BEREA, Ohio — Day five of free agency saw the Cleveland Browns continue to make moves, including signing a linebacker from the Colts and a veteran interior defensive lineman from the Eagles. They also brought back a kicker, linebacker and an offensive lineman from last season.
The Browns signed linebacker Anthony Walker to a one-year contract for $3.5 million. Walker, (6-1, 230) had 92 tackles for the Colts last season. Walker has 343 tackles in his first four seasons in the NFL, all with the Colts. The 25-year old has three interceptions and 3.5 sacks in 57 career games.
“We are adding another smart, tough football player to the fold,” Kevin Stefanski said in a release announcing the move. “This is a guy that plays hard, plays fast, plays nasty. He can be a quarterback for the defense out there. Really intelligent, heady player.”
Friday evening, news broke that former Eagles defensive lineman Malik Jackson agreed to terms with the Browns per Ian Rapoport. Jackson, 31, is entering his 10th NFL season.
#Browns get help on the D-line https://t.co/F1bBi8K2cO
— Fred Greetham (@FredGreetham) March 20, 2021
The Browns also announced the signing of kicker Cody Parkey, linebacker Elijah Lee and offensive tackle Greg Senat.
In his second stint with the team, Parkey took over as the team’s kicker in Week 2 and finished the season 19-of-22 on field goals, making all but one of his 11 attempts from 40 yards or more, while going 43-of-47 on extra points. He made all 11 of his kicks (eight extra points, three field goals) in the playoffs. Parkey has been kicking in the NFL since 2014, when he entered the league with the Eagles. He’s connected on 121-of-143 field goals while making all but 12 of his 209 extra point attempts. He’s 6-of-7 on field goal attempts in the playoffs.
Lee was claimed on waivers from the Lions midway through the season. Lee appeared in eight games and primarily played on special teams, recording six tackles. Lee, who entered the league as a seventh-round pick out of Kansas State, has appeared in 50 games with six starts, all of which coming during a two-year stint (2018-19) with the 49ers.
Senat finished last season with the Cowboys and played in 10 games, mostly on special teams after spending the first four weeks on the Browns’ practice squad before being signed by the Cowboys. Senat was a sixth-round pick by the Ravens in the 2018 NFL Draft and spent the majority of his first two NFL seasons on injured reserve, with the Ravens in 2018 and the Chiefs in 2019.
The Browns also announced the signings of Rashard Higgins and JoJo Natson in a release on Thursday.
On defense to date, the Browns have signed safety John Johnson, defensive end Takkarist McKinley, cornerback Troy Hill, linebacker Anthony Walker, Jackson and re-signed Malcolm Smith and Lee. On offense, the Browns have re-signed Higgins, Natson and Senat. Parkey on special teams.
The Browns have addressed every position on the defense.
The Browns might still be active in free agency, but have addressed many of their needs. However, there are some of the bigger names that are still available through the first week of free agency:
Besides McKinley, as of Friday night, several edge rushers are still available that are ranked by NFL.com, including Jadeveon Clowney (Titans, #7 NFL.com, #13 PFT.com), Justin Houston (Colts, #29 NFL.com, #22 PFT.com), Carlos Dunlap (Seahawks, #35 NFL.com, #8 PFT.com) and Melvin Ingram (Chargers, #41 NFL.com, #24 PFT.com). Former Browns free agents Olivier Vernon and Adrian Clayborn are also still available. Vernon is rehabbing a ruptured Achilles and might not be able to return to the field until sometime during the 2021 season.
Besides the Browns signing Hill, At cornerback, there are still some cornerbacks available. Kyle Fuller was released by the Bears in a cost-cutting move and the Pro Bowl cornerback moves to the top of available cornerbacks and is ranked as the fourth-best available free agent by ProFootballFocus.com. As of Thursday night, some of the cornerbacks still available include Richard Sherman (49ers,#18 NFL.com, PFF #51), Adoree Jackson (Titans, #36 NFL.com, ), Brian Poole (Jets, #56 PFF.com, #20 PFT.com), A.J. Bouye (#9 PFT.com) Gareon Conley (Texans) and Xavier Rhodes (Colts, #25 PFT.com).
The OBR’s Lane Adkins said in Rumor Central the Browns have expressed interest in Conley.
Besides the signing of Jackson, interior defensive linemen Ndamukong Suh (Buccaneers, #64) and Sheldon Rankins (Saints, #69) are two of the free agents that are still available. Also, the Bengals released Geno Atkins on Friday.
In addition to Walker, a top-rated linebacker still available is K.J. Wright (Seahawks, #49 NFL.com, #23 PFT.com). B.J. Goodson (#187 PFF) has also not agreed with another team.
With Higgins and Natson, it appears the Browns are bringing back their top five wide receivers from last season. Former Browns receiver and possible target, Breshad Perriman signed with the Lions and JuJu Smith-Schuster re-signed with the Steelers. Some of the top receivers still available are Kenny Golladay (Lions, #1 PFT.com) and T.Y. Hilton (Colts, #18 PFT.com).