Browns shore up defense by adding pair of linemen
The Browns are no longer cutting out the middle man.
They made their first blockbuster acquisition at defensive tackle under the new regime, agreeing to a four-year deal worth $57 million with Vikings free agent Dalvin Tomlinson, including $27.5 million guaranteed.
The yearly average of $14.25 million is far more than the Browns have spent on a defensive tackle since GM Andrew Berry and coach Kevin Stefanski took over.
Coupled with the acquisition Monday afternoon of sixth-year edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo, 27, the Browns have overhauled their defensive line early in free agency. It also eases pressure to find a premier defensive lineman in the draft next month, and provides defensive end Myles Garrett with some muchneeded help on the beleaguered line.
The Browns worked hard Monday to wrap up their man while a number of other top defensive linemen agreed to blockbuster deals.
Philadelphia’s Javon Hargrave signed a four-year deal with the 49ers worth $84 million; and Denver’s Dre’Mont Jones, the Cleveland native and Ohio State product, signed a three-year deal with the Seahawks worth $51.53 million, including $23.5 million in the first year.
The Browns liked Hargrave and Jones, but Tomlinson was their preferred option. They also still like fourthyear pro Jordan Elliott and 2022 fourth-round pick Perrion Winfrey at the tackle position.
A second-round pick of the Giants out of Alabama in 2017, Tomlinson (6-3, 325) ranked No. 16 overall among qualifying tackles by Pro Football Focus in 2022. A two-year member of the Vikings, Tomlinson, 29, recorded 42 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 10 quarterback hits and a forced fumble.
PFF had Tomlinson ranked as its third-best interior lineman in free agency, behind Hargrave and Washington’s Daron Payne, who stayed with the Commanders on a mammoth four-year deal worth $90 million, including $60 million guaranteed. Based on some of the hefty contracts for the big men, the Browns seemed to get a lot of bang for their buck with Tomlinson.
“Tomlinson has been shuffled around on the interior after playing mostly nose tackle with the New York Giants to start his career, with Minnesota lining him up more as a three-technique when playing alongside Michael Pierce (in 2021) or Harrison Phillips,” PFF wrote. “Tomlinson has never missed more than five tackles in a season, and his 83.0 run-defense grade since 2017 is a top-16 mark at the position.
“While Tomlinson missed Weeks 9-12 due to injury, he managed to post a careerbest 79.1 pass-rush grade and a sixth straight season to start his career grading above 74.0 overall. He’s a better fit as a zero- or one-technique, with his 55 tackles for loss or no gain since 2017 the third most among interior players and with his pass-rush upside better deployed as an added benefit but not the primary feature.”
Tomlinson spent the first four seasons of his career with the Giants, starting all 16 games in each. One of his best seasons was in 2019, when he recorded a careerhigh 3.5 sacks, 49 tackles, seven for a loss, and nine QB hits.
The deal with Okoronkwo is for three years and $19 million. It includes $12.5 million guaranteed.
Okoronkwo, 27, was a fifthround pick of the Rams in 2018 out of Oklahoma, where he played with Baker Mayfield. In L.A., he helped the Rams beat the Bengals in Super Bowl 56 after the 2021 season.
Okoronkwo signed a oneyear deal with the Texans in 2022 worth $3.5 million, and started eight games — his first NFL starts.
In his lone season with the Texans, he finished with 44 tackles, nine tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits and five sacks. He also finished the 2022 campaign with a passrush grade of 81.9 while creating 36 total pressures according to Pro Football Focus.
“Ogbo is energy, pure energy,” Texans defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire said during a press conference in December.
Okoronwko will likely start opposite Garrett at end and complement the Browns’ star edge rusher in Jim Schwartz’s 4-3 defense.
Pocic agrees to 3-year contract to return
Starting center Ethan Pocic is coming back after all.
The Browns initially believed Pocic, 27, had priced himself out of Cleveland after an excellent 2022 season and would walk in free agency, but they agreed to terms with him Monday on a three-year deal.
The No. 9 center in the NFL in 2022 according to PFF, Pocic stated at the end of the season he wanted to re-sign, and he got his wish.
If Pocic had signed elsewhere, the Browns were prepared to turn the starting job back over to 2020 fifth-round pick Nick Harris, who suffered a season-ending knee injury on the second play of the preseason opener in Jacksonville.