Surprise team should go all-in to sign J.J. Watt

Among a bunch of possible suitors for J.J. Watt, there is one particular team that’s well-equipped to go all-in and get him.

The Houston Texans did J.J. Watt a favor by releasing him early, thus allowing him to have a head start on free agency and to practically pick his next team. The five-time All-Pro will have plenty of suitors, realistic or otherwise, and he’s got plenty left in the tank approaching 32 years old.

Watt will surely prioritize trying to add a Super Bowl ring to his resume as one of the most decorated defensive lineman in NFL history. That makes the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers (Watt brothers reunion!), Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and a few others viable suitors, depending on what he’s looking to get in his next contract.

But there’s a team a little below the radar that should go all-in to get Watt.

The Cleveland Browns should go all-in for J.J. Watt

The Browns ended a long playoff drought this past season. They also won a playoff game for the first time since 1994, when some guy named Bill Belichick was their head coach. So this is a team on the rise, and even with the salary cap going down they have cap space. Over The Cap’s $180.5 million cap projection gives them $21.7 million in space right now, while Spotrac’s $185 million projection gives them $29.7 million. And if they trade Odell Beckham Jr., $15.75 million more would cleanly come off the books.

The Browns have one of the league’s best pass rushers in Myles Garrett. But their second-leading sacker from 2020, Olivier Vernon (nine sacks) tore his Achilles late in the season and is headed for free agency. So defensive line is a need, whether Adrian Clayborn is back or not ($3 million in cleared cap space if he’s cut) and Watt might be the best pass rusher available in free agency this side of Shaq Barrett.

A defensive end duo of Garrett and Watt would automatically be among the best in the league. The Browns have the need and the means to do what it takes to fill it, so they should really be more than a surprise or dark horse suitor for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.