EDGE Olivier Vernon, Cleveland Browns
What is it about Cleveland that causes top players to suddenly suck? Vernon is the latest in a long run of upper-tier talent to see their production dramatically drop once they put on a Browns helmet.
In this case, injuries are the primary factor, with Vernon missing six games with a knee injury in 2019. Injuries are the biggest knock against Vernon if he enters free agency, having missed 15 games over the last three years.
However, Vernon, when not in Cleveland, has still been highly productive in spite of missing a bunch of games. Despite playing in just 23 games from 2017-2018, Vernon amassed 13.5 sacks and 33 quarterback hits. Barring 2019 and his rookie seasons, Vernon has had no fewer than 6.5 sacks in any year.
He’ll turn 30 years old in 2020, which caps his value pretty dramatically and likely means he’ll only earn a short-term contract from any team interested. But that plays perfectly into Baltimore’s hand, who need an immediate starter and more experienced depth but would love to develop their own talent to take over soon.