When asked why he chose to join the Browns on a 3-year, $36 million contract as a free agent, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson didn’t make any bones about it.
He felt like the Browns really wanted him.
He led off his introductory press conference in Berea by fielding the obvious question.
“They wanted me,” Richardson answered succinctly. “It was more than one year. That definitely that was one of my big, big things. I wanted to get off of the one-year deal thing. I wanted to find a home and make myself a dominant force in one organization and not just get passed around.”
Richardson played in 2018 on a 1-year deal in Minnesota. He spent 2017 in Seattle after being traded from the Jets following the 2016 campaign. Being wanted on a long-term deal mattered to the big man.
As for his impression of his new team…
“Honestly, the team itself, the D line itself, is what was bringing me here before (DL) Olivier (Vernon) because it got brought up to me before he had said that he was coming, too. Before I found out he was coming, I knew that their D line was already solid and definitely, definitely was dominant as far as getting after the quarterback. That was pretty much it. It had nothing to do with the offense or anything like that and then they ended up getting (WR) Odell (Beckham Jr.) and I was like, ‘They are cooking over there now.’ Just like that.”
Richardson will help cook up pressure on the defensive line, where he is expected to start right away at one of the tackle spots.
