Browns fill one glaring need in free agency by signing a starter coming off of a career year

Jordan Elliott started 17 games for the Browns last year but left in free agency to the San Francisco 49ers. Cleveland brought back both Maurice Hurst and Shelby Harris. Both Hurst and Harris will give the Browns quality depth on the inside. It is unsure if the Browns were even interested in bringing Elliott back.

Jefferson will come in and start alongside Dalvin Tomlinson to give Cleveland a strong defensive line with Myles Garrett and Za’Darius Smith on the edge. The Browns re-signed Smith to a two-year deal.

Entering year No. 9, Jefferson is coming off of a career-high six sacks in 14 games played with the New York Jets. Jefferson spent his first four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks after being selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft. Following that, Jefferson spent a year each with the Bills and Raiders before a reunion with Seattle in 2022.

Jefferson has been a consistent interior pass rusher for the last six seasons with at least three sacks each season. At 6-foot-4 and 291 pounds, the new defensive lineman for the Browns has 26.5 sacks in 103 career games.

As I wrote about recently, the Browns still had to go out and grab another defensive tackle. They’ve done that and he’s likely to be a key piece of the defense in 2024.