The Cleveland Browns have been searching for a reliable defensive end to pair with Myles Garrett since the day he was drafted in 2017.
The list has included Emmanuel Ogbah, Carl Nassib, Olivier Vernon, Chad Thomas, Joe Jackson, Jadeveon Clowney, Za’Darius Smith, and several other players whose names will not necessarily go down in franchise lore.
The cycle continues this year as Smith, who may have been the best of the bunch, is an unrestricted free agent after just one season with the Browns. Smith is still productive, but he will turn 32 just as the 2024 season gets underway, and general manager Andrew Berry may be a bit wary about how much it would cost to keep a player on the other side of 30, even one as durable as Smith has been the past few years.