Bengals' Jessie Bates drawing free-agent interest from AFC North rival

The Cleveland Browns are looking to be big-time players during free agency. In fact, general manager Andrew Berry told reporters this week that restructuring the contract of high-priced quarterback Deshaun Watson could be in the cards.

A move of that ilk would save Cleveland north of $30 million against the salary cap. As of right now, the team is $14.37 million over the cap. Simply put, Cleveland will have to cut some fat off its roster to go after high-profile free agents.

Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates could be a target of the Browns.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported recently that the Browns are “expected” to pursue Bates once NFL free agency opens.

It’s an interesting dynamic to look at. Cleveland signed fellow safety John Johnson to a three-year, $33.75 million contract back in 2021. He will be released by the Browns once the new league year opens despite having played well in two seasons with the team.

As for targeting Bates, Cleveland could kill two birds with one stone. Nabbing him from the defending AFC North champions would be a boon in the first place. It’s also not like Bates hasn’t performed at an elite level in recent seasons. He would be an upgrade from Johnson.

• Jessie Bates stats (2022): 71 tackles, 8 passes defended, 4 INTs, 51.5% completion, 76.1 QB rating
• John Johnson stats (2022): 101 tackles, 4 passes defended, 1 INT, 55.1% completion, 82.8 QB rating

The question here is just how much of an upgrade Bates would be for what promises to be a hefty price tag. Spotrac currently has Bates' market value set at $14 million annually. Given the Cleveland Browns’ cap situation, that might be too much for the team to pay.

As it is, Berry and Co. are obviously looking to go big-game hunting in free agency. Adding Bates to the mix to go with cornerbacks Martin Emerson and Denzel Ward as well as safety Grant Delpit would make Cleveland’s secondary one of the best in the game.