Cleveland Browns Free Agent Review: DT Larry Ogunjobi

Next up on our 2021 review of the Browns’ unrestricted free agents is DT Larry Ogunjobi.

Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

How and When He Joined the Browns: Ogunjobi was a 3rd round pick by the Browns in the 2017 NFL Draft. Of the Browns’ ten draft picks that year, the only three players still on the club this past season were Ogunjobi, Myles Garrett, and David Njoku.

Productivity Level Last Season: Statistically, it was a typical season for Ogunjobi. In 15 regular season games, he registered 45 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He had 4 tackles during the postseason. As you’ll see below, he did not perform too well in any aspect of his game, according to Pro Football Focus. He did have a memorable bullrush against the Steelers in the postseason game, which helped create a big play.

Why Keeping Him Could Make Sense: Last year, the Browns let LB Joe Schobert walk in free agency because the team thought they could do better for the type of contract he’d command. One could argue that ended up being a mistake. Ogunjobi is one of the Browns’ few home grown players who was good enough to stay with the team through his rookie contract. With the team already needing to upgrade linebacker and parts of the secondary, do they also want to have to worry about addressing defensive tackle?

What the Browns Should Do: To my surprise, ESPN listed Ogunjobi among their Top 50 free agents in the NFL this offseason. I love the strength that Ogunjobi has shown he’s capable of, but I continue to beat the drum that he is not effective as a starter. The more reps he gets, the less effective he is. If a team wants to get the maximum production out of him, he needs to be a 30-snap-per-game rotational player. Take a look at his ratings from Pro Football Focus, which declined as each year went on:

Defensive tackle has actually has been a weakness at Ogunjobi’s spot, so if I’m the Browns, the last thing I’m going to do is offer him a lucrative free agent contract. If another team wants to sign him away, then by all means, they should do it.

If the market is cold on Ogunjobi and he’s willing to return on an affordable deal, then I wouldn’t have a problem with it — something like 2 years for $4 million. For perspective, former Browns DT Danny Shelton, who is currently with the Detroit Lions, signed a 2-year, $8 million deal last year. My mindset is kind of assuming that this was Ogunjobi’s final year with Cleveland, but we’ll see. Cleveland could also be getting DT Andrew Billings back after he opted out due to COVID-19 last year.

Let us know below whether or not the team should try to re-sign Larry Ogunjobi.