Browns Rumors: Latest Buzz on Chris Harris, Trent Williams and Jason Peters

The Cleveland Browns are reportedly trying to fix a few holes on their roster through free agency.

Defensive back and offensive tackle are two of the areas of concern the AFC North side has reportedly been trying to address in the buildup to the start of free agency Wednesday.

Sports7Denver's Troy Renck named Cleveland as one of the many teams interested in picking up defensive back Chris Harris Jr. Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot also linked Kevin Stefanski's team to veteran offensive tackles Trent Williams and Jason Peters.

Whether those players land in Cleveland remains to be seen, but it gives us a good idea of what the team's offseason blueprint could be.

Latest Rumors

Chris Harris Jr.

The Browns were one of 10 teams mentioned with interest in Harris, who could move on from the Denver Broncos this offseason.

That was made possible by Denver's acquisition of A.J. Bouye from the Jacksonville Jaguars.

If Denver opts to not bring back Harris, the market should be robust for the 30-year-old, and the Browns could get involved.

In 2019, Denzel Ward and Juston Burris both recorded a pair of interceptions, while T.J. Carrie had the most tackles of any secondary member with 52. If the Browns were to bring in Harris, he would provide some support for Ward and make decisions tougher for opponents when they attack the secondary.

Cleveland has the sixth-most salary cap space in the NFL, per Spotrac, which means it could facilitate a move for Harris from a budgetary standpoint.

The Browns have four players scheduled to make more than $10 million per year in 2020. Two of them are defensive linemen, and the other two are wide receivers. Since Harris made $9.8 million in 2019, he will likely command a higher or an equal amount from his next team.

In this specific case, the Browns would have enough money to pay Harris without giving up a ton of cap space.

It would be a reasonable signing, but in order to get it done, the Browns have to fend off plenty of competition.

Trent Williams and Jason Peters

The Browns' search for offensive-line improvements could start with a target from last season.

Former general manager John Dorsey tried to get a deal done with the Washington Redskins for Williams, but it did not go through. Instead, the Browns gave up 40 sacks and 21 interceptions, while quarterback Baker Mayfield struggled at times to find comfort in the pocket.

ESPN's Dianna Russini reported at the start of March that the Redskins would allow Williams to seek a trade this offseason. Cleveland would likely have to give up draft capital to make the deal happen, and then they would have to sign Williams to a long-term deal.

Williams is scheduled to make $12.5 million for the 2020 season and will be an unrestricted free agent in 2021. If a deal is struck with the Redskins, the Browns would likely have to invest some of their cap space in the 31-year-old to keep him as Mayfield's top protector for years to come.

The situation could be different with Peters, who is 38, since he would not be with the franchise as long as Williams would.

While Williams has a handful of seasons still left in his legs, Peters would be viewed as a fix for one or two years. He would also come with a larger risk since he has played one full season in the past three years for the Philadelphia Eagles. He missed 12 games in that span because of injuries.

If those were Cleveland's only two options, Williams would be preferred because of his potential longevity, but he would consequently come at a steeper price.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference. Contract information obtained from Spotrac.