As Browns general manager Andrew Berry remarked in his season-ending press conference on Monday, “the only constant in the NFL is change.”
Cleveland has a long list of free agents to sign this offseason, as well as a slew of other decisions to make in the coming months. It is nothing new for Berry, but the decisions that await him will be crucial in setting the tone for the 2024 season.
At this time last year, Berry’s first task was to fully rebuild the Browns defensive line. He accomplished it with additions like as DT Dalvin Tomlinson, DE Ogbo Okoronkwo, and DE Za’Darius Smith, among others. The latter, however, is set to enter free agency, and with a big salary cap figure to contend with, Smith’s return to Cleveland next season is far from guaranteed.
Smith finds himself near the top of a free agent class of edge rushers led by his former Vikings colleague Danielle Hunter, who is coming off a 16.5-sack season. Other names near the top of that list include the Broncos’ Randy Gregory, the Giants’ Leonard Williams, and the 49ers’ Chase Young, who is in the final year of his rookie contract after Washington declined his fifth-year option.
Believe it or not, Smith and Chase had remarkably similar seasons in 2023, with Smith recording 5.5 sacks, 27 tackles, eight for a loss, 20 QB hits, and 29 pressures. Young actually finished behind Smith in all categories except sacks, where he had two more than Smith. Now, Young’s main advantage is that he is seven years younger than Smith, who is clearly on the wrong side of thirty.
According to Spotrac, Young’s market value is estimated at $13.6 million a year. Smith can not hope to achieve that level as he enters his 32nd season. Despite the reduced number of sacks, Smith demonstrated that he can still be a successful player, especially when playing opposite Myles Garrett. That alone should get him a double-digit AAV this offseason.
