The Cleveland Browns have lost 26 games in the past two seasons, so naturally, at season’s end, heads began to roll. It began with the head coach, then trickled down to the majority of his assistant coaches.
Next, the roster had to undergo a good purging. Certain players were not re-signed and allowed to test the free agency waters.
GM Andrew Berry had his work cut out for him this offseason. Which players should be offered another contract from the free agent list? Who to go after in free agency?
What contract length should be offered to each athlete on the radar? His goal was to find capable athletes to replace the players who didn’t get it done.
Berry has ultimately inked 15 players to date. That is broken down into five on offense, two on special teams, and eight on defense. You can be sure that Berry isn’t finished bringing in some extra new bodies in the second wave of signings.
So far, four former Browns free agents have signed with new clubs, while the unsigned list includes 14 players.
Is the 2026 version of the Browns appearing to have a brighter future? How did Berry do with his free agent signings? Did he cover every need? What do the new guys offer?
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Offense
This unit had lots of issues in 2025. Front and center was the offensive line. Going forward, four or five new athletes may start in Week 1 from this group. Plus, backup tight ends and some good receivers were sorely needed.
How does Berry’s signing grade out?
OG Zion Johnson (6’-3”, 316 pounds)
Grade: B+
Absolutely a home run. Or is it? Johnson is a former first-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Chargers and started almost every game. He is very durable and still a young man at age 26. Johnson immediately fills the left guard spot vacated by Joel Bitonio, who is assumed to be ready to retire. If Bits decides to go one more year, Cleveland will stare at the bridge at that time and welcome Bitonio back with very huge open arms. Short-term deals are very good to fill an immediate void or for backup players, but when a club wants to build a team, the best strategy is to give the younger guys longer deals. This allows them to grow with the success of the team. And that’s exactly what Berry has done with Johnson with a three-year contract.
Johnson is an exceptional run blocker and so-so in pass protection. Maybe even classified as poor. He recorded the second-best run block win rate among qualifying guards last year, so he can get it done. And new head coach Todd Monken wants to run the ball with efficiency just like his Georgia and Baltimore days, so there’s the attraction to Johnson from the Browns coaching staff. However, his pass blocking may be a liability, and there isn’t a Bill Callahan on staff to fix him. His Pro Football Focus (PFF) overall grade was a disappointing 57.0. He had four penalties, allowed three sacks, and 26 pressures, which is a concern. He will do a good job on running plays, but isn’t going to wow anyone.
OT Tytus Howard (6’-5”, 322 pounds)
Grade: A-
The Browns have openings everywhere you look along the offensive line. The franchise gave up on RT Jack Conklin because of his repeated injury history. So, there is an opening at right tackle, and Howard just so happens to have played that position for the past two seasons with the Houston Texans. Berry made a trade to bring in Howard in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick, so it was buy low and hopefully reap the benefits. The Browns had three fifth-round picks, so this acquisition seems like a good solution for the minimal.
Howard started every game for the past two seasons and has played a total of 93 NFL contests during his seven-year career. This past season, he had a 62.7 PFF grade with very high pass blocking marks. He committed eight penalties, but did not allow a single sack. He also allowed 21 pressures. Right now, he is penciled in at right tackle and signed him to a three-year extension to help spread out the cap hit.
OG/OT Teven Jenkins (6’-6”, 321 pounds)
Grade: B-
Jenkins is a former high second-round draft pick and offers versatility in that he can play both guard and tackle. His PFF grade last year was a healthy 77.7, but keep in mind he didn’t play much last season. He did not allow any sacks or commit any penalties with just 14 pressures. Jenkins did register a pass block win rate of 94.4%, but for just five games. He should compete at right guard with Zak Zinter and Jack Conley, or he could compete with Howard at right tackle.
This is a very solid signing even though it is only for one-year. Jenkins can either start or provide an optimal backup. He has plenty of game experience with 62 NFL games played with 42 starts. Zinter has struggled when he was inserted into the starting lineup last year, so this gives the coaching staff a dependable body to insert at the open right guard spot right away.
OG/OT/C Elgton Jenkins (6’-5”, 311 pounds)
Grade: C
Jenkins failed his physical with the Green Bay Packers because of what they perceived as a lingering ankle issue from last year. His quarterback rolled onto his ankle in Week 11 and fractured his leg. Right before free agency was to begin on March 10, even though Jenkins was still under contract with the Packers, they released him, clearing $19.5 million of cap space.
He can play any position on the interior offensive line, and could slide into the center position right away, move to guard, or provide quality depth. The fact that Berry inked him to a two-year deal shows that the GM feels Jenkins can secure a starting position. He registered a pass block win rate of 94.4% this past season, and his PFF grade last year was 62.0, with high pass-blocking grades. Jenkins has the ability to move to another position weekly if needed, which is a huge plus.
TE Jack Stoll (6’-4”, 247 pounds)
Grade: C-
If the Browns are a major running team in 2026, this signing makes a lot of sense because Stoll only offers one thing: good blocking skills. He will catch the occasional pass, but he is more of a skinny offensive lineman who will set up on the line and block, or flare out in front of a screen pass to lead the interference.
Basically, Harold Fannin fills the receiving tight end role, and now Stoll will come out for run plays. Check. Has been in the league for six years and has a grand total of 41 targets and 28 receptions. Yeah, that is a six-year total. Stoll is rarely going to be active in the passing game or become a Red Zone target. Just a blocker. And if new Browns head coach Todd Monken runs the ball all the time, then this signing will fall into place. Basically, a younger Pharaoh Brown.
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Special Teams
Several special teams specialists were on the cusp of leaving, but were retained. K Andre Szmyt was tendered as an exclusive rights free agent and kept on a one-year deal. In March, long snapper Rex Sunahara inked a one-year contract on his own. P Nik Constantinou signed a reserve/futures contract after playing in the CFL, and the veteran punter, Corey Bojorquez, was an unrestricted free agent.
The only specialists under contract with special teams were punt returner Gage Larvadain and kickoff specialist Malachi Corley, who are signed through 2026. So, bodies were needed to meld with the duo of returning specialists.
Punter Corey Bojorquez (6’-0”, 217 pounds)
Grade: A-
Bojorquez led the league in the number of punts last year with 93, double-digit more than the second-place punter. He was also #1 in total net yards with 3,423 yards. Bojo was ranked #15 in punts downed inside the 20 (23).
He is known for flipping field position, and with the Browns offense being so inept this past season, he was a very busy guy. Coming back means he will be with Cleveland for five seasons now and continue to solidify a valuable position. Bojo will sometimes outkick his coverage, but is a weapon in the field position aspect.
KR Tylan Wallace (5’-11”, 200 pounds)
Grade: D+
Wallace had a ton of production as a receiver in high school and at the college level, but in his four years in the NFL, he has been used as an afterthought as a pass catcher. His value is his ability to return punts and kicks. But even in this aspect, his stats aren’t really that productive or even impressive. 20 total returns in four years? One touchdown on a return? Monken coached him with the Ravens, so maybe he has bigger plans for Wallace.
In his four years with Baltimore, Wallace had 12 punt returns for 194 yards, a 16.2 yards per return average, and scored once. He also returned eight kickoffs for 687 yards, a 23.5-yard per return average, and had zero scores. His receiving stats are abysmal for four years: 35 targets, 22 receptions, 305 yards, two touchdowns, 13 first down conversions, an 11.3 yards per catch average, 0 rushing attempts/yards, and two drops. It’s not like he is considered electric, just fast, and if he rarely lines up at receiver with the Browns, Wallace is one-dimensional.
