Getty Grover Stewart of the Indianapolis Colts and DeForest Buckner.
The Cleveland Browns are aggressively pursuing talent to bolster the roster and a big name the team could take a swing on is Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner.
Bucker is a former first-round pick who has established himself as one of the more impactful defensive tackles in the league. At 6-foot-7 and 295 pounds, he’s a massive piece in the middle of the defensive line and knows how to get to the quarterback. He has no less than eight sacks over the past five seasons and would be the perfect target for the Browns, who have a massive need at defensive tackle.
Zac Jackson of The Athletic put Buckner high on the list of impactful players the Browns could pursue this offseason, although Cleveland would have to find a way to make his salary work.
“Buckner, who soon turns 29, is a force in the middle. He’s under contract for two more years at cap numbers of around $20 million in each season,” Jackson wrote on March 5. “If the Colts are willing to listen and are looking to clear cap space for the future, the Browns need to keep calling.”
Earlier in the article, Jackson referenced the Browns’ big swing for Amari Cooper last offseason, which helped them reshape their wide receiver corps.
“Actually, they might not even wait that long as they figure to try to trade for at least one proven player, too, and as other teams make money-driven decisions in the coming days, it remains entirely possible that the Browns will get a chance to follow last year’s Amari Cooper model and use third-day picks to acquire a good player, then eventually re-shape the contract that player’s previous team needed to go away,” Jackon wrote.
Jim Schwartz Building ‘Attack’ Defense With Browns
The Browns ran out one of the worst defensive tackle groups in football last year, leading to a terribly inconsistent run defense and a lack of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Bucker would be part of the remedy and would likely be able to shift some attention away from Pro Bowl pass-rusher Myles Garrett, who was one of the most double-teamed players in the league last season.
The Browns parted ways with defensive coordinator Joe Woods at the end of the season and replaced him with a respected veteran in Jim Schwartz. He’s known for getting the most out of his defensive lineman and is eager to build an attacking unit.
“I like to call it an ‘attack defense,'” Schwartz said. “We’re not a ‘read’ team up front. We’re an ‘attack’ team. We’re going to be disruptive. We’re hitting spots. It’s probably not as wide as it used to be, but it’s pretty simple in theory.
“It allows the players to play fast and puts them in the best position to rush the quarterback and play the run in between.”
He’s also looking to get even more out of Garrett, who is coming off back-to-back 16 sack seasons.
“I have a little spot on my wall in my office that says, ‘Anything that gets Myles Garrett one-on-one is a good scheme,'” Schwartz said. “If we can get our best players in one-on-one and create matchups for those guys, we’ll be in a pretty good place, particularly with guys like Myles.”
Browns Confident in Ability to Make Moves
The Browns are currently over the salary cap by more than $13.4 million, which they’ll have to remedy before the start of the league year on March 15. But the teams has more than a few plans up their sleeve.
“The rules are flexible,” Browns EVP and general manager Andrew Berry said at the combine on February 28. “Whether it is releasing a player, trading a player, restructuring a deal or negotiating an extension, there are a number of different avenues to create cap space, and the approach we would take would really be dictated by the opportunities in front of us.”
The Browns have already parted ways with safety John Johnson III in a cap saving move and it appears that a restructuring for quarterback Deshaun Watson could be on the horizon to open up a chunk of money.