The NFL has its fair share of unwritten rules, and the Cleveland Browns held true to one of the big ones during their first wave of free agency this past week.
Committing big money to a left tackle in free agency is generally considered to be bad business, the logic being that the league’s best players at that position never hit the open market. Those guys are typically drafted, developed, and extended. Barely half the league has a franchise left tackle on their roster. When you find one, you definitely don’t let that player get away.
That makes Rasheed Walker’s story among the most fascinating of the 2026 league year so far.
Walker was considered to be one of the best offensive linemen available, but the position he plays might’ve crushed his market. Center Tyler Linderbaum got a massive three-year, $81 million deal from the Las Vegas Raiders that’s essentially fully guaranteed. Zion Johnson, one of the top guards on the market, fetched $49.5 million over three years from the Browns.
Walker’s market cooled to the point where he settled for a prove-it deal with the Carolina Panthers this week. His one-year, $10 million contract left Browns fans wondering why GM Andrew Berry wasn’t in on what feels like a major bargain. Walker was projected to land around $20 million per year on his next contract, per Spotrac, and while they landed some major upgrades for their offensive line in Johnson, Elgton Jenkins, and Tytus Howard, the Browns still have a void at left tackle.
Thankfully, Green Bay Packers expert Freddie Boston of Lombardi Ave provided the insight Browns fans needed after their team surprisingly passed on Walker at such a discount price.
“The good? Walker is a dependable starter who rarely makes the catastrophic mistakes that can ruin a game. Per PFF, he allowed eight sacks over the past two seasons and produces steady play at a premium position," Boston said.
The bad? Walker has drawn 20 flags since the start of 2024 and can struggle in the run game. But it's a passing league, and that's why Walker was in such high demand."
Rasheed Walker may never have been a fit for Todd Monken’s Browns
Boston’s breakdown definitely doesn’t sound like a player the Browns would be in on, especially after last year’s Cam Robinson fiasco. The veteran left tackle, acquired in late September following Dawand Jones’ season-ending knee injury, led the team in penalties with 12 in 13 games.Â
Monken is expected to install a more disciplined, run-heavy offense in Year 1, built around feeding young running back Quinshon Judkins and getting playmakers like tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in space for easy yards after the catch. The Browns definitely can’t afford to constantly play behind the sticks, as they’ve done in recent seasons, so Walker averaging 10 flags per year since taking over as Green Bay’s starter in 2023 was an obvious red flag.
Walker also, to Boston’s point, ranked 68th out of 79 qualifying tackles in Pro Football Focus’ 2025 run-blocking metric. He doesn’t profile as the type of bully in the run game that Cleveland’s currently looking for.
Walker was a seventh-round pick of the Packers in the 2022 draft. The fact that he developed into a full-time starter and landed a $10 million deal for the 2026 season is a win for the player.
The Browns were right to be wary about going big at left tackle in free agency, though. They’re better off going the tried and true route at that position, finding their next long-term starter in the draft this April, and letting him battle it out with Jones for first-team reps in training camp.