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The Cleveland Browns have spent heavily to revamp a defensive front that was, to be kind, porous last season. However, the work on the line may be one move shy of complete.
Field Yates of ESPN predicted on Wednesday, June 21, that the Browns will add a second defensive tackle alongside Dalvin Tomlinson, who the team signed to a four-year contract worth $57 million this offseason. Yates mentioned a couple of recognizable names the Browns might pursue, though the standout candidate is five-time All-Pro Ndamukong Suh.
“The Browns’ roster once again looks to be in good shape heading into training camp, but defensive tackle feels like an area to address,” Fields wrote. “While the team added a star in Dalvin Tomlinson and a massive run-stuffer in Siaki Ika in the third round of the draft, one more contributor to solidify the rotation would go a long way, especially since 2022 fourth-rounder Perrion Winfrey feels like a roster-bubble player right now. There are quality options available, including Shelby Harris and Ndamukong Suh.”
Ndamukong Suh Capable of Bolstering Browns Run Defense
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GettyDefensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles, warms up prior to a game against the Green Bay Packers in November 2022.
At this point in his career, Suh doesn’t read like a long-term signing. He didn’t join the Philadelphia Eagles until midway through the season, as he held out for a multiyear offer that never came.
Suh will turn 37 years old in January and has 13 seasons of NFL experience under his belt. Despite his age and tread, however, the defensive tackle has been wildly durable since joining the league as the No. 2 overall pick of the Detroit Lions in 2010. Prior to the 2022 campaign, Suh missed just two regular season contests due to injury across his entire career.
His production has fallen off some in recent years, though Suh remains a quality run-stopper. He posted an above-average grade of 68.9 as a run defender during his work as a rotational player with the NFC champions in Philly last year as well as a respectable overall player grade of 64.2, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Browns Should Seek to Sign Ndamukong Suh to Short-Term Contract
GettyDefensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, formerly of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Suh is presumably looking for something longer than a one-year contract after playing half of a season plus a playoff run with the Eagles on a $2 million deal. He played the two campaigns prior with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on one-year deals for $8 million and $9 million, respectively.
Cleveland is split between long-term and short-term commitments on the defensive line, holding multiyear agreements that will keep Tomlinson and edge rusher Myles Garrett on the roster for the next four seasons. The Browns traded with the Minnesota Vikings for edge rusher Za’Darius Smith this offseason, reworking his contract so as to pay him just north of $11.7 million in 2023 before allowing him to hit unrestricted free agency next March.
A one-year contract for Suh, or perhaps a two-year deal with a team option for 2024, feels like the appropriate range for a player who wasn’t a starter for the first time in his career last season. The five-time Pro Bowler isn’t the player he once was, but he offers a clear upgrade over defensive tackle Jordan Elliott who figures to start in 2023 if the team doesn’t add any new personnel to the position group.
Elliott started all 17 games as a third-year player last season and agreed to a new deal this month, the parameters of which essentially guarantee that he will remain on the roster throughout the year.
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