5 targets for Browns in 2022 NFL free agency

Anthony Walker really made the most of his first season on the Browns defense

While Browns are not losing a ton of great players off last year’s roster in free agency, one player who stepped up for the big time was linebacker Anthony Walker. The former fifth-round pick out of Northwestern spent his first four years in the league with the Indianapolis Colts. Though his play has been rather anonymous outside of the midwest, the Browns should not let him walk.

Look. When it comes to retaining key players internally, teams like the Browns are better served going with a guy whose productivity is a bit underrated, rather than paying something close to top-dollar for a glorified hype machine like a Jadeveon Clowney. Walker is not going to be a major difference-maker on next year’s team, but he has played well enough to merit a second contract.

Ultimately, this is about maintaining continuity on the defensive side of the ball. Again, the Browns have one of the better rosters in football, and they have key contributors at all levels of their defense. Cleveland does not have to pay out the wazoo to keep Walker around for a second season, but it would serve the Browns to use a chunk of the cap space they have to retain him.

Walker was a savvy pick-up for the Browns last year and he could be the same on a new deal, too.