The Cleveland Browns have been very active this offseason.
After a disappointing end to last season, the Browns’ front office knew they needed to make adjustments.
They have been active in both free agency and in the trade market.
The most recent trade they made was acquiring veteran pass rusher Za’Darius Smith from the Minnesota Vikings.
Cleveland was looking for another stout pass rusher opposite of Myles Garrett and now they found it.
Last season Smith had 10.0 sacks and 15 tackles for a loss.
Plus, his experience will play a key role in the development of younger Browns players.
One rookie that will be following Smith closely is fourth-round draft pick, Isaiah McGuire.
According to Scott Petrak, McGuire is looking forward to learning from Smith.
#Browns rookie Isaiah McGuire on adding Za’Darius Smith to the DE room pic.twitter.com/ykbosB0tOp
— Scott Petrak ct (@ScottPetrak) May 13, 2023
Smith will be entering his age-31 season, yet has shown no signs of slowing down.
In his last three full seasons, he has a minimum of 10.0+ sacks.
The Browns realize the AFC North is full of top-flight quarterbacks.
So addressing their defense and specifically their pass rush has been a focal point of their offseason.
The Browns have playoff expectations for next season.
Plenty of the pressure will be on quarterback Deshaun Watson.
But if they can not stop opposing teams then they have no chance of claiming a playoff spot.
It will be interesting to see what the Browns can get out of their draft class this year.
Not having a first-round pick limits the ceiling of the class.
Yet they could still have a few impact players on day two and beyond.
NEXT: Fans React To Today's Blockbuster Browns Trade
