4:27pm: The Browns have officially signed Starks, the team confirmed in a press release.
1:19pm: The Browns have reached a contract agreement with former Dolphins defensive tackle Randy Starks, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). According to La Canfora, Starks will join the Browns on a two-year contract worth about $4MM annually.
Starks, 31, went to two Pro Bowls with the Dolphins and was an interior anchor on the defensive line since joining the team in 2009, missing just one game in his six seasons in Miami. However, the team released him last week to help accommodate the signing of Ndamukong Suh — Starks had been in line for a 2015 salary of $6MM before his release.
In Cleveland, Starks will help solidify a Browns defensive line that underwhelmed in 2014. In addition to signing Starks, the team also hopes to get a healthy John Hughes back in the lineup for a full season, which should help offset the likely loss of free agent defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin.
Making the transition from the Dolphins’ 4-3 scheme to Cleveland’s 3-4 system, Starks looks like a good bet to return to a defensive end role after playing defensive tackle in Miami in recent years.