football. On the right side, they've got Greg Newsome II who is less of a star, but still a good player in his own right. Behind those two, there's a severe lack of proven depth.

Howard might be a little more expensive than some of the other players on this list, but with all the cap space the Browns now have, they can afford a costly one-year deal for him. Howard would be the third proven, talented cornerback on the roster and strengthen the defense even more.