David Njoku recently sat down with Cleveland Browns front office members in Miami, presumably to begin discussions about getting an extension done before the start to the 2025 season. The teams' best tight end and potentially great centerpiece for another Kevin Stefanski-run offense in 2025 and beyond should be kept on the roster, so hopefully, those conversations end up being fruitful.
He is just one of a long list of pending free agents hitting the market in 2026 for the Browns, and who are entering the final year of their contracts with Cleveland. With how strapped the team continues to be with their cap space because of so much deferred money - looking at you, Deshaun Watson - many of those players are probably going to be allowed to walk.
This is a comprehensive list of all of those 2026 free agents, who are sure to try and show out in their contract years with the Browns.
List of Browns players entering final year of contract in 2025
Player name | Player age during 2025 season |
|---|---|
Joel Bitonio | 34 |
Wyatt Teller | 31 |
David Njoku | 29 |
Jack Conklin | 31 |
Ogbo Okoronkwo | 30 |
Ethan Pocic | 30 |
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | 26 |
Shelby Harris | 34 |
Jordan Hicks | 33 |
Kenny Pickett | 27 |
Devin Bush | 27 |
Greg Newsome II | 25 |
Teven Jenkins | 28 |
Corey Bojorquez | 29 |
Jerome Baker | 28 |
MJ Emerson | 25 |
Tony Brown | 30 |
Alex Wright | 25 |
Cameron Thomas | 25 |
David Bell | 24 |
Tre' McKitty | 26 |
Pierre Strong Jr. | 26 |
Sam Kamara | 27 |
Blake Whiteheart | 25 |
Elerson Smith | 27 |
Jerome Ford | 26 |
Michael Woods | 25 |
Troy Hairston II | 26 |
Javion Cohen | 23 |
Winston Reid | 26 |
Anthony Kendall | 25 |
Mohamoud Diabate | 24 |
Ronnie Hickman | 24 |
Brenden Bates | 26 |
Chigozie Anusiem | 25 |
Jowon Briggs | 24 |
Rex Sunahara | 29 |
Brady Latham | 24 |
Roy Mbaeteka | 25 |
Marcus Haynes | 27 |
Trey Dean | 25 |
Andre Szmyt | 27 |
Julian Pearl | 26 |
Lorenzo Thompson | 25 |
Chris Edmonds | 24 |
Kaden Davis | 27 |
Notable names outside of Njoku include Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin, Joel Bitonio, and Ethan Pocic. These are pretty key members of the Browns' offensive line, so imaging that the team is about to experience this level of turnover is pretty unfathomable. Likely, the team will try to get a deal done with at least Conklin and Pocic, with Bitonio set to retire soon.
Devin Bush and Ogbo Okoronkwo are two other names to watch ahead of 2026, especially with both likely to take on some pretty big roles in 2025. Bush will specifically be expected to take major snaps as Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah's status for the season is still unknown.
Read more: Cleveland Browns free agency tracker 2025: Latest on players staying and leaving
Interestingly, many of the teams' signings in free agency are only under one-year deals. This is likely because of the Browns' cap constraints, and also the front office taking into considering how different their roster might need to be by 2026 with a presumably new starting quarterback.
With their aging O-line set to be pretty decimated after 2025, it's important to keep in mind this year's draft offers some pretty solid replacements to those veterans in the future. Players like Josh Simmons, Grey Zabel, Josh Conerly Jr., and others are lineman plenty worthy of a 3rd round pick by the Browns if they're seeking a long-term replacement for one of their soon to be departed linemen.
As of now, it seems like Njoku is the only player the team is intentionally seeking to extend prior to the end of his contract. Other than him, we seem primed to witness some major turnover in Cleveland after 2025.