Tag: zadarius smith

Keeping Za’Darius Smith opposite Myles Garrett should be a priority for the Browns

Bringing the veteran back would make a ton of sense for Cleveland

The move to add defensive end Za’Darius Smith last offseason seemed to have come out of nowhere, but it was a great move in the end. Opposite Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, Smith was able to create massive issues for quarterbacks with a total of 60 quarterback pressures in 2023.

Though he will likely command a decent salary number finding a way to bring him back in 2024 should be towards the top of the priority board for Andrew Berry. Though he didn’t have the sack numbers he had hoped he took a ton of pressure off Myles Garrett and it helped him be even more of an impactful player.

Smith found a way to make impactful plays in some of the biggest moments this year and it helped the team keep Garrett fresh combined with the rest of the defensive end room. It sounds like the team might be set to meet with Smith at the NFL combine in Indianapolis.

The veteran will likely not come cheap but for a consistent disruptive player to pair with Garrett the price tag is worth it. General manager Andrew Berry is a wizard with the salary cap so that shouldn’t be an issue for the Browns.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=646863720]

Estimated value of all 26 Browns pending free agents

The Browns have 26 pending free agents, including Za’Darius Smith and Maurice Hurst. Here are their estimated values.

The Cleveland Browns will see players like defensive end Za’Darius Smith and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst hit free agency. Can they bring them back as they look to continue to compete?

While the Browns do not have a ton of cap space right now, sitting in the red as the numbers currently stand. However, just as they did a year ago, the Browns will restructure plenty of contracts to give them a good amount of money to spend when the new league year rolls around.

General manager Andrew Berry is one of the more aggressive ones in the league, and this year will be no different. Can the Browns bring back a good portion of their free agents set to hit the market?

Using numbers and estimates from Over the Cap, here is the estimated value of every pending free agent the Browns will see hit the market this offseason.

These 26 Browns players will enter free agency this offseason

The Browns have a plethora of players heading for the open market.

Among the 26 free agents the Cleveland Browns will see hit the open market this offseason, defensive end Za’Darius Smith and quarterback Joe Flacco lead the pack as they get set to attack the offseason.

The Browns currently sit in the red in available cap space, but that should not be a worry to anyone as they will work hard to clear that out as they did a year ago. The contract of Deshaun Watson, among others, will once again be restructured as the Browns will have no problem finding money to spend this offseason to once again improve their roster.

General Manager Andrew Berry has a knack for being aggressive when it comes to acquiring talent, and this offseason will not be any different for the Browns. Before they add talent, however, they have to decide which impending free agents to keep around first.

Here are all 26 players the Browns will have to decide if they will attempt to retain them or let them walk to another team.

PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns’ defensive players vs. Texans

Another great performance for the Browns defensive, led by Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith, against the Texans

There were some question marks with the defense of the Cleveland Browns as they struggled against teams on the road. They were being gashed in the run game and struggled to figure out running quarterbacks away from Cleveland. This week, however, defensive ends Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith were dialed in.

The score doesn’t show exactly how dominant they were, one of the touchdowns scored was on special teams as well as the other Texans scores game when Jim Schwartz pulled his starters. The pass rush of Smith and Garrett was nasty and left the Texans looking for answers and leaving their quarterbacks under pressure all day long.

Over 30 pressures on the quarterback again this week and the cornerbacks who are finally healthy were as locked down as they have been all year. Here are the top 10 performances according to PFF on the defensive side of the ball.

Browns Twitter reacts to Christmas Eve victory over the Texans for win 10

The Browns, behind historic showings from Joe Flacco and Amari Cooper, beat down the Texans. Here is how Browns Twitter reacted.

What a day for the Cleveland Browns on the road in Houston as they secured a decisive victory. The game wasn’t nearly as close as the score at the end would suggest with two late scores against backups for the Texans. Quarterback Joe Flacco continues to tell Father time to leave him alone with another 300-yard passing game, with over 250 going to wide receiver Amari Cooper.

You could tell from the first play that Cooper and Flacco were in sync as the pair created big play after big play. It feels like we have not had a quarterback playing at a level like this consistently for a month since the return, it has been fun to watch.

The defense heard all of the noise about being unable to perform at a high level on the road. Though Myles Garrett didn’t get home Za’Darius Smith and company took care of that. The passing defense had one of its best coverage days to get the win, here is how Browns’ Twitter reacted.

Browns Injury Alert: DE Za’Darius Smith leaves in final seconds of win vs. Bears

Cleveland Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith exited the Bears game in the final seconds with an undisclosed injury.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Za’Darius Smith exited the win in the final moments against the Chicago Bears. Smith was injured when he collided with Myles Garrett on a stunt in the game’s closing seconds. Smith was blindsided and stayed on the field for quite a while before being moved to the medical tent. His injury wasn’t disclosed in the immediate aftermath of the game.

The Browns cannot afford to lose Za’Darius Smith for multiple games. The team has lost over 15 players to injured reserve. Last week multiple Browns’ defenders went on injured reserve including starter Grant Delpit, and fellow defensive linemen Ogbo Okoronkwo, and Maurice Hurst II. The Browns are about to make a playoff run and the health of the remaining players is paramount for any future success.

The Browns remained relatively healthy in their win against the Chicago Bears. Joel Bitonio left during the drive of the game with a back injury. Bitonio’s injury was described as back tightness on the broadcast and does not sound too dreadful. Smith was the only other starter to suffer an injury.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

3 bold predictions as Browns look to bounce back vs. Rams

The Browns will look to right the ship on the road vs Rams

Another week for the Cleveland Browns and another starting quarterback as they turn to former Baltimore Ravens and Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco. It’s still weird to say that after all the years of seeing Flacco twice a year as an opponent to have him starting in Cleveland is just different as he gets set to take on the Los Angeles Rams.

Cleveland has been a different team on the road this year than at home and they could desperately use a win to gain some confidence down the stretch as they look to make the playoffs. It will be interesting to see how Kevin Stefanski adjusts his offense to a different quarterback but we will likely see an offense similar to when Baker Mayfield and Jacoby Brissett were starting.

There is a path for the Browns to win on Sunday and as it has all year it will start with their defense. Myles Garrett will play through his injury and with Matthew Stafford under center, they will need to pressure him early and often to get the win.

PFF’s 10 highest-graded Browns’ defensive players vs. Broncos

Cleveland’s run defense struggled at times in Denver

At times on Sunday, the Denver Broncos were able to just run the ball at will on the defense of the Cleveland Browns. The defense continued to struggle in the first quarter and Denver’s coach Sean Payton schemed up a great gameplan to attack Cleveland’s run defense.

Jim Schwartz and company have got to figure out why the unit has had so many slow starts and find a way to eliminate them. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was fantastic in this game, his best as a pro, he was all over the field making plays all day. He was playing fast and confident downhill in run defense and even added a sack that happened so fast I almost missed it watching live.

It sounds like Myles Garrett may have avoided major injury after the shoulder injury he sustained on Sunday. The team badly needs Denzel Ward back after an awful showing from Greg Newsome II who played his worst game as a pro.

Here are the top 10 defensive performances in Denver according to PFF.

Injury Alert: Browns DE Za’Darius Smith exits in second half vs. Broncos

Defensive end Za’Darius Smith leaves the Broncos game with an ankle injury.

Defensive end Za’Darius Smith walked off with trainers during the third quarter of this Week 12 matchup between the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos. The defensive end injured his ankle during a tackle on the first play of the second half. Smith walked into the locker room with trainers after being examined in the medical tent.

Until he returns (if he returns) expect a heavier workload for both Ogbo Okoronkwo and Alex Wright. The defense came up with a big three-and-out to start the second half, so getting Smith back into the lineup would give this Cleveland defense an added boost.

The Browns are losing to the Broncos 6-14 going into the end of the third quarter. The Browns need their pass rushers to stop a dynamic Broncos passing attack. The Broncos are taking advantage of a stalwart Browns’ defense.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

3 bold predictions as Browns look for their 7th win vs. Steelers

Can the Browns rally around new starting quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson?

It has been a roller coaster of a week for the Cleveland Browns after getting a massive victory over the rival Baltimore Ravens on the road. The team looked like the definition of a Super Bowl contender as Deshaun Watson finally started to look like the guy they traded for.

Now a few days later, Watson is out for the remainder of the season and Cleveland will go back to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. DTR has said this week that he feels a lot more comfortable knowing he is the starter and has played in an NFL game before. It will be a challenge against the Steelers’ defense but if the run game can continue to be productive, that’ll help the rookie a lot.

The Browns defense has said already they know they need to be great with Watson out to help the offense get things done. The Steelers’ offense hasn’t been very good and if the Browns pressure Kenny Pickett, it could be a long day for Pittsburgh’s offense.