NFL Free Agency Profile: DE Carl Lawson

Lawson would bring much needed pass rush production opposite of Myles Garrett

The Cleveland Browns are heading into free agency with two objectives in 2024, and that’s to add more playmakers at key positions and to ensure that they have adequate depth throughout the entirety of the roster.

This year’s free agent class is full of players that fit these needs, and the Browns might be focused on adding another pass rusher early on in the process. Za’Darius Smith is most likely on the way out in March, and that would leave a pretty big hole in the pass-rushing department. Adding a player like Carl Lawson would give Cleveland a versatile edge rusher that has the strength and power to be used on the interior as well from time to time, which is something that Jim Schwartz likes to do with his defensive ends.

Despite their current financial situation, they can create a decent amount of cap space within the next month ($40M+). Andrew Berry has always done a great job of being able to get the most “bang for his buck” in Free Agency and he’ll most likely continue to do so in 2024.

We will continue to profile free agents as we head into the NFL combine. Once we have data from draft prospects we will add NFL draft profiles as well.

Name

Carl Lawson

Position

Defensive End

Height/Weight

6’2”, 265 pounds

2023 Team

New York Jets

Stats

2023: 6 games, 0 starts – 5 tackles

Career: 74 games, 31 starts – 119 tackles, 28 TFL, 27 sacks, 3 forced fumbles

PFF Grade: 60.3

2023 Contract

Final year of New York deal, $9,000,000 earned

Fit with the Browns

Though Cleveland’s defensive line was dominant in 2023, the team still needs to find pass rushers who can consistently help take pressure off of Myles Garrett. Ogbo Okoronkwo and Alex Wright did very well as rotational and sub-package players last season, but they could want to add someone who can handle a bigger workload in 2024.

Lawson has been a very versatile player throughout his career and he’s shown the ability to take over a game if he has to. Despite his “rocky” season with the Jets, he has the potential to be an extremely productive pass rusher in Jim Schwartz’s defense.

Browns player signing could impact

Alex Wright – If the team were to sign Lawson, it would mean that Wright would most likely stick to the same role that he had in the 2023 season. He was an asset when rushing the passer on the interior as well as showing good development as an edge player. Wright remaining in his current role wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing.

How signing could impact the NFL Draft

Jim Schwartz and this Cleveland front office have shown time and time again that they value pass rushers, so adding Lawson might not change their draft plans. The Browns could still take a defensive lineman in rounds 2 or 3.

Priority

Medium. Carl Lawson is someone who’s displayed a lot of potential during his time with the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets, but he suffered a back injury last season which contributed to him falling “out of favor” with the Jets as the 2023 season went on. He’s still an above-average pass rusher who was a hot commodity in the 2022 free-agency cycle, and he could be a “steal” if Cleveland can sign him to a team-friendly deal.

Projected APY: $3,000,000 – $5,000,000

Who are some of your favorite free-agent pass rushers besides Carl Lawson? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.