The legal tampering period of NFL free agency kicked off this past Monday, and the news surrounding the Cleveland Browns were fast and furious, with those moves then being confirmed when the official league year began at 4:00 PM ET on Wednesday. There are still moves to be made — likely on the lower end of the roster — leading up to the draft, but let’s take a look at the winners and losers associated with the Browns thus far.
Winners
The Browns’ Offensive Line: We knew the Browns had to overhaul their offensive
line this offseason, and boy did they ever. The mixture of Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, a variety of centers, and Jack Conklin gave us some good memories, and the whole group felt like an extended aftermath of even the Joe Thomas era to a degree. Cleveland completely cut the cord this offseason, though, as none of those guys will return.
Instead of drafting replacements in free agency, they went out and traded for Tytus Howard, signed newcomers in Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins, and re-signed Tevin Jenkins. On paper, that represents four of the five starting offensive linemen, most of whom have flexibility of where they can be placed on the line. And, aside from Howard, they all have great durability, with a mixture of run and pass blocking strengths. Dawand Jones could take the final starting role, or the Browns could draft a left tackle with one of their first round picks. Either way, the offensive line is in much better shape than it was a season ago.
Punting Continuity: Special teams were a weakness last year, but that was more so the coverage units and coaching of Bubba Ventrone. The team tended their kicker and long snapper, but when free agency hit, P Corey Bojorquez was a free agent. No worries, though — he has re-signed with the Browns. Even though I’d consider it a down year for Bojorquez last year, we’ve seen was he’s capable of, and hopefully a new special teams coordinator can get him back to that.
Not Having to Face Maxx Crosby: Browns fans were close to fearing they’d have to deal with DE Maxx Crosby twice a year with the Baltimore Ravens. Now, it would have cost Baltimore two first round picks, so that would’ve hurt them a bit long-term, but still. Then, however, the news came out that the Ravens backed out of the trade, which has had them catch a lot of negative headlines across the league. They did end up signing DE Trey Hendrickson, but he stays within the division.
Shedeur Sanders: The Browns’ quarterback position could still evolve drastically between now and May, but for the moment, QB Shedeur Sanders is a winner for his standing in the quarterback draft room. We saw teams like the Arizona Cardinals add a veteran in Gardner Minshew, we saw the Jets trade for Geno Smith, we saw the Dolphins sign a big free agent like Malik Willis, we saw the Vikings go out and add Kyler Murray, and so on. But the Browns’ quarterback room has remained the same, increasing the odds that Sanders will get a crack at the starting role in 2026 (of course, there’s still the question of whether he’ll have to fight off Deshaun Watson).
Losers
Legacy Plays: Last year, we said goodbye to Nick Chubb. This year, it appears as though it’s goodbye to Joel Bitonio, David Njoku, Wyatt Teller, and Jack Conklin, guys who have spent a significant part of their career with the team and played big roles in the community. There will be a lot of jerseys among the crowd that now represent former Browns instead of current Browns.
Tight End Weapons: Last year, Harold Fannin emerged as an incredible threat for Cleveland, and perhaps teams only really need one dynamic receiving threat at the position. After all, prior to Fannin, David Njoku was the line threat for so many years. Nonetheless, Cleveland signed Jack Stoll as one of their early free agents, but he is primarily a pass-blocking tight end. It seems to signal a bit of a shift in mentality, where you’ll have two tight end sets but only one of the guys running out will be that receiving threat.
Defensive End Depth: While not a major loss, one of two Browns free agents who signed elsewhere is DE Cameron Thomas. Thomas was a solid rotational player last year as the Browns’ fourth defensive end, finishing the year with a career high 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks. With DT Shelby Harris and DE Sam Kamara also currently free agents, the team could be looking to still add one lower-key signing on the defensive line.
The Wide Receiver Room? Even though the offensive line was bad last year, the wide receiver room was what everyone talked about as the biggest weakness and frustration on the team. The offensive line was addressed in free agency in a major way, but no additions have been made to the wide receiver room. I assume that sets us up for a first-round selection being used on one in the draft, but what if Todd Monken thinks he can get more out of the group he still has?
Over at FanDuel, we compared the odds of the Browns prior to the start of free agency, to how they are now. Despite the perceived improvements, Cleveland’s odds have actually taken a big hit downward, probably due to the perceived weakness of the quarterback position.
- Browns Super Bowl odds pre-free agency: 125/1. Now, 250/1.
- Browns Conference odds pre-free agency: 55/1, Now, 100/1.
- Browns Division odds pre-free agency: 11/1. Now, 17/1.
Who are your winners and losers so far?
