The Cleveland Browns offense was the issue for most of the season, but the defense didn’t perform at the level many hoped for entering the season. Cleveland ranked 16th in time of possession at 30:01 per game. That isn’t ideal, but it doesn’t excuse the defense from giving up 25.6 points per game, which ranked 27th in the league.
An ideal offseason would see the Browns add talent on both sides of the football. The issue, however, is that Cleveland has -$24.54 million in cap space entering the offseason.
There are ways for the Browns to get creative with the cap, but they’ll be in a challenging position this offseason because of it.
Searching for talent to use with their hopeful cap space, Candace Pedraza of FanSided predicted them to sign New York Jets cornerback D.J. Reed, an elite talent who would help Cleveland’s secondary.
“Cleveland needed a lot more help for Denzel Ward in the secondary this season. Between some lackluster performances from MJ Emerson and Juan Thornhill, and continued injuries plaguing Greg Newsome II, there were no other consistent defenders in the secondary aside from Ward.
“Enter Reed. He’s been a quintessential part of the NY Jets’ defense for years, but he’s now a free agent. It’s unclear whether the Jets are willing to throw a bag at one of their best defenders, but if they’re not, Cleveland could likely maneuver some cap space to sign Reed and bring him into the fold, which immediately makes their defense formidable again,” Pedraza wrote on January 10.
Reed Plans to Enter Free Agency
The New York Jets entered the season with more expectations than ever. Similar to the Cleveland Browns, the Jets failed to reach those goals, finishing 5-12.
Reed expressed his frustration at parts throughout the year and said he wants to win. The Jets didn’t offer him that.
If that’s his top priority, the Browns might be a few years away from being a contending team, something that could hurt their chances of signing him.
“Obviously, in this league, it’s about winning,” Reed told the New York Post’s Bridget Reilly. “But, you could go to a good organization, you think is a good organization, and the year you go there, they’re not winning. I think it’s deeper than just winning. I think it’s just being in a stable organization that has a winning culture and just being in a good environment, a healthy environment.”
Reed said he planned on hitting free agency, and it was met with upset Jets fans over his comments. He doubled down on them, a good indication that he’ll be available for the Browns to sign and won’t return to New York.
“I feel like everybody made a big deal of that comment. But, you know, I said that on the podium during training camp, that I’m going to go in free agency. So, for me to say I’m looking forward to free agency with one game left, I don’t think it was a farfetched statement.
“I see crazy statements of people saying, ‘He’s quitting on the team’ and all this stuff. I played my last year out to the best of my abilities. Despite the season we had, played through injuries, etcetera, etcetera. So, it’s kind of laughable hearing those comments. But, it’s a part of the game.” Reed said.
How Reed Would Help the Browns
Any defensive help would be a step in the right direction for a Cleveland Browns team that needs plenty.
He graded out at 70.7 overall, according to PFF. He ranked above average in overall pass rush, run defense, and coverage, finishing in the top 50 out of 223 in each category.
The Browns, despite allowing as many points as they did, only allowed 212.4 passing yards per game, which ranked 12th in the NFL. Passing yards allowed isn’t always a reflection on the secondary, but that could improve, too, and Reed would help do just that.
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