Now that J.J. Watt is freed from the Houston Texans, it’s natural to look around the NFL landscape and try to figure out where the 3-time defensive player of the year will land. The Cleveland Browns figure to be one of the teams most linked with landing Watt.
It’s an easy connection to make. With Olivier Vernon a pending free agent–and with an Achilles injury to boot–the Browns sorely need a new starter at DE opposite Myles Garrett. The team is a legit contender, coming off an impressive season where Cleveland won its first playoff game in over 25 years and with an impressive young core of talent ready for bigger and better things.
Watt can be a part of that. While he’s no longer the most dominant defensive force in the league, a title he held from 2012 through 2015, Watt remains a very effective player. Playing with the weakest supporting cast he’s ever had in Houston, Watt still managed five sacks, 29 QB hurries and a top 20 overall grade from Pro Football Focus.
Just as importantly, the 31-year-old played all 16 games. He’s done that just twice since 2015. It’s a sign his body is getting better after a couple of freakish, and serious, injuries.
Watt can play as a true DE in a 4-3 front, but he can also kick inside to tackle. In an odd-man front–where he had his greatest success–Watt is still very effective at lining up on either shoulder of the guard. The quickness and brute power aren’t at their peak anymore, but Watt can still win with either, and that makes him a dangerous player.
Lining him up across from Garrett and next to Sheldon Richardson is a very appealing proposition. Watt’s outstanding locker room presence and ample playoff experience are assets the Browns can surely use.
There are already reports the Brown are interested. Of course they are. It’s not every day that a player of Watt’s stature comes available. He fits with GM Andrew Berry’s mission statement of aggressive acquisition of talent. But how interested should the Browns be in Watt?
It’s not worth eschewing the chance at younger, more long-term assets who can contribute in prominent roles for years for the Browns. The price needs to be right, and getting into a bidding war with the Packers, Titans or Steelers (all also logical Watt destinations) probably doesn’t make much sense other than to drive up the price tag and salary cap impact on a potential playoff adversary. But he can still play, and now that the team doesn’t have to give up anything to sign Watt, it’s definitely worth the Browns being serious players in trying to sign the future Hall of Famer.
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