Browns Free Agency Files: CB Terrance Mitchell – Performance, market value and his Browns future

The Cleveland Browns lost two important pieces of their secondary for the entire season during training camp in 2020. Within minutes of each other, the Browns saw rookie safety Grant Delpit and second-year cornerback Greedy Williams both leave the field to what later ended up being injuries that forced them to miss all of 2020.

Performance

A huge lift for the 2020 Browns defense was their ability to call on CB Terrance “Money” Mitchell to fill in for Williams and maintain a starters’ level of play. Mitchell has been a nice asset during his three years in Cleveland, often being called on to fill-in for starters Denzel Ward and Williams, consistently performing adequately in their absence. He proved he could be counted on and remained available when the team could not afford to lose anyone else.

Not only did Mitchell play well in 2020 but he also proved to be incredibly durable. He graded out at 68.2 for the season, which ranked him 35th out of 121 qualifying cornerbacks in the league, per Pro Football Focus.

While proving to be effective in Williams’ absence, Mitchell ended the 2020 season with an impressive 1,225 snaps played, which is the most of any cornerback in the entire NFL.

The 28-year-old Mitchell was excellent in run support while holding his own in coverage. He recorded a career-high 65 tackles and caused four forced fumbles while playing 99.4% of the team’s defensive snaps.

Market Value

Mitchell enters free agency after playing out a three-year deal worth $10 million for the Browns. With the 2021 Salary Cap currently estimated to drop down to somewhere in-between $180 million and $185 million, the free agency market becomes more unknown than usual.

Mitchell’s play and availability may price him out of a range the Browns are willing to pay for a back-up corner. However, there is uncertainty regarding Williams’ health going forward. Despite, his recent announcement that he will return in 2021, the Browns can hardly ink him in as a starter.

If the Browns could bring Mitchell back on a one-year deal for $3 million-$4 million they should consider doing so. Ideally, they would be able to sign him to a two-year deal for $6 million, with $3 million guaranteed and incentives that could get him to $8 million total depending on snaps played or games started. Still, Mitchell may be looking for more than this after starting all 16 games last season.

Future with Browns

One issue that has always devalued Mitchell somewhat is his inability to move inside and play in the slot. For multiple years now, it could be said that the Browns were often unable to put their three best corners on the field at the same time, even when the whole room was healthy.

The Browns have to get better in the secondary and they will likely add some talent in free agency. However, that could come in the form of a slot corner, safety or a high-profile corner. As far as depth goes, there are some names like CB Cameron Sutton, CB Darqueze Dennard and CB Jourdan Lewis who all can play both in the slot and outside if needed.

Certainly, the Browns should attempt to re-sign Mitchell if the price is right. He has been worth every penny up to this point. Things get tricky though as GM Andrew Berry tries to improve the defense this offseason. Depending on where and how much he allocates funds to the secondary could put more of a premium on cheaper depth or depth that is more versatile.

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