Last week, the Cleveland Browns got a head start on their offseason when they traded guard Kevin Zeitler to the New York Giants for pass-rusher Olivier Vernon.
It appears Cleveland general manager John Dorsey might not be done bolstering his defense.
According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, the Browns are interested in former Baltimore Ravens linebacker C.J. Mosley, who became a free agent when the league's negotiating window opened on Monday. Although Baltimore remains interested in retaining him, he's expected to attract a sizable market, with the New York Jets and Washington Redskins having also been linked to the 4-time Pro Bowl selection.
In Cleveland, the 26-year-old Mosley could help upgrade the team's solid, but unspectacular, linebacking corps. Selected out of Alabama with the No. 17 overall pick of the 2014 draft, Mosley has tallied at least 100 tackles in four of his five NFL seasons, including 105 tackles, 6 of which came for a loss and 1 interception in 2018.
If the Browns were to land Mosley, it would likely come along with a hefty price tag. Earlier on Monday, former Tampa Bay Buccanneers linebacker Kwon Alexander agreed to a 4-year, $54 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers, despite having suffered a torn ACL last season.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the Mosley's next contract could pay him more than $15 million a year. With more than $69 million available after cutting tight end Darren Fells, Cleveland enters this offseason with the fourth-most cap space in the NFL.