There’s nothing like mid-May, when die-hard NFL fans start getting the itch for football again. Free agency, the draft, and even schedule day make for good appetizers, setting the stage for everyone to overreact like crazy to voluntary spring workouts.
There’s a lot of that going on already with the Cleveland Browns. To reporters providing live updates on “first-team reps” during 7-on-7 drills with no pass rush, to fans hotly debating who was at fault on a Shedeur Sanders interception — Sanders or intended target Jerry Jeudy? — there’s already enough gas on the fire to stay lit until July, and there are still two more phases of OTA practices to come.
Head coach Todd Monken helped fuel some of those debates by calling his offense’s lack of ball security "embarrassing," during a post-practice interview with reporters on Wednesday.
What no one’s talking about, though, is the veteran defensive back who made the tipped-ball interception in the first place.
That would be Myles Bryant, a former undrafted rookie of the New England Patriots during Bill Belichick’s regime who joined the Browns late in free agency on a one-year deal. It was hardly a move that required a breaking news alert on Cleveland sports radio, but it could end up being a more important one than fans realize.
Quarterback won’t be the only open competition in Browns training camp this summer. That should also be the case at the nickel spot — and reporters caught Bryant getting off to a roaring start in Berea this week.
Todd Monken’s frustration was due partly to a veteran defensive back who could help the Browns in 2026
Monken really is the gift that keeps on giving. He was asked about the defense making a few plays in 7-on-7s, and he responded as if he were still a salty offensive coordinator.
The player he probably should have shouted out was Bryant, who also forced a fumble during Wednesday’s practice, punching the ball free from running back Ahmani Marshall. The loose ball was then recovered by rookie safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren.
Monken may have been too agitated to notice No. 27 too much on the field. That’s likely not the case for Myles Harden, though, as Bryant represents direct competition for his starting job.
The Browns rolled with Harden as their primary nickel in 2025 with mixed results. He played over 500 defensive snaps, but wasn’t much of a playmaker. He had the third-highest missed tackle rate on the team, per Pro Football Focus, and didn’t provide enough force against the rush. The Browns clearly targeted improving that area this offseason by signing Bryant and drafting a natural box safety in McNeil-Warren.
Bryant should be able to bring more juice in that department. He spent the 2025 season as a rotational player on a dominant Houston Texans defense. PFF charted him with a 71.4 grade as a run defender.
Bryant has a clear path to making the Browns’ 53-man roster, as he was also a core special teamer for the Texans over the second half of 2025. Cleveland fully guaranteed $517,500 of his $1.2 million salary for this season, per Over the Cap. For context, veteran tight end Jack Stoll signed for the same base salary number with no guarantees. When it comes to the fringes of the roster, that $500K-plus makes a world of difference for NFL teams.
Cleveland will likely be leaning on its veteran-laden defense early in 2026, and with coordinator Mike Rutenberg potentially putting three safties on the field with McNeil-Warren, Bryant will likely carve out a rotational role. But he's a scheme fit, the team clearly likes him, and his hot start to OTAs could be a sign of things to come when the pads come on for real in July.
Add us as a preferred source on Google