You make the call: Should Browns prioritize Clowney or Fuller? | Jeff Schudel
May 21—The Browns' effective cap space of $25,779,021 is the most in the NFL, according to overthecap.com. Effective cap space is defined as "the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected rookie class to its roster."
If it comes down to re-signing defensive end Jadeveon Clowney or signing free agent wide receiver Will Fuller, which player would you want the Browns to pursue?
Clowney had nine sacks and 37 tackles last season in his first year with the Browns. It was his most productive season since 2018 when he made the Pro Bowl in his final year with the Texans. That year he played in 14 games and also had nine sacks.
It is no coincidence that Myles Garrett had his most productive season the same year Clowney gave the Browns a legitimate pass rush threat on the other end of the defensive line. Garrett played in all 17 games and set a franchise record with 16 sacks in 2021. He had a career-best 51 tackles.
Fuller is 6-foot-1, 184 pounds. He played five seasons with Houston from 2016-20 and 2021 with the Miami Dolphins. Deshaun Watson, now with the Browns, was Fuller's quarterback in Houston from 2017-20.
Fuller caught 28, 32, 49 and 53 passes in the four seasons Watson was his quarterback. Fuller has had difficulty staying healthy. He has missed 40 games over the past five seasons. He signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Dolphins last year. He broke a finger in Week 4 and missed the rest of the season.
Watson and Fuller would presumably quickly regain the chemistry they had in Houston if the Browns sign Fuller. Fuller and Amari Cooper would be replacing the veteran starting receivers from a season ago — Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr.
If it would come down to Clowney or Fuller, signing Clowney would probably be the wiser move simply because the Browns are deeper at wide receiver than they are at defensive end. They traded for edge rusher Chase Winovich and drafted defensive ends Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas, but none of them can replace Clowney.
The Browns drafted wide receiver David Bell to play slot receiver. Donovan Peoples-Jones could start at wide receiver opposite Cooper. Anthony Schwartz is ready to make a jump in his second season.
—There has been no movement on the Browns' effort to trade Baker Mayfield. It always comes back to the same thing: The Browns want the trade partner to take on more of Mayfield's guaranteed $18,858,000 salary than the new team is willing to add to its own payroll.
Jeff Howe of The Athletic says the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks remain the teams showing most interest in Mayfield, just as they were before the draft.
"The Panthers and Seahawks still haven't ruled out acquiring Mayfield, but they'll need the Browns to take on a much greater portion of his contract than they've offered so far," Howe wrote. "It's unclear how far apart the sides have been, but the Browns want their contractual intake to be commensurate with the asset they receive in return.
"The Browns don't have much, if any, negotiating leverage, and the Panthers and Seahawks are using that to their advantage. As a fifth-year player, Mayfield's minimum base salary would be $1.035 million, which means the Browns could eat as much as $17.823 million in a trade. The Panthers and Seahawks are obviously pushing for something closer to that number."
The Panthers have Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback. They traded up to draft Matt Corral of Ole Miss in the third round.
Panthers coach Matt Ruhle is under intense pressure to win. His team was 5-11 in 2020 and 5-12 last season. Mayfield gives him the best chance to win among Mayfield, Darnold and Corral.
The Seahawks got quarterback Drew Lock from Denver when they traded Russell Wilson to the Broncos. They did not draft a quarterback, but have ninth-year veteran Geno Smith to compete with Lock. Mayfield would instantly be the No. 1 quarterback in Seattle if the Seahawks acquire him.