4 Burning Browns Questions, Including What They'll Prioritize In The NFL Draft

The 2024 Cleveland Browns are taking shape after the first week of the new league year. So far Andrew Berry has prioritized retaining many of the pieces that made Cleveland successful in 2023, with a few notable changes mixed in. As the offseason keeps on moving more questions await. Here are this week's four burning Browns questions.

Will Andrew Berry restructure anymore contracts this offseason?

With the restructures of Denzel Ward, Jedrick Wills and Jerry Jeudy, Berry already created more than $30 million in cap space to execute his free agent plans. Based on the contracts we know financial details of like Jameis Winston ($4 million in 2024), Za'Darius Smith ($5,2 million in 2024) and Shelby Harris ($2.2 million in 2024) just to name a few, the Browns haven't maxed out that space just yet.

Whether or not Berry has any additional plans to add more through free agency, know that he's generally likes to start the season with some additional cap space that he saves as rollover money for the following year. That may mean he has a few more restructures planned later on this offseason. Some potential candidates for it include Nick Chubb and, of course, Deshaun Watson. 

After the first week of free agency, what positions will the Browns prioritize in the draft?

The first week of free agency always comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. With most of the big name free agents signed at this point, everyone's focus now shifts to the draft, which is just a little over a month away now.

After the Jeudy trade I don't think wide receiver will be as high of a priority for Cleveland as it once was. I'd still anticipate Berry drafts at least one – something he's done in every single draft since becoming the Browns GM in 2020. This WR class is one of the deeper positions of the class so its possible to still land a solid player if he waits until the third or fourth round.

With that in mind, I think defensive line is likely to be a top priority when they're on the clock at 54. Linebacker remains a need for this team as well, so I think that is a group they'll look to the draft to add to. Also, Berry has drafted a defensive back in all but one year as GM, so that's a trend that's likely to continue.