Browns miss out on another veteran edge rusher after Falcons free agent signing originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Browns, after trading away Myles Garrett to the Los Angeles Rams, have been in the market for veteran edge rusher help.
They previously tried bringing in Jadeveon Clowney, but he instead signed with the Houston Texans. Recently, they brought in veteran edge rusher Za'Darius Smith. But the same thing happened again.
As Cleveland.com's Mark Kay Cabot reports, Smith decided not to sign with the Browns and instead is joining the Atlanta Falcons on a free-agent deal. That's now two veteran edge rushers who've gone elsewhere after the browns brought them in for a visit.
Browns miss out on Za'Darius Smith to Falcons
"The Browns expected to sign their former edge rusher Za'Darius Smith on Sunday, but he threw them a curveball and signed Tuesday with the Falcons instead," Cabot writes.
Smith had a free-agent visit with the Browns already, and it was trending towards the veteran edge returning to the Browns. Cabot reported that the Browns offered Smith a one-year deal, worth $6 million, "with incentives up to $8 million."
But the Falcons came in, likely offering more or similar but with a better role, and the Browns missed out on another veteran pass rusher.
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Smith, the former three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher who is 33 years old and retired last season after five games with the Philadelphia Eagles, will be joining the Falcons for his seventh team in 12 years in the league.
He would've been a nice depth pickup for the Browns' defensive line, but just as they missed out on Clowney, another veteran edge who previously played with the Browns, they've now missed out on Smith.
There are other options in free agency, and plenty more should become available as teams cut down their roster to 53 players. But, for now, it's a bad look that the Browns have now missed out on two veteran edge rushers this offseason.
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