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The Cleveland Browns have gotten off to a splash in free agency (the two-day period leading up to it) by reaching agreements with four new free agents, while seeing two of their own free agents sign with other teams.
The first two players we saw the Browns go out and sign were OL
Zion Johnson and LB Quincy Williams, and they are the subject of our poll.
Johnson was a first-round pick by the Chargers in the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s started nearly every game during that stretch, as Cleveland clearly is placing an emphasis on durability after seeing that former talented group of linemen wither to too many injuries last year. Johnson is getting a big contract from Cleveland that doesn’t quite match the 57.0 PFF grade that he earned a season ago, but GM Andrew Berry clearly has a mission to completely upgrade the offensive line with young, high-potential, durable players. One thing to note about Johnson is that he’s been a tremendously better run blocker than he has been a pass protector, so how would you grade the signing?
And then comes the signing of Williams, who will replace LB Devin Bush. Bush was stellar for Cleveland last year. However, I think the belief is also that the Browns’ defensive line is so good that it elevates the play potential of the linebackers. On top of that, Williams is no slouch, as he’s a former All-Pro. He also has experience with two teams under new Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, so the stars aligned with this signing, so-to-speak. Give your grade below on the Williams signing too, and we’ll report the results of both polls later this week.
