ESPN singled out one Cleveland Browns’ offseason move that could blow up in Andrew Berry’s face during the season
Cleveland Browns had a busy offseason revamping its offensive line. ESPN doesn’t agree with one move Cleveland made and paid up to do so.
The Cleveland Browns had a clear plan to address this offseason: a makeover of its offensive line. Cleveland is currently set to have five new starters on its offensive line in 2026.
Cleveland added through free agency, the draft, and even a trade to bring in offensive tackle Tytus Howard from the Houston Texans. However, the player the Browns handed out the most cash to in free agency comes with a lot of questions.
ESPN singles out key offensive line move for the Browns as their worst offseason addition
Cleveland gave former Los Angeles Chargers guard Zion Johnson a three-year deal worth $49.5 million. The contract came with $32.4 million guaranteed and a $17 million signing bonus. It was a lot of money for a player that the Chargers were fine with walking following his rookie contract in Los Angeles.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell labeled the move as Cleveland’s worst of the offseason.
“Though 2025 was Johnson’s best season as a pro, that might be damning him with faint praise,” Barnwell wrote. “The Boston College product has struggled badly in pass protection on the interior and routinely gets outmuscled or outleveraged by bigger players. He gave up seven sacks and 19 quick pressures a year ago, both of which were the most of any Chargers lineman. And Johnson did that while blocking one-on-one at about a league-average rate in pass protection among guards.”
Johnson allowed three sacks and 26 pressures in 2025 with Los Angeles in 1,070 snaps at left guard. Pro Football Focus gave the former first-round pick a worse run blocking grade (53.4) than a pass blocking grade (61.1). Cleveland paid up a pretty penny for a very average player on the interior of the offensive line.
Cleveland is banking on Johnson becoming a better player in his second contract, which often happens in the NFL. The Browns are high on his ability at 6-foot-3, 316 pounds, but he still has to put the consistency together.
The Browns let Wyatt Teller walk in free agency and Joel Bitonio is still weighing retirement. Replacing both guards was a must for the Browns. The team signed a player at the top of the market in a weak free agency class, which was fine.
Cleveland may have overpaid for Johnson, his play on the field will tell that. However, it’s a swing folks should be comfortable with the Browns taking because of how bad the offensive line was last year, and the influx of new talent was needed.