PFF’s Brad Spielberger released an article this week detailing one free agent each NFL team must bring back. For the Cleveland Browns, he settled on veteran linebacker and leader Anthony Walker. It was clear last season when Walker went down with an injury that the play at the positions drastically got worse.
“Cleveland can’t afford to spend much on defense outside of perhaps investing in their interior defensive line, which makes Walker a solid option here coming off his torn quadriceps tendon injury. His 85.9 coverage grade over the past two seasons ranks third among off-ball linebackers, and while he can stand to improve against the run — as is the case with almost the entire Browns defense — those improvements are more likely to come via the aforementioned interior defensive line additions and a change in philosophy under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.”
