Former Rookie of the Year, Pro-Bowl DE Among Browns’ Top Free-Agent Targets

The Cleveland Browns will remain aggressive this offseason as the franchise attempts to win, and win big, in its current window of contention.

That will probably mean, in some form or another, the Browns will attempt to pair Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett with another quality defensive end. Jadeveon Clowney filled that role two years ago, while Za’Darius Smith was that man last season.

But Clowney is now with the division rival Baltimore Ravens and Smith is coming up on free agency in March and will play next season at 32 years old. Rather than re-signing Smith, Cleveland will probably be better served to pursue a younger, and potentially cheaper, option at the position. One such player is Chase Young of the San Francisco 49ers, who will play in his first Super Bowl this weekend.

Irie Harris of Cleveland.com on Tuesday, February 6, named three free agents as the Browns’ most likely “low-risk, high-reward” targets in free agency. The list began with Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins before transitioning into two players who will suit up for San Francisco in the Super Bowl.

“The other couple options are currently preparing for Super Bowl LVIII with San Francisco: linebacker Randy Gregory and edge rusher Chase Young. Both will be free agents after the big game,” Harris wrote. “Injuries have limited Young since his 2020 Pro Bowl rookie season, but he’s been solid since and tied his career high this season with 7.5 sacks between his games with Washington and San Francisco.”

Chase Young Authored Bounce-Back Year With Commanders, 49ers in 2023

Young’s career got off to a fast start when he won the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2020 on the strength of a 7.5-sack campaign, during which he forced four fumbles. The then defensive end of the Washington Commanders also earned a Pro-Bowl nod following that season.

Injuries marred the defensive end’s next two years, keeping him out of all but 12 regular-season games across that span. The Commanders chose not to exercise the $17.5 million fifth-year option on his rookie deal for the 2024 campaign, which rendered Young a likely trade deadline candidate heading into last season.

Young showed he could remain healthy and played well across the first half of the year, which resulted in his trade to the 49ers. He finished 2023 with career-highs in pressures (25), QB hits (15) and sacks (7.5) tying the mark he set in that category as a rookie, per Pro Football Reference.

Chase Young Likely to Offer Browns, Other Interested Teams Bargain in Free Agency

As a former No. 2 pick, Young will have already earned $34.6 million across his first four professional seasons by the time he officially hits free agency on March 13. That earnings total may soften the blow for Young, as he could find it difficult to lock in the type of value a player of his pedigree would normally seek on a second NFL contract.

Despite showing he’s capable of remaining healthy in his bounceback 2023 campaign and outpacing his Pro-Bowl rookie year in several meaningful ways, Young is not projected to earn big money this spring.

Spotrac projects his market value at just $13 million over a new one-year contract, a deal which is strikingly similar to the one that the Minnesota Vikings offered to Marcus Davenport in 2023.

One-Year Contract to Reestablish Value Makes Sense for Browns, Chase Young

Minnesota signed Davenport to a one-year contract worth exactly $13 million after a five-year run with the New Orleans Saints. Also a first-round pick (No. 14 overall in 2018), Davenport had a couple of high quality seasons, which included 6 sacks in 2019 and 9 sacks in 2021.

However, Davenport was also inconsistent and missed some time due to injury issues, all of which ultimately led to a relatively lucrative one-year prove it deal with a Vikings team that needed a little more pass-rush help. The move didn’t work out for either side, as Davenport missed all but four games and finished the year with only 2 sacks.

In Davenport’s case, the high-upside didn’t pan out, but the risk was low as Minnesota is clear to move on to new options this March. Cleveland, a team that will have to navigate salary cap concerns over the next several years, is primed to make a similar move with a player like Young in 2024.

Young can play on a one-year deal, at which point the Browns can franchise tag him or attempt to extend him long-term. If he doesn’t play up to his potential, Cleveland still has Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on the depth chart at defensive end and can reexamine its options at the position come March 2025.