The Cleveland Browns will look to bolster their offensive line in free agency and the draft.
All five of Cleveland’s starting offensive linemen last season are free agents, so the Browns will overhaul the unit. Cleveland already traded for Tytus Howard, and now the team is in hot pursuit of a free agent guard.
NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported on March 9 that the Browns are in hot pursuit of Chris Paul from the Washington Commanders.
“Maybe the most interesting one is Commanders guard Chris Paul (no, not that Chris Paul), who appears to have priced himself out of Washington with teams like Cleveland in hot pursuit,” Breer wrote. “Paul became a full-time starter for the first time three weeks into his fourth pro season. And, is trending to one of those “He got what?!” sorts of deals.”
Paul has spent his entire NFL career with Washington. He was selected in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He started his first NFL game in his rookie season, and became a full-time starter this past season after he lost the job in 2023.
Despite having just one season as a full-time starter, Paul is widely considered to be one of the top guards available. So, the Browns will likely be one of many teams that are interested in him.
What is Paul is Expected to Get in Free Agency?
Although Paul has only been starting for one year of starting experience, he has shown enough tape to land a solid deal in free agency.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper ranked Paul as the 96th-ranked free agent. And, the outlet projects him to sign a three-year, $21 million deal.
“Paul is a heavy-set guard who uses his wide base to smother rushers,” Popper wrote. “He lacks pop and physicality as a run blocker. He’s elite in pass protection. He’ss well below average as a run blocker. He will be a fit in places with a more pass-happy offense. He will not be a fit in other places that are looking for run blocking.”
Although three years at $21 million total seems like a fair price, if Breer is right, that could be much less than what he ends up getting.
Regardless, it appears the Browns have circled Paul as one of the guards they are after.
Browns Looking to Overhaul O-Line
Cleveland’s O-line was an issue last season, and the Browns are looking to overhaul the unit.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry said the team is looking at what the Chicago Bears did last season to overhaul the O-line.
“I actually think what Chicago, what (GM) Ryan Poles did last year is a really nice model,” Berry said. “If you think about it, they did a combination of internal development, veteran additions and draft.
“You had Darnell Wright, who he really came into his own at right tackle this past year. They traded for (guard) Joe Thuney. They traded for (guard) Jonah Jackson, they signed (center Drew) Dalman in free agency. And they drafted (tackle) Ozzy Trapilo in the second round. So it’s a nice mixture of youth and experience and we would look to take a similar approach if the player markets line up for us.”
Whether or not the Browns will be able to accomplish that, however, is to be seen.
Browns Reportedly in ‘Hot Pursuit’ of Projected $21M Star Offensive Linemen