The Cleveland Browns have limited options to help fill the holes left by a bevy of injuries but a veteran name the team could pursue on the defensive line is Carlos Dunlap.
The Browns are expected to lose pass-rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo for the season with a pectoral injury. Okoronkwo did not play on Sunday in a win against the Chicago Bears and is holding out for a second opinion. However, it looks grim for the Browns’ second-leading sack artist.
The 34-year-old Dunlap could help fill the void. He brings with him a resume that includes 100 sacks and 125 career starts. Dunlap was proposed by Bleacher Report as a late-season free agent move for the Browns.
“The injury bug has been particularly harsh to Cleveland this season. Grant Delpit and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo were added to the list of Browns to have serious injuries this season,” Bleacher Report wrote. “That could send the Browns to the free-agent market to make a desperation move to bring in some pass-rushing depth for the final push to the postseason. Carlos Dunlap could be the answer. He played in 17 games last season and registered four sacks with 12 quarterback hits.”
Carlos Dunlap Wants to Keep Playing Football
Dunlap spent the majority of his 13-year career with the Cincinnati Bengals. He won a Super Bowl last season with the Kansas City Chiefs and was still a solid producer in a part-time role. He played on 50% of the defensive snaps, notching 39 tackles, 4 sacks and 6 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-6 Dunlap was also credited with 8 passes defended.
There hasn’t been much movement for Dunlap in free agency but he made it clear before the season that he was interested in playing again — whether with the Chiefs or elsewhere.
“I can help another team get one of their own or help the Chiefs again. The Chiefs haven’t ruled that out, but currently it’s a waiting game,” Dunlap told Jeff Fedotin of Forbes in June. “I’m a free agent and I feel great and I still love the game.”
Browns Defense Still Dominant Despite Injuries
The list of injured key players for the Browns seemingly grows every day. On defense, the Browns were missing Okoronkwo, defensive tackle Maurice Hurst, safeties Grant Delpit, Juan Thornhill and Rodney McLeod and linebacker Anthony Walker Jr.
Despite all the missing pieces, the Browns still put on a masterful defensive performance in front of their home crowd. The Bears scored 17 points, but two touchdowns were the direct results of turnovers. Chicago scored on a pick-six and then punched another score in after being set up at the 1-yard line.
Browns star Myles Garrett credited the backups for stepping up, including Alex Wright and veteran tackle Shelby Harris.
“The standard doesn’t change. That’s why we have the ability to do it,” Garrett said after the win. “We’ve literally been through it all with injuries and everything else. So this is just another step in our journey, another opportunity for us to write a very peculiar but great legacy.”
The Browns will look to maintain their winning ways on Christmas Eve against the Houston Texans.
