As we approach the end of the franchise tag window this offseason, the Cleveland Browns will nee to turn to figuring out which free agents to work on new deals with and which to let walk.
The Browns have to let quite a few players go in order to make their cap situation easier to digest, with the biggest name to potentially walk being Nick Chubb.
The former All Pro running back struggled to get back to that form in 2024 after he returned from a knee injury in 2023 and then suffered a foot injury at the tail end of his return year. It’s unclear whether he’ll ever hit his 1,000 yard rushing seasons again, which is why the Browns are likely being cautious about immediately re-signing Chubb simply because he’s a fan favorite.
The former All Pro running back struggled to get back to that form in 2024 after he returned from a knee injury in 2023 and then suffered a foot injury at the tail end of his return year. It’s unclear whether he’ll ever hit his 1,000 yard rushing seasons again, which is why the Browns are likely being cautious about immediately re-signing Chubb simply because he’s a fan favorite.
In addition to Chubb, there are several other free agents that Cleveland can actually afford to bring back – at least for depth. And, they began making some of those moves on the last day of the franchise tag window being open, March 4. Here, we’ll keep track of all positions experiencing an influx of free agents, and provide updates to those positions as free agency takes shape.
It doesn’t seem likely that either free agent quarterback with the Browns right now will actually be in their quarterback room to start 2025. Zappe was a midseason signing to add depth to the position, but Winston actually started for most of the 2024 season.
He started out hot, which led some to feel that he could actually be a bridge option for Cleveland in 2025, but his end of year performance ended up featuring more turnovers than scores. Winston will probably get some interest from other quarterback needy teams in need of options in training camp, but it feels like the Browns won’t be one of those teams. The experiment was, in this case, a failure.
Nyheim Hines was cut by the Browns on February 18, so he’s not in the free agency picture for Cleveland any longer. The big fish for the team at this position is Chubb, who has been given the green light to test free agency this offseason. The Browns may be looking to revamp their running back room through the draft, where the position has some depth.
The team could save millions by not re-signing Chubb as well as filling their quarterback room with entirely rookie backs. A bold move, and one that doesn’t inspire confidence in the teams’ offense moving forward, but no recent Browns moves have inspired confidence, anyway.
The Browns have something good in both Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman. The two receivers are shaping up to a be a solid tandem for whichever signal caller the Browns bring in for next season. Jeudy, especially, thrived with a deep ball passer like Winston. If Cleveland could somehow pair Cam Ward with Jeudy, good things could happen for their offense.
Moore could potentially be held onto by Cleveland considering his value is pretty low after a poor 2024 season. The question would be whether he’d want to stick around to try and gel with yet another quarterback in his still-young career. The 25 year old receiver has a high floor, but potentially not a high ceiling. Proche could be a solid depth re-signing.
Unlike the running back options in this year’s draft, there may not be a ton of options for Cleveland in later rounds at WR. So, re-signing Proche and Moore would go a long way if they’re able to reach team-friendly deals.
Whiteheart was tendered by the Browns on Tuesday, which means that Cleveland has exclusive rights to negotiate a deal with the tight end who provided some really solid snaps for them in 2024. In relief of David Njoku, Whiteheart and Akins did a great job of picking up his slack.
Akins would be incredible to hold on to, as well, considering Njoku’s injury history. Both he and Whiteheart worked hard to remain in the picture for the Browns’ often shaky offense, and they deserve another shot to be regular pieces of the offense in 2025. Swaim may be the odd man out here, hitting 32 years old this coming season.
Obviously, offensive line is going to be the room that sees the most work done this offseason. There are a ton of talented tackles to look at in this year’s draft – specifically, players like Grey Zabel, Josh Conerly Jr., and Kelvin Banks Jr. all seem like legitimate options for Cleveland if they wanted to take a swing on a high upside rookie T this offseason.
The team should be prioritizing re-signing Nick Harris, who was solid at center for the team. Additionally, players like James Hudson and Geron Christian should be sought out by the Browns again given their age and the fact that they can add decent depth to the oft-hobbled O-line. Jedrick Wills Jr. might need to be allowed to walk, especially after a subpar season cut short by injury.
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