Browns retain D-Line Pillars

     The Cleveland Browns strengthened their defensive line last year moving it from a team weakness, aside from Myles Garrett, in 2022 to what would be a strength in 2023.

However, they have four contributing players who were eligible to leave through free agency.

I'm not sure about the status of Shelby Harris or Jordan Elliott although I didn't see either name on the transaction wire, but the Browns did re-sign the other two players in defensive end Za'Darius Smith and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst.

Smith signed a two-year contract worth 23.5 million to return after his first season in Cleveland after being acquired from Minnesota.

Smith played in sixteen games as the Browns' main pass-rushing threat opposite  Myles Garrett, finishing the season with five and a half sacks, which was mildly disappointing in my opinion but far from terrible.

Smith turns 32 in September, so he'll have to play well next season to stick around for the second year of the contract, I'd suspect.

Maurice Hurst was one of the most pleasant surprises of the season because the Browns really didn't know how well Hurst would play after playing only two games in 2021 for San Francisco and missing all of 2022 with a torn bicep.

Hurst would go down to an injury after thirteen games but played very well in stuffing the run along with a sack and a half and an interception.

I am concerned about Hurst's staying healthy when you look at his entire career but keeping Hurst with Dalvin Tomlinson retains some of last season's rotation along the interior of the defensive line.

I have mixed feelings about the Browns attempting to keep Shelby Harris and Jordan Elliott, cost depending of course.

I liked Harris's play a lot last year but he will be thirty-three before next season.

Elliott's play improved over his previous seasons but the Browns will need to make room for 2023 third-round draft pick Siaki Ika, who barely played last season.

If Ika progresses enough, the Browns could feel comfortable in signing one more defensive tackle but who knows how the Browns feel about him currently.

Cleveland lost one player as cornerback Mike Ford signed with Houston on a two-year contract for 4.5 million. 
Ford occasionally played in dime packages, starting once and intercepting one pass.

Ford was signed last off-season and was a key contributor on special teams.

Ford will be missed on those units, so look for the Browns to attempt to add a veteran player from somewhere with special teams experience. 

Browns add DL Depth

  The Cleveland Browns added two defensive linemen to a constantly changing group that should have quite a battle in the summer to earn spots on the Cleveland roster.

Maurice Hurst missed last season with a torn bicep with San Francisco after playing two games for the 49ers in 2021.

Hurst was on the field more often for the Raiders after being selected by the then-Oakland franchise in the fifth round from Michigan in 2018, notching four sacks as a rookie and three and a half in 2019.

Hurst has struggled with injuries since leaving the Raiders, playing in only those two mentioned games, and must be regarded with skepticism regarding his durability. However, assuming that Hurst is able to stay healthy, he could be a valuable part of the rotation.

Trysten Hill split last season with the Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys, finishing with a sack in thirteen games ( seven with Dallas, six with Arizona).

The sack is his only solo sack in his four-year career, which started as the Cowboys' second-round selection in 2019 from Central Florida.

Hill never played more than seven games in any of the first three seasons of his career and was released by Dallas mid-season as a disappointment for a high draftee.

Still, Hill has size (6'3 308), is only twenty-five, and wouldn't be the first talented lineman to take a few years to find his way in the league.

Neither Maurice Hurst nor Trysten Hill are the type of players to save a defense but they could prove to be valuable as depth pieces along the line, should either or both make the team.