Cesar Tordesillas

Ex-Baltimore Ravens linebacker Paul Kruger has signed a five-year, $40.5 million deal with the Cleveland Browns.

The deal reportedly included $20 million in guaranteed money.

The 27-year-old has now gone from a Super Bowl winner to a perennial loser — the Browns have lost at least 11 games in each of the past five seasons.

But what's important to Kruger is to prove what he can do.

"Leaving Baltimore gives you the opportunity to step out of a couple shadows that you might have been in when you were there," Kruger said.

"I just want to be an every down player that's really effective in creating a strong force on defence," he said. "That's the biggest thing I want to change, just being somebody you can rely on during the whole game. I think that I was deemed as a pass rusher only and it's something I think I'll be able to show people I can be effective on every snap."

Kruger will start at one outside linebacker spot with Jabaal Sheard, the team's best pass rusher last season, switching from an end to linebacker.

Kruger is proud of his time with Baltimore, where he learned work ethic, how to compete, and most importantly, how to win. He intends to carry that knowledge to Cleveland.

A second-round pick in 2009 out of Utah, Kruger finally got a chance to start last season after being a reserve during his first three seasons.

He was coming off a career-best season -- with nine sacks in the regular season and 4.5 sacks in the postseason.

He led the Ravens with 55 quarterback pressures in 2012.

One of the top pass-rushers in the free-agent market, Kruger follows former wide receiver Anquan Boldin, traded Monday to San Francisco for a sixth-round pick, as the latest former reigning Super Bowl champion to move on.

The team could afford to let Kruger leave, given that last year's second-round pick, linebacker Courtney Upshaw, is expected to take over Kruger's role.

Linebacker Paul Kruger excited with bigger role with Browns