Browns best free agent signing has done exactly what they hoped he would

The Cleveland Browns knew during the 2023 NFL free agency period that they needed to address the defensive tackle position.

Cleveland did just that and it has worked out. Leading the way for that group is their best free agent signing overall, Dalvin Tomlinson.

Tomlinson has been a good, dependable player throughout his seven-year career and 2023 has been no different.

With 2.5 sacks against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, Tomlinson sits at three sacks on the year. He’s never had more than 3.5 sacks in a season, so his next sack will be a career-high.

Before this season, the Browns were at the bottom of the league when it came to defensive tackles. It was not a one-year thing either, so it had to be fixed.

Cleveland gave Tomlinson a 4-year deal worth $57 million. At 29 years old, Tomlinson still has some good ball left in front of him.

When you factor in that Tomlinson is playing with the best defense, including the best defensive line he’s ever been a part of, it made his signing a no-brainer. The Browns added Maurice Hurst to the tackle group as well and he’s been one of the better tackles in the league within his usage.

Andrew Berry made the right choice by inking Tomlinson to a deal and it’s already paying off for the Browns. It could potentially pay off even bigger down the stretch run of this season. 

Check out these other mid-season pieces:

• Browns mid-season MVP is an easy choice
• How all three phases of the Browns grade out at the mid-season point
• Browns mid-season rookie report card
• Browns biggest disappointment at the mid-season point has made it tough in 2023
• Browns biggest surprise of 2023 thus far has them in a great situation
• Browns biggest need at mid-season point could make or break the 2023 season