The Cleveland Browns made two big, corresponding moves this offseason along their defensive line: first, they signed edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney as a free agent, then they followed it up by releasing defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson, essentially paying for the former with the latter.
The Browns first signed Richardson as a free agent in 2019, seen as one of their big additions, and he performed well over the course of the past two season, playing in every game, logging more than 120 tackles, including nine for loss, with 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and seven batted passes.
Those numbers are very solid, though perhaps not quite worth what they were paying, which averaged $12 million per season.