Welcome to the NFL offseason! As the Cleveland Browns and 31 other teams continue to seek out ways to get better in pursuit of a Super Bowl victory, there are many steps along the way before training camp is reached to hit first.
Those dates can get a bit confusing and hard to follow throughout the offseason as deadlines galore pop up that some are not aware of. Of course, big events like the NFL Scouting Combine, free agency, and the 2024 NFL draft exist, but they are just large pieces made up of many smaller pieces.
What are some of those smaller pieces and dates to know this offseason? Some of the dates apply to the Browns and some don’t. For instance, Tuesday, 2/20 was the first date a player could be hit with a franchise or transition tag. The Browns do not have a candidate for that this year.
Here are important offseason dates to mark on your calendar as the Browns get set to reload their roster and keep their competitive window open in 2024.
February 27 - March 4
The NFL Scouting Combine is underway in Indianapolis, Indiana!
321 players will take to the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium for the biggest job interviews of their life. Teams have the opportunity to meet with players as well, and the local Indianapolis Steakhouses become the host for some of the hottest trade chatter around the league amongst general managers and front office members.
March 5
The window to use their franchise tag or transition tag comes to a close for the Browns at this point. They do not have a real candidate to use it on, with the last player to receive a tag was tight end David Njoku two years ago.
March 11
Welcome to legal tampering. This is when the free agency drama gets hot as deals start getting reported rapid-fire from insiders around the league, starting at noon EST.
March 13
Happy new league year! Free agency is officially underway and players can officially sign their previously negotiated deals. Trades that have been agreed upon officially hit the league wire as well.
March 24-27
Annual league meetings are underway for these four days. Discussions about rule changes will take place, and everybody is in one place as draft and trade chatter tends to ramp up during this event.
April 15
Because they did not hire a new head coach, the Browns can begin their offseason programming on this date.
April 17
This is the last date the Browns can bring players to Berea for in-person interviews. They must have all of their top-30 visits wrapped up by this point.
April 24
Two things happen on this date.
This is the last date that teams can meet with prospects at all, whether that is virtually or in person away from their building.
It’s also the deadline to tender any restricted free agents. The Browns do not have any, with just one exclusive rights free agent in defensive end Sam Kamara.
April 25-27
It’s almost that time of year again! While the Browns do not have a first round pick, they do have seven picks to play around with. We have seen vital players like Grant Delpit, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Martin Emerson Jr., Alex Wright, Dawand Jones, and more join the team on Day 2 of the draft, so there is still plenty at stake.
May 2
This is the date the Browns have until to decide on the fifth-year option of their 2021 first rounder. Historically the Browns have picked this deal up with Myles Garrett, David Njoku, Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and Jedrick Wills, the three first rounders this regime has had to decide on (Jabril Peppers was traded before the decision had to be made).
Will they follow suit and pick up the option on Greg Newsome II?
