Browns’ free agency plan to bring back a defensive starter may feature a ball that is not in their court

We’re just a few weeks away from NFL Free Agency but things should heat up some this week around the league.

Cleveland Browns will be involved in trying to make new additions, as well as attempting to bring back some of their own that are set to hit the open market.

One player that is set to be a free agent is DE Za’Darius Smith and he’s a player the Browns would reportedly like to bring back. According to Mary Kay Cabot, the Browns have an interest in bringing back Smith, but he’s going to test the market first before a decision.

“The Browns would love to re-sign defensive end Za’Darius Smith, but he’ll likely hit the market next month and let free agency help determine his price. Smith, who will turn 32 in September, ranked 18th among qualifying NFL edge-rushers according to Pro Football Focus, and 23rd with 61 pressures. He finished second on the Browns to Myles Garrett with 5.5 sacks.” - Mary Kay Cabot, Cleveland Dot Com

Smith is still producing at age 31 and could be a veteran that the Browns want to bring back for some consistency year to year. Smith was active getting after the passer all year and his sack numbers didn’t do the pressure justice that he provided.

If Cleveland wants to bring back Smith, it is likely looking like it’s going to be a two-year deal, according to our cap experts here at A to Z Sports.

• 2 Yrs $20M, $10.0 APY, $12M fully GTD
• Year One Cap Hit: $5 million

Legal tampering begins on March 11 between teams around the NFL and free agents. Expect Smith to find out what his going rate is and to go from there. If it works out the way that the Browns want it to, they’ll be having Smith around for another season.