After working his way into a semi-regular starting role in Cincinnati, he’ll be a rotational and situational player for the Browns, who hope he’ll help them beef up their defensive front.
“At the end of the day, this is business. You don’t want to always have to move, but I found a fit for me and a place where I was wanted, and that was good, too,” Billings said Friday on a conference call with reporters. “Leaving the Bengals, it is always going to be hard to move and stuff, but as far as it goes, it really wasn’t that hard – it is four hours down the road.”
The Bengals selected Billings in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL draft where he started 37 of the 47 games he appeared in.
His career got off to a slow start after he suffered a torn meniscus during training camp forcing him to miss his rookie campaign but in the three seasons since, Billings totaled 80 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 12 quarterback hits and 3.5 sacks.
“The next step is definitely developing myself,” Billings said. “After my rookie year, the step was to actually make the team and the next year was to actually start. Now, I think the step for me is learning more about developing myself into more of a complete player and a lot of off-the-field things, as well. Just improving on things I want to improve on every year – studying, watching my film and just really being a good teammate out there.”
Billings joins a defensive line that includes Myles Garrett, Olivier Vernon, Sheldon Richardson and Larry Ogunjobi. He’s expected to rotate with Ogunjobi and Richardson.
“To go out there and play with those guys, it is always a good place to be surrounded by good people, good talent and people to learn from,” Billings said. “I feel it will be a great opportunity for me. I am just going to try to soak up as much as I can.”
Billings met Ogunjobi while working out last offseason along with Geno Atkins and after speaking with EVP and GM Andrew Berry and members of the coaching staff, he felt the Browns were the right move to make.
“It seems like a great place to play and a great place to live and work,” Billings said.
For Billings, fit matters and sold him on making the move up I-71.
“It was the style of play that we are going to incorporate and just my job,” Billings said. “I don’t want to go anywhere and they expect something that I don’t expect or they want something that I don’t want as far as I am still playing the same position and going between 2i and a 3-technique and stuff like that. Honestly, just the job, the technique and the style. Obviously, I like the coaches, as well.”
All eyes are on the Bengals, who hold the No. 1 pick in the draft, after they went on an offseason spending spree, a step from the norm for them in any offseason, but Billings is joining a team that is a year behind schedule in the Browns.
Expected to make the playoffs a year ago, the Browns finished 6-10, including a loss to the Bengals in the season finale but those expectations return in 2020 following another active offseason of additions.
“Something I have learned in the NFL is [making] the playoffs can sometimes be one play in a game,” Billings said. “I think they are definitely in the right direction, have a lot more potential now and I think they are trending in an upward way.”