Cleveland Browns lose breakout defender they’d be smart to keep to an NFC team in free agent mock draft
A player the Browns could bring back jumps ship to the NFC in recent free agency mock draft.
The Cleveland Browns have a lot to work through with free agency around the corner and roster building beginning.
Cleveland’s offseason work will take place on the offensive side for the most part where they struggled badly last season. But there are defensive questions to work through, including one of the better Browns defenders in 2025 set to be a free agent.
LB Devin Bush leaves the Cleveland Browns in free agent mock draft
In an exercise here at A to Z Sports, we ran through a mock draft with the team from the most cap space to the least cap space. You can read about the addition the Browns made here, but they also lost LB Devin Bush to the Minnesota Vikings in this draft. Bush is one of the top linebackers available and was an easy fit for Brian Flores’ defense.
“The Vikings are currently projected to be $40 million over the salary cap after spending a lot of money last offseason to try and win. In turn, they need to clear out money. The good news is that they don’t have a lot of bad contracts and can easily restructure long-term players like Justin Jefferson and Christian Darrisaw to make it happen. Adding Bush would give the Vikings two solid off-ball linebackers to thrive in Brian Flores’ defense, which would elevate them to a new level. — Tyler Forness, A to Z Sports Minnesota
Bush was a standout for the Browns in 2025 with 125 tackles, two sacks, three interceptions (two interceptions returned for touchdowns), and eight pass breakups. The former first-round pick out of Michigan was healthy for all 17 games and showed the potential it was once believed he had.
Cleveland had two stud linebackers in 2026 with rookie LB Carson Schwesinger bursting onto the scene as well. The Browns’ interest level in bringing Bush back will depend on the playing future of LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. JOK didn’t play in 2025 due to a neck injury he suffered in 2024.
The projected contract for Bush is three-years for $36 million with $24 million guaranteed. Such a contract could be in range for the Browns, but it’s the Minnesota Vikings that take him in the mock exercise.
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