Browns sign Anthony Walker, Malik Jackson

  The Cleveland Browns continued to revamp their defense for 2021 with two signings, both of which will bolster points that had not been addressed previously in free agency.

The Browns need help at linebacker now and they needed it all last season as well.

The Browns front office seems to look at linebacker as the least important position on the defense and are choosing to skimp on that position to spend more on others.

Since you simply cannot afford to go all out at every position group due to the salary cap, corners have to be cut and the Browns have chosen linebacker to try to cut those corners as their game plan appears to try to sign a solid veteran every year or two to a one or two (at the most) year contract through free agency at reasonable prices and rotate them in and out.

Cleveland signed B.J. Goodson last year to a one-year contract and they are allowing him to test free agency as an example of this plan, so if you allow someone to walk, a replacement is needed.

I think the Browns have signed a good one in Anthony Walker, who played for the Colts since 2017 when Indianapolis drafted him in the fifth round from Northwestern.

Walker was a player that his Colts teammates badly wanted to retain as several Colts, including star linebacker Darius Leonard, appeared to be very upset and generous with their tributes to Walker after the announcement of his signing with the Browns became public.

Walker started all sixteen games for the Colts last season at inside linebacker, started all but two games over the last three seasons since entering the starting lineup, and will likely be the Browns starter in the middle in Cleveland.

Walker is more of a reliable player rather than a big playmaker and will likely have Jacob Phillips and Mack Wilson starting with him, although the Browns will often play two linebackers with an extra defensive back in their place.

Walker finished last season with 65 solo tackles and one interception for Indianapolis and is known for accumulating tackles.

I think the signing of Walker is an improvement over B.J. Goodson and I think that it's possible (possible) that Walker plays well enough to earn another contract from the Browns, even if it would be another one-year commitment.

However, Pro Football Focus doesn't think highly of Walker and the Browns have been known to rely heavily on their evaluations, so signing Walker despite PFF's concerns is a mild surprise.

Walker will turn 26 before the season and his one-year deal will pay him three and a half million dollars.

Cleveland also needed to add some help along the interior of the defensive line as the Browns only returned three defensive tackles and only two that played last season when you consider that Andrew Billings sat 2020 out after signing a one-year contract due to Covid-19 concerns.

Sheldon Richardson played well last season and Jordan Elliott is back after a rookie season, but the Browns still need more bodies and they added a very interesting one in veteran Malik Jackson.

The 31-year-old Jackson played for Philadelphia over the last two seasons and for the Eagles last season, Jackson finished with fifteen solo tackles and two and a half sacks after playing only one game in 2019.

Jackson was drafted by Denver in the fifth round of the 2012 draft after playing his college football at Tennessee, but his best seasons came as a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars where he made a Pro Bowl in 2017 when he finished with a career-high eight and a half sacks.

Jackson signed a large contract with the Eagles and disappointed the team with a foot injury in 2019 and failing to make an impact last season despite a hefty salary.

Jackson was scheduled to make ten and a half million for the Eagles in 2021 and considering his lack of production, Jackson was an easy choice for Philadelphia to release and take a lesser cap hit rather than pay an exorbitant price.

Jackson is showing some mileage, but perhaps the Browns can stretch some production by playing him more often on passing downs to keep his snap down and he should be motivated to play well in order to earn one more large contract somewhere for 2022.

Jackson still has value as an interior pass rusher as Pro Football Focus (take this as you will) rated Jackson as a pass rusher in a tie for 22nd among 128 qualifying defensive tackles.

Contract terms are undisclosed at this time.