Earlier this month, the UFL announced its 2026 awards ahead of the United Bowl, which is the league’s annual championship game. A flurry of players were added to NFL training camp rosters now that the season is complete.
Defensive Player of the Year Cam Gill remains unsigned, and he just so happens to fit one of the Cleveland Browns’ most glaring needs entering training camp.
You could make an argument that the Browns needed more depth at edge defender prior to the Myles Garrett trade. Now, it seems like even more of a necessity.
Cleveland’s group of pass rushers will be led by Jared Verse and Alex Wright, but an injury to one of those two players could prove disastrous. Isaiah McGuire’s role quietly declined toward the end of 2025, as he averaged just 13.6 defensive snaps per game from Week 14 on, per Pro Football Focus.
Beyond McGuire, the battle for the No. 4 edge spot feels very much in the air. Veteran Julian Okwara figures to be a serious contender, and fans will be eager to see if one of the team’s many undrafted rookies, like Logan Fano, Khordae Sydnor, and Tyreak Sapp, can run away with a roster spot this summer.
The Browns should definitely be looking to add more competition to that group, though, and Bleacher Report's take on Gill seems to fit Cleveland’s situation to a tee.
“Teams in need of a rotational pass-rusher should have interest in Gill, who has already shown that he can at least contribute in the NFL,” B/R’s Kris Knox wrote. “A 2020 undrafted free agent out of Wagner, Gill spent his rookie season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.”
The Browns still need more competition at edge defender
One thing the Browns could struggle to replicate in 2026 is Garrett’s gaudy sack numbers, as Verse hasn’t yet topped 7.5 sacks in his first two seasons as a pro. Garrett hasn’t recorded a single-digit-sack season since his rookie year in 2017.
Gill could potentially help in that department, as he set the UFL’s single-season record with 10 sacks in 10 games in 2026. He did some of his finest work in the playoffs, helping the Louisville Kings win the United Bowl. Gill had eight solo tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss in the postseason.
The issue is that the now 28-year-old Gill hasn’t been able to replicate that production at the NFL level. His most memorable stint came with the Carolina Panthers in 2024, when he logged 222 defensive snaps, per PFF, but never recorded a sack. He spent training camp with the Vikings in 2025. He was never signed to an NFL practice squad, though, after getting released by Minnesota ahead of cutdown day.
After the UFL season he just had, Gill’s next NFL shot should be coming soon. The Browns were close to signing veteran A.J. Epenesa earlier this offseason. Adding another edge rusher with some buzz like Gill is exactly the type of move that GM Andrew Berry should be looking to make at this stage of the offseason.
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