Cleveland Browns offseason team needs: Noah’s Ark edition
Free Safety, Strong Safety, Nickel Cornerback
It wasn’t long ago that free safety Damarious Randall was considered one of the steals of the offseason and became a fan-favorite here in Cleveland. By giving up a young quarterback that clearly didn’t have a future with the franchise, the Browns were able to land one of the best centerfielders in the game.
Last season, however, was a different story. Randall struggled with injuries and struggled to tackle when he was able to be out there. His ball skills are undeniable, but as is the fact that he had a real off-year in his contract season in 2019. Now set to be a free agent, it seems a Cleveland return is unlikely for the former Packer.
The Browns drafted former Miami Hurricane Sheldrick Redwine in the fourth round of the draft a year ago, but he is likely not the best option for a team that wants to win now. There aren’t too many true free safety, deep middle zone-type prospects in this year’s draft class, but a guy like Antoine Winfield Jr. could be a great option in the second round.
In free agency, the Browns could make a splash by bringing in a guy like Anthony Harris who, like head coach Kevin Stefanski, spent the last few seasons with the Minnesota Vikings.
But of course, we can’t stop there when talking safeties. The Cleveland Browns are in need of a strong safety to play up around the line of scrimmage as well. The Browns currently roster Morgan Burnett at the position, but he has seen better days and Juston Burris is scheduled to become a free agent so an upgrade at the position seems likely.
For a strong safety, or a guy that can do a little bit of everything, this year’s draft class looks really loaded with guys likely to come off the board from the late first to the third round. There are a couple of viable free agents that could contribute, but no one to the level of Harris or that would have more promise than some of these young guys in the draft. Either way, I’d expect to see the Browns target a safety in the second or third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
While we’re talking about the secondary, the Cleveland Browns could really use a third, “nickel” or slot corner as well. With young, lockdown corners on the outside in Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams as anchors, the Browns need that third guy that can come in on nickel packages and can hold his own against slot receivers and tight ends.
The Browns ran a nickel formation very frequently under former defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, but could never really find the right guy for the job. Jermaine Whitehead filled the spot for most of the season before his insane social media tirade that led to his release. T.J. Carrie has been a solid nickel corner throughout his career but was one of the first cap casualties that the Browns released this offseason.
I would look to free agency for an inexpensive but solid option to fill that void such as Jalen Mills, Mackensie Alexander and Nickell Robey-Coleman and maybe spend a late-round pick at the position and hope they can evolve into a long term option.