This season, the Cleveland Browns’ defense has played at a championship caliber, but it will take ongoing effort to keep it there.

After examining what the Browns will need on that side of the ball in the next offseason, the NFL Staff at Bleacher Report determined that Cleveland need to make a move for linebacker Patrick Queen of the Baltimore Ravens.

Off-ball linebacker has not historically been given priority by the Browns front office, but the same could have been said of defensive tackle the previous campaign. They yet signed Dalvin Tomlinson to a competitive contract in spite of that, according to BR. Given that Sione Takitaki and Anthony Walker Jr. will be available for free agency in the upcoming offseason, they may try to sign Patrick Queen away from Baltimore. Queen produces enough big plays to get a pay raise.

Patrick Queen Can Offer Browns Stability at Crucial Position

With the No. 28 overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Queen was chosen by the Ravens out of LSU.

In the fourth year of his four-year, $12.2 million rookie deal, Queen is on the field. The linebacker’s 2024 contract has a $12.7 million fifth-year option that Baltimore chose not to exercise, so in March he will become a free agent.

Why the Browns should actively seek a guy who Baltimore has decided not to engage in further—at least not at this time—may be questioned by a skeptic. The Ravens may first try to sign Queen in free agency in order to obtain his services for a lower cost.

Second, Takitaki and Walker, two of the Browns’ primary linebackers, might be lost to other teams in the upcoming offseason. After nine weeks, the defense leads the NFL in defense, but if it wants to duplicate that success in 2024, it needs to defend the second level.

The Browns’ ability to qualify for the Super Bowl may depend on their ability to put out that type of effort and performance, given the offense’s persistent struggles, particularly at quarterback. Next season, Deshaun Watson’s salary cap amount will increase to $64 million, where it will stay for three years until the end of his fully-guaranteed $230 million contract.

Cleveland has to make wise spending decisions but it has to invest in the football defense if it wants to be relevant. Queen’s market worth is estimated by Spotrac to be $17 million per season over the course of a new four-year contract; the Browns will need to considerably undercut this estimate in order for Queen to be a realistic free agency option.

Spotrac initiatives Cleveland is expected to have -$7.3 million in salary cap space at the start of the summer, though more transactions are expected to lower that amount.