Prior to the start of 2026 free agency, general manager Andrew Berry set the tone for a Cleveland Browns offseason that, on balance, now ranks among the NFL’s best.
The first domino was a trade with the Houston Texans for veteran right tackle Tytus Howard, the kind of savvy move a team in win-now mode might make. The Browns held three fifth-round picks in the 2026 NFL Draft at the time and sent one of them to Houston in exchange for Howard. They then promptly signed the 30-year-old to a three-year extension, mainly for immediate salary cap purposes.
We know now that Berry was mostly hedging for what ended up being a mass exodus of Browns offensive linemen. The team officially moved on from Joel Bitonio (retirement), Wyatt Teller (signed with Texans), Jack Conklin, Ethan Pocic, and Cam Robinson amid a flurry of free agent signings and draft selections. Entering training camp, head coach Todd Monken will have a unique blend of young and veteran talent, with almost everybody capable of playing multiple positions.
But zooming out on the projected depth chart, it’s the Howard trade and contract that has aged the worst. As Seth Walder of ESPN highlighted on Tuesday:
“I … did not understand the Howard trade at all,” he wrote. “The Browns traded a draft pick to pay Howard good money despite his poor numbers in recent seasons (24th and 31st percentiles in pass block and run block win rate last season, respectively).
In hindsight, it's hard to argue with him.
The Browns' draft success changed the outlook on the Tytus Howard trade
The Browns found themselves in a unique position back in March. With so many of their offensive line contracts set to void, and Bitonio still pondering retirement, Berry clearly felt the need to be proactive.
It was hard to completely crush the Howard trade at the time. The draft pick the Browns sent to Houston, as expected, had no impact on how their 2026 rookie class turned out. They still, at one point on Day 3 of the draft, held four fifth-round selections. Berry essentially turned those picks into three players — center Parker Brailsford, tight end Joe Royer, and quarterback Taylen Green, who was the very first pick of the sixth round.
Berry didn’t have the luxury of operating with a crystal ball, though. Had he known that Cleveland’s elite draft-day trade with Kansas City would net him two extra draft picks, he likely wouldn’t have felt compelled to make that bold move for Howard. The Browns were able to package that extra capital, move up into the third round, and draft offensive tackle Austin Barber.
Cleveland is clearly high on Barber. He appears poised to compete with veteran Dawand Jones for the swing tackle role behind starters Howard and rookie Spencer Fano. There’s also an outside chance that he steals the starting right guard spot from the returning Teven Jenkins in camp.
He may have entered camp as the frontrunner at right tackle had the Browns not made that early move for Howard.
The Tytus Howard trade may have created an unnecessary roster logjam
It’s been a roller-coaster offseason for the Browns, who appeared to be in reload mode after extending Howard, throwing big money at guard Zion Johnson, and scoring a unique all-around lineman in former Packers standout Elgton Jenkins. But the team has since downshifted into a full-on rebuild, welcoming a youth movement while moving on from the franchise’s biggest name and personality in Myles Garrett.
Prior to the draft, there was at least a long-shot path to 10 wins in 2026 for the Browns, if they could properly navigate a schedule that gets especially favorable in the second half of the year. Getting to five or six wins feels like the most optimistic finish now, with the team likely looking to prioritize opportunities for its young, ascending players.
The Browns should want to find snaps for Fano, Barber, Brailsford, and Jones specifically this year to see what they have in the future. Potentially sitting three of them behind older veterans couldn’t have been the original vision back in March, and it will be interesting to see how the coaching staff adjusts going forward.
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