The new Cleveland Browns front office made another strong free agent move in signing DT Andrew Billings. Adding one of the younger and more impressive interior defensive linemen from a divisional rival is a win. Cleveland really focused on the offensive side of the ball during the first day of free agency, but the Billings signing will help ease a lot of minds.
Name: Andrew Billings
Height: 6-1
Weight: 311 pounds
Age: 25 years old
Previous Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Billings was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by Cincinnati and at the time this was viewed as an absolute steal. His career got off to a late start though, because his first season ended before it started — literally — as he tore his ACL in August before his rookie year. In 2017, Billings was in a reserve role at nose tackle and played very well, which led to him being named the full-time starter in 2018 and 2019.
The former Baylor Bear had a very solid season and even achieved a career-high 35 tackles in 2019. At only 25 years old, Billings has not yet reached his potential. He is already fantastic at taking up blocks, which will free lanes for rushers. Billings is also a reliable asset as a run stuffer. It needs to be noted that Billings has slowly improved since his devastating rookie injury and 2020 could be his best season.
The biggest concern with Billings is that when he does get a chance to reach the backfield he appears lost. He is also not the first person off the snap very often. Billings has also been caught leaning on offensive lineman and losing the leverage battle, but he plays the position like a bowling ball and can be an upper-echelon interior defender in Cleveland.