Chris Jones will be a free agent this offseason and the Cleveland Browns would love to land the All-Pro defensive tackle. If the team can afford it is another question.
Jones is one of the premier defensive tackles in the league. He is set to play in the Super Bowl on February 11 with the Kansas City Chiefs. He has 26 sacks over the last two seasons and has been named a first-team All-Pro twice.
Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com responded to a reader’s question about Jones potentially being on the team’s radar during free agency.
” Jones, the superstar defensive tackle from the Chiefs, would certainly be a blockbuster acquisition, but I doubt the Browns would want to pay his projected $28 million a year salary, as estimated by Spotrac,” Cabot wrote on February 4. “I’m not sure they’d want to break the bank on Jones. But as I mentioned above, I do think the Browns need another premier rusher, and Jones would certainly fit the bill.”
Cabot noted that the Browns will likely consider “less expensive options” to beef up their defensive tackle rotation. Cleveland has Dalvin Tomlinson locked in but Jordan Elliott — who started 31 games over the last two seasons — and veterans Maurice Hurst and Shelby Harris are free agents.
As for Jones, he’s not thinking about his future just yet. He’ll save that for after the big game.
“If it is, it is,” Jones said when asked about his future in Kansas City. “If it’s not, it’s not. I haven’t really thought about it. I’m thinking about winning a Super Bowl.”
Wide Receiver a Free Agent Priority for Browns
The Browns may not splurge on a defensive tackle but it might be another story at wide receiver. Cleveland will be looking to add an elite partner for Amari Cooper. Cabot mentioned Tee Higgins — who quarterback Deshaun Watson has advocated for — and Calvin Ridley as potential options.
“I would still acquire a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver one way or the other. I think Watson can use one more 1,000-yard weapon,” Cabot said. “I don’t think the Bengals’ Tee Higgins will make it to the market, but there are other good receivers who could shake free, including Calvin Ridley.”
Cooper carried the Browns’ offense last season despite catching passes from four different quarterbacks. He racked up 1,250 yards on 72 catches. Cooper’s standout performance came on Christmas Eve against the Houston Texans. He caught 11 passes for 265 yards — a franchise single-game record.
Browns Comfortable With Cap Space Situation
As it stands now, the Browns are $24 million in the red with their cap space, per Spotrac. Cleveland will roll over some cap space and can do a series of contract restructures for flexibility.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry expressed during an interview with Zac Jackson of The Athletic that he feels “good” about where the Browns are at with the cap.
“There are probably multiple answers to what (the Browns’ overall cap situation is), but ‘good,’ that might be the best way to describe it,” Berry said. “We feel really good about where we are in our roster’s life cycle. We have a lot of good players who either are on their second contracts or are approaching their second contracts, but it’s something that we’ve been thoughtful about in terms of our planning for multiple years and we feel good about where we are headed into the 2024 season.”
Some contracts the Browns may look to restructure will include Watson, Nick Chubb and Cooper.
