3 Cleveland Browns who won’t be back in 2024 after playoff loss

1) Za'Darius Smith, DE

The calling card for the 2023 Browns during the regular season was undoubtedly their defense. The loss in Houston was a different story, but there's no denying how good this group was in the regular season. It kept them in games they had no business of winning. Players like Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward get most of the attention, but Za'Darius Smith had a really nice season with the Browns.

Cleveland acquired the veteran defensive end in an offseason trade with the Vikings, and he wound up putting up a strong year with the Browns. Smith recorded 5.5 sacks and 29 pressures in 16 games. Not exactly numbers of old, but considering what the Browns gave up to get him, that was an awesome deal.

Smith ranked second on the Browns in sacks and fourth in tackles for loss. His production wouldn't be super easy to replace, but he is somewhat replaceable. With him likely searching for a good amount of money, there's a good chance Cleveland will be priced out.

The Browns can turn to players who are already under contract like Alex Wright and Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to take over for Smith. Wright had five sacks this past season and Okoronkwo had 4.5 sacks while finishing with more tackles for loss than Smith.