Tag Archives: J.J. Watt

Browns still in the mix for J.J. Watt

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Contrary to an earlier statement, the Cleveland Browns are still in the mix to sign the former Houston Texans defensive end.

There was some belief on Wednesday that the Cleveland Browns were no longer an option for free agent defensive end J.J. Watt. A follow up statement from John Clayton clarified what was taken an ran with.

The Browns would be wise to strongly consider adding J.J. Watt to their defensive line as he would be a clear upgrade over their current secondary options. Watt with Myles Garrett would be one of the better tandems in the league, especially if Cleveland moves Watt all over the line to take advantage of potential mismatches.

There is one obstacle that the Browns have to clear first, making it work money wise. A couple moves involving players with little or no dead money left on their deal would free up space to sign J.J. Watt in addition to other impact players. Yes, Watt would improve their defenses tremendously, but they need help all across the board and not just one position. If the Browns are going to take that next step they need to make improvements at multiple positions and not be laser focused one the defensive end position. Cleveland can live with their current defensive line depth, but that does not apply to their secondary and linebackers.

J.J. Watt not an option for Browns

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Despite having interest in the free agent defensive end, the Cleveland Browns appear to be out of the running for his services.

It appears that the possible dream scenario of pairing J.J. Watt with Myles Garrett is no longer in the cards. John Clayton stated that the three teams that the free agent could sign with are the Titans, Packers, and Bills with the Raiders being a dark horse.

The two notable teams not listed are the Browns and Steelers.

Adding J.J. Watt to this Cleveland defense would be a huge get, but would require some other moves to improve the defense. While it would have been nice to add someone with that talent of Watt, Cleveland has a ton of holes on the defensive side of the ball. The secondary is a huge issue as is linebacker, that is before addressing depth on the defensive line.

Cleveland could opt to use a similar approach to how they handled their offense last season, drafting and signing a player at a position of need. While this does create short term solutions, it does present problems beyond year one of the signing.

UPDATE

John Clayton sent a clarification tweet after a lot of attention came from the above tweet he was tagged in. Clayton states that the Browns and several other teams are still in on Watt.

Browns should explore trade for J.J. Watt

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The Cleveland Browns should explore a trade with the Houston Texans for the dynamic defensive end.

There is a certain player from the Houston Texans that the Cleveland Browns should consider trading for. No, this is not about Deshaun Watson (although there is merit to that), this is about J.J. Watt. There is the possibility that Watt has played his last game in Houston according to reports.

Let’s look at the facts. The Browns defense desperately needs help and it appears that the Texans are about to begin a total teardown resulting in J.J. Watt being available. Cleveland needs someone to play on the opposite side of Myles Garrett and even if they re-sign Olivier Vernon it is doubtful he is ready to go Week 1. While Adrian Clayborn and Porter Gustin filled in admirably, they are simply not starting quality defensive ends.

There is one major obstacle for the Browns when it comes to trading for J.J. Watt, his contract. Watt is due $17.5 million this upcoming season and that is quite the sizable chunk for a team that needs to make improvements across the board defensively. Luckily there is a solution. A simple restructure would give the Browns flexibility and could result in Watt having financial certainty beyond this upcoming season. Combine all of this with the fact that the Browns appear to be in a contention window and this is a win for all sides involved.

In the end it is possible that the Browns do not trade for J.J Watt, but if they do not at least explore the idea it would be foolish on their part. Cleveland’s defense is bad and needs help in the worst way. Not just in the draft and free agency, but the trade market as well. Adding Watt to other acquisitions they make would be an absolute home run for their defense. Especially after this front office essentially punted defense last offseason.