Per NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Cleveland Browns and offensive tackle Dawand Jones have agreed to a restructured contract, a move that will provide the team with modest cap savings while giving Jones about $1.15 million in guaranteed money for the 2026 season.
As a fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, only Jones’ $792,336 signing bonus was fully guaranteed in his rookie contract, per Over the Cap. He’s entering the final year of his deal, and despite a season-ending knee injury suffered in Week 3 of 2025, he hit a performance escalator in his contract that boosted his 2026 salary from $1.15 million to $3.7 million.
Jones essentially agreed to honor the original terms of the deal, waiving the escalator to help the Browns save some immediate cash and cap space. In turn, the Browns guaranteed Jones’ $1.15 million salary, clearing the decks for him to remain on the roster in 2026.
This move signals much more than GM Andrew Berry looking to make a routine move relative to the cap. It all but confirms that Jones will enter training camp earmarked as Cleveland’s swing tackle, giving recent first-round draft pick Spencer Fano a direct path to one of the starting tackle spots, with the left side the most likely outcome.
Dawand Jones was participating in individual drills at last week’s voluntary vet minicamp as he returns from a season-ending leg injury.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) May 2, 2026
With the Browns drafting Spencer Fano to play LT and trading for RT Tytus Howard, Jones is likely poised to be Cleveland’s top swing tackle. https://t.co/FX7Q8gzcui
This quiet move may have already decided the Browns’ left tackle situation
There’s still a long way to go before training camp. It’s definitely still possible that Jones could prove he’s healthy this summer and wins the left tackle job outright.
What the Browns appear to be signaling with this reworked contract, however, is that they weren’t planning to pay Jones at his new number of $3.7 million. None of that money was guaranteed, so Cleveland could have cut Jones at any point this offseason with no dead-cap penalties.
This new agreement works for both sides. Jones gets to stay in a familiar place with at least an opportunity to compete for a starting role in 2026. The Browns get out of paying a performance escalator for a player who lasted just three games in 2025, and is coming off his third major injury in as many years in the league.
It’s important to note that, unlike Deshaun Watson’s major restructure earlier this offseason that freed up $36 million in cap space, Jones’ agreement was actually a pay cut — and a sizable one at that. The Watson move was more of a procedural salary conversion that had no impact to Watson's wallet.
Jones just agreed to take over $2.5 million less, a telling decision when you consider the balance of his original four-year deal had a max value of $4.6 million. His camp ultimately decided it was better off sticking in Cleveland than entering free agency this late in the process. That decision makes sense for a player with Jones' injury history.
In the grand scheme of things, paying $3.7 million for a starting-caliber left tackle is a major bargain in the NFL world. For Cleveland, all this move really does is peg Jones for the top swing tackle role, while increasing the likelihood of Fano starting at one of the tackle spots. The only question is which side he gets relative to veteran Tytus Howard, who told reporters back in March that he expects to play on the right side.
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