Browns Positioned to Sign Elite Free Agent Pass Rusher

The Cleveland Browns have nearly $17 million in salary cap space and perhaps the best place they can spend it is on more pressure off the edge.

Cleveland already has the No. 1 and No. 17 best pass rushers in the NFL heading into 2023 in Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith, respectively, per Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus (PFF). On top of that, the Browns invested this offseason in Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, who put up a career year in 2022 that included five sacks after transitioning from linebacker to defensive end.

But no team can ever have enough depth, especially at the most important positions on the field, and Cleveland is uniquely situated to add Yannick Ngakoue, a player who ESPN’s Matt Bowen recently listed as the best edge rusher still available and the third-best free agent overall remaining on the market.

“Ngakoue had 9.5 sacks in 2022, bringing his total to 65 over [seven] NFL seasons,” Bowen wrote on Friday, June 9. “Given his subpar tape as a run defender, however, he should be targeted as a situational pass-rusher, a role in which he can use his top-end traits to win on the edge: burst off the ball, hand usage and the ability to bend around offensive tackles. We know NFL teams value edge rushers, and so Ngakoue will have a market even if he tops out as a pass-rusher on nickel snaps.”

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Yannick Ngakoue Has Proven Himself Consistent Top-End Sack Artist in NFL

The same reason Ngakoue makes sense for the Browns is the same reason teams like the Chicago Bears haven’t yet made the defensive end an offer — he isn’t a complete player.

But Cleveland doesn’t need Ngakoue to set the edge the way Jadeveon Clowney could, or the way the Browns believe Ogbonnia can after inking him to a three-year deal. Were the team to sign Ngakoue, it would be solely as a pass-rush specialist, which is something he’s done at a high level his entire career, including at a Pro-Bowl level in 2017 with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Ngakoue doesn’t just have 65 career sacks, as Bowen noted. He has also produced 135 quarterback hits and forced 21 fumbles over the course of his career.

When it comes to applying pressure to opposing quarterbacks, Ngakoue has also been incredibly consistent. He has never produced fewer than eight sacks in a campaign and has put up an average of 33.4 quarterback pressures per season over the last five years, per Pro Football Reference.

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Yannick Ngakoue Offers Browns Insurance Against Za’Darius Smith Injury, Lack of Production

Smith slowed down during the second half of last season with the Minnesota Vikings and is only under contract in Cleveland through 2023. He will play this year at the age of 31 and missed all but one game in 2021 with a serious back injury that required surgery.

The Browns were one of the worst teams in the NFL last year at getting to opposing quarterbacks, putting up just 34 sacks despite an effort of 16 sacks from Garrett alone. A primary reason for that was injury hampering Clowney for much of the season.

Unfortunately, Smith presents a similar risk, and while Okoronkwo is a better third option than any Cleveland had at its disposal in 2022, he’s not a prolific enough pass rusher to guarantee there won’t be a significant drop off in the team’s sack total should Smith suffer injury or taper off as the season wears on.

For that reason alone, Ngakoue makes sense as add to the Browns roster on a one- or two-year deal. The defensive end has also spoken publicly about his desire to play for a contender in 2023, which the Browns should be considering the amount of money they’ve poured into a roster that is built to win now.

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