Insider Shuts Down Browns’ Interest in Ex-Chiefs Star

The Cleveland Browns are in search of a veteran pass-rusher but Frank Clark is not someone the team is actively pursuing.

Clark, a two-time Super Bowl champ, is coming off a five-sack season with the Kansas City Chiefs. He played around 70% of the snaps last season with the Chiefs and added eight tackles for loss and 39 total tackles. Clark has 58.5 career sacks and is No. 3 all-time on the postseason sack leaderboard, notching 13.5.

Clark would be an interesting veteran to pair with Myles Garrett and he’d likely split time with free agent acquisition Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Alex Wright, Isaiah Thomas and Isaiah McGuire. Twitter rumors have swirled about Cleveland signing Clark, the Browns haven’t shown much interest in his services, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.

“The Browns haven’t shown much interest in Clark, 29, who spent the past four seasons in Kansas City after the first four in Seattle,” Cabot wrote on May 7.

Cabot points to other veterans the Browns could pursue, including Yannick Ngakoue, Melvin Ingram III and Leonard Floyd. Chase Young was also “linked” to the Browns but their pursuit of the former No. 2 pick didn’t go much further than an initial reachout, per Cabot.

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Jadeveon Clowney Not Expected to Return, Remains Free Agent

The Browns have had a steady veteran opposite of Garrett the last two seasons in Jadeveon Clowney, although his tenure with Cleveland ended on a sour note. Clowney called out the Browns prior to the final game of the season against the Steelers, saying he wasn’t being used correctly.

“I just feel like I need to be around somebody that believes in me and my ability,” Clowney told cleveland.com. “(It can’t) just be me believing in myself. I believe in myself more than anybody.”

Clowney was held out of the final game of the season and it is very unlikely he returns. He had nine sacks during the 2021 season but couldn’t replicate that last year as he dealt with injuries. Clowney had just two sacks and 28 tackles. He remains a free agent but someone will likely take a shot on the former No. 1 overall pick in 2014.

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Jim Schwartz Expects More Out of Myles Garrett

Having a strong pass rush will be key for new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who will be running an attacking scheme. The Browns ranked 27th in sacks last season, with Garrett providing nearly half of their output. The Pro Bowl pass-rusher put up his second consecutive 16-sack season, matching his own franchise single-season record.

Garrett has been great but Schwartz expects him to be even more productive with the changes he’s implementing.

“It is my job to give him some answers and to be able to put some pieces scheme-wise and personnel-wise around him to allow him to be free and more productive,” Schwartz said in his introductory press conference. “When I say more productive, what? [16] sacks? That answers your question; the bar is set really high for a good reason.”

Having a capable threat opposite of Garrett will be key to keeping him productive, so expect them to ink a veteran before camp begins.

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