Last offseason, the Cleveland Browns made it a priority to bolster their defense.
They added Ogbonnia Okoronkwo, Dalvin Tomlinson, Juan Thornhill, and Za’Darius Smith, among others, and made sure to get a top-notch name to lead them by hiring Jim Schwartz as their defensive coordinator.
It didn’t take long before those efforts paid off.
The team had one of the best defenses in the game in 2023, and they were able to compete at the highest level and make the playoffs despite Deshaun Watson’s injury and having five different starting quarterbacks in a single season.
Myles Garrett was named Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his career, and Schwartz got the nod as the Assistant Coach of the Year.
Nevertheless, even great things can get even better, and the Browns’ defense isn’t the exception to that rule.
With that in mind, ESPN Cleveland’s Tony Rizzo revealed that the team could look to spend some big bucks on a big-name free-agent defensive tackle this offseason, with Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins as potential targets (via ESPN Cleveland on Twitter).
.@TonyGrossi thinks that a premier DT like Chris Jones or Christian Wilkins could be a top target of the Browns in FA… pic.twitter.com/E6YKbITINW
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) February 26, 2024
Needless to say, that could be the kind of move that could take any team to the Super Bowl.
The fans might prefer the team spending big to bolster their offense, as it has yet to catch up with the other unit.
However, you just have to make a move for a superstar player whenever you get the opportunity.
The Miami Dolphins might not be able to retain Wilkins, as he doesn’t want to play under the franchise tag.
As for Jones, the Kansas City Chiefs couldn’t get him to sign an extension last offseason, so there’s a chance he ends up leaving now.
It’ll be interesting to see if they can pull this off.
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