Getty Free agent pass-rusher Frank Clark.
The Cleveland Browns made a splash by trading for pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith and are unlikely to add any other veteran names before the start of the season.
Two notable names remaining on the free agent market are Frank Clark and Yannick Ngakoue. The Browns likely had a level of interest in the veteran pass-rushers previously but that appears dead after the Smith acquisition.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com:
“They’ve had plenty of chances this offseason to sign Ngakoue and Clark and haven’t done so, so I think the ship has mostly sailed on both unless one drops to a rock-bottom price that the Browns can’t resist,” Cabot wrote. “I’ve always been intrigued by Ngakoue, who’s never had fewer than 8.0 sacks in his eight NFL seasons, but he’s not on the radar right now.”
Browns Made Their Move With Za’Darius Smith
The Browns have a Pro Bowl weapon in Smith, who will play opposite of Myles Garrett — a perennial Defensive Player of the Year contender who is coming off back-to-back 16-sack seasons. And the Browns were able to land Smith without giving up much, snagging him from the Minnesota Vikings for a pair of fifth-round picks. The Browns also got sixth and seventh-round picks in the package with Smith.
On top of that, Smith also reworked his contract after the trade. Cleveland’s cap hit for Smith is just $3.032 million and he’ll be able to hit free agency next offseason.
“It wasn’t set up right,” Smith said of his previous deal. “It was the guarantee part. The first year was only guaranteed. Now I’m basically in the same situation, but it’s OK now because I can get a chance to go into free agency next year”
Za’Darius Smith Sees Massive Potential for Browns Pass-Rush
Smith is fresh off a Pro Bowl campaign with the Vikings, posting 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss. Smith missed all but one game in 2021 but posted 26 sacks in his previous two seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
He now gets to pair up with Garrett and has high expectations for the partnership.
“Well, I can’t wait. I did get a chance to talk to him once I did get the news. I think the NFL posted it and he sent me a text message telling me that he can’t wait to get going and hopefully we could be the best duo in the league,” Smith said on May 24. “I was telling him, man, like the D-line, we got to come up with a name for the room. So he’s like, ‘I’m going to get some shirts. We’re going to make it big.’ So that chemistry already, I could tell is going to be great this year.”
Smith will play with his hand in the dirt with the Browns, something he hasn’t done often during his NFL career. He’s looking forward to it.
“I’ve been in the 3-4 system for the last eight years, so getting a chance to put my hand back in the dirt and be a natural 4-3 end is going to be big for me,” Smith said.
Ogbo Okoronkwo will also be in the mix for the Browns. He was signed early in free agency and will fit into the rotation behind Smith and Garrett.