Dalvin Tomlinson signs four-year deal with Browns

Dalvin Tomlinson signs four-year deal with Browns

The Cleveland Browns are expected to sign defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to a four-year, $57 million deal with $27.5 guaranteed, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday evening.

Sources: The #Browns are expected to sign former #Vikings DT Dalvin Tomlinson, landing their coveted big-time defenders on Day 1 of free agency. He gets a 4-year deal worth $57M with $27.5M guaranteed.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 14, 2023

Tomlinson, who will play a 0-, 1- or 3-technique along the defensive line, was regarded as one of the best run-stoppers on the free agent market, and heads to a team that was one of the NFL’s worst rush defenses a year ago. The Browns ranked in the bottom-10 leaguewide in opponents’ yards per carry (4.5), fifth-worst in rush defense DVOA and last in defensive EPA/rush.

In 2022, the 6-foot-3 defensive lineman finished with 42 tackles with three tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks in 13 games. Over his NFL career, he’s totaled 288 tackles with 26 tackles-for-loss and 13 sacks in 93 combined games with the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings, who’s undergoing a (defensive) exodus of multiple veterans this offseason.

According to Pro Football Focus, Tomlinson’s had a 83.0-graded run defensive rating since 2017, a top-16 mark among all defensive linemen.

We don’t know what his final cap-hit will be yet, but Tomlinson’s average annual value is a top-10 mark among all defensive tackles in football with the 11th-most guaranteed money, per Spotrac. This is the second big get for the Cleveland Browns offseason — literally — in addition to signing former Houston Texans defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo to a three-year deal.

It’s safe to say that Cleveland needed re-working all around their defense heading into this offseason, and it’s gotten off to a good start with the signings of Okoronkwo and Tomlinson to revamp its defensive line. There’s still work left to do, but it’s an encouraging start.

This is a breaking news story. Stay tuned for updates.

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