The Cleveland Browns’ flurry of moves to kick off free agency this offseason must have felt like fireworks for fans. The team was extremely quiet during the 2025 legal tampering period, with defensive tackle Maliek Collins being their closest thing to a “splash” with a two-year, $20 million contract.
Cleveland did, however, add a pair of intriguing castoffs to one-year deals in guard Teven Jenkins and edge Joe Tryon-Shoyinka. Both players were high picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, with Tryon-Shoyinka going No. 32 overall to the Buccaneers and Jenkins going No. 39 overall to the Bears.
The Browns seemed particularly high on Tryon-Shoyinka, as his contract included $4.2 million in guarantees for the 2025 season. He mysteriously never carved out even a complimentary role on Cleveland’s defense, barely playing 30 total defensive snaps in seven games before the Browns traded him to Chicago for a swap of late 2026 draft picks.
Browns fans may have finally gotten some insight on why the promising Tryon-Shoyinka never panned out. He signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles earlier this offseason, but after no-showing at the team’s recent mandatory minicamp, the team placed him on the reserve/retired list.
The #Buccaneers’ first-round pick in 2021 hadn’t been on the field for the #Eagles recently. The team added veteran edge A.J. Epenesa in the meantime. Tryon-Shonyinka steps away from the NFL at age 27. https://t.co/HtffuLYMwA
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) June 16, 2026
One of the Browns' biggest recent mysteries may finally be solved
The Eagles coincidentally signed veteran A.J. Epenesa in a corresponding move. The Browns had originally agreed to terms with Epenesa, but opted not to offer a contract due to concerns over a team physical.
Cleveland has been searching for young edge depth for a few years now. New addition Jared Verse will be the main attraction at the start of next month’s training camp, but undrafted rookies like Logan Fano, Tyreak Sapp, and Khordae Sydnor all have legitimate shots at cracking the 53-man roster this summer following the Myles Garrett trade.
Tryon-Shoyinka just turned 27, so if he goes through with retirement, his career will be over too soon for a former first-round talent. He wasn’t able to live up to that pedigree in the NFL, never topping five sacks in a season and struggling at times on the edge as a run defender.
The Browns likely viewed him as a complement to Isaiah McGuire to round out the defensive end group in 2025. That fourth spot remains completely up in the air ever since Cleveland moved on from Tryon-Shoyinka at the deadline.
Add us as a preferred source on Google