Trai Turner is not the only player that Carolina Panthers are moving on from. Carolina is declining the 2020 option on defensive tackle Dontari Poe. Poe will now be an unrestricted free agent and the Cleveland Browns should be interested.
Poe is coming off an injury-shortened season, the first in which he has failed to play in 15 games or more. The 29-year old interior lineman is coming a productive season with 22 total tackles, 7 for loss, and 4 sacks. Poe also registered 6 QB hits. All of this led to Pro Football Focus grading Poe at 71.2.
Dontari Poe was schedule to make $9.8 million if his option was picked up. This is just a little bit less than the $11.9 million base salary that Sheldon Richardson will make this season. Cleveland could look to move Richardson and sign Poe to lessen the financial impact at the defensive tackle position. This could also help the team retain Larry Ogunjobi if they so choose.
The Browns have holes all over the roster and if they are truly worried about how they are allocating their available financial resources, exploring Dontari Poe is at least worth a try. Cleveland needs to consider any and all options in order to build their roster, including signing some players and jettisoning others.
