Browns sign Ogbo Okoronkwo, re-sign Ethan Pocic

     The Cleveland Browns read the free agent market and decided to spend their biggest dollars on the defensive line with the signing of defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo from the Houston Texans to provide the pass rush from the opposite end from Myles Garrett.

The three-year contract will be worth twenty-two million dollars, twelve and half of that total guaranteed.

Okoronkwo was drafted by the Rams in 2018 in round five from Oklahoma and played for Los Angeles for four seasons before moving to Houston last season.

Houston started Okoronkwo in the final eight games of the season and Okoronkwo responded with five sacks and finished in the top three in the league in quarterback pressures (Myles Garrett finished fourth) which made him an appealing target to several teams as free agency approached.

Okoronkwo could be a player on the rise with his excellent end to the 2022 season and if the Browns are correct, they may have solved their problems with a pass rush that doesn't include Myles Garrett.

There is some risk involved as Okoronkwo never started a game for the Rams and it's fair to wonder if Okoronkwo is proven enough to feel secure about his production.

Okoronkwo isn't a traditional defensive end, as at 6'2 and 255 pounds his frame doesn't scream run defender and he is more of an edge rusher that the Browns could occasionally mix things up with some snaps as a stand-up outside linebacker.

Still, all things considered, the Browns seem to have done well in signing a possible player that could be improving at 28 at a reasonable cost to help a defensive line that was the largest issue with the defense last season.

The Browns also used some funds that were freed up from restructuring DeShaun Watson's contract to keep center Ethan Pocic in Cleveland with a three-year contract.
Pocic was signed by the Browns before last season to backup Nick Harris but Harris missed the season after suffering a training camp knee injury and Pocic delivered a Pro Bowl-level season.

Pocic was regarded as the best center in the free agent field and the Browns weren't sure they could afford what Pocic could receive elsewhere.

I do wonder what this means for some members of an offensive line that has been heavily invested in their future.

The Browns now have hefty and extensive contracts for four of their five starters with an option decision that will need to be made soon on Jedrick Wills.

Something tells me that one or even two of these five starters will be playing elsewhere in 2024.