Monday was an unfortunate day for the Cleveland Browns on the injury front.

It was revealed that the team would be without two defensive ends that are competing for depth spots, an unfortunate development it was.

With the news, it makes sense for the Browns to go after one free-agent defensive lineman specifically.

Matt Ioannidis remains a free agent out there and he should end up in no other color than orange and brown. It’s been a beaten drum all offseason that kind of quieted down after the Browns acquired Za’Darius Smith. It’s time for that talk to pick back up.

The most attractive thing about bringing in Ioannidis is his ability to play inside out. It fits the Browns well, as they have multiple players who can get after the passer across the entirety of the defensive line. Last season with the Carolina Panthers, Ioannidis lined up at defensive tackle for 365 snaps and over the tackle on the edge for 214 snaps.

With Alex Wright and Isaiah Thomas missing extended time with their knee injuries, Cleveland will need to lean on rookie Isaiah McGuire as pass-rushing depth. McGuire was productive in the SEC at Missouri and is the No. 4 edge rusher on the Browns’ roster with the current injuries.

At defensive tackle, the Browns remain a Dalvin Tomlinson injury away from being where they were at last season, an unproven group that probably won’t be very good. Ioannidis will give an important punch inside and you can rely on him. Jordan Elliott has been mediocre to this point, rookie Siaki Ika is unproven, and Maurice Hurst hasn’t shown an ability to stay healthy. You also have Trysten Hill but has never really produced.

If Ioannidis is going to play in 2023, he’s going to find a team here soon to get acclimated during training camp. There have been plenty of rumors floated around about what teams should target him. 

Throughout his career, Ioannidis has been a productive pass rusher from the inside first and foremost. From 2017-20, he recorded 20.5 sacks in those three seasons. There’s not a player that makes more sense on the market right now in terms of filling more than one need on the defensive line.

Shelby Harris visited with the Browns last week and he’d be great to plug in the middle. But that’s it, he’s not going to give you any versatility along the line. All in all, he would still be a very welcomed signing but Ioannidis should be 1A.

Cleveland has a decision on their hands to make that could affect the 2023 season. The Browns have vastly improved their defense on paper but they need to add at least one more piece to defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s puzzle. Not signing a veteran defensive lineman could come back to bite them if they choose not to. 

Browns defensive end depth takes major hit due to injuries

Not the injury news the Cleveland Browns wanted to start the week.

Featured image via Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports.