Browns called out by ESPN for a key offseason move they made to add an offensive starter at a crucial spot
There’s been a lot of change for the Cleveland Browns this season. The offensive line has been a point of focus, and one move the Browns made is receiving pushback.
We’re less than a month out from the Cleveland Browns beginning what will be Todd Monken’s first training camp as a head coach.
The Browns have plenty of new faces on the team this season compared to a year ago. Myles Garrett being traded away to the Los Angeles Rams is the biggest difference, but other changes like a complete offensive line overhaul stand out too.
Cleveland is set to have five new starters along the offensive line. Their first move of the offseason along the offensive line was a trade, and it’s a move that’s still receiving some pushback.
Cleveland Browns’ offseason trade was labeled a move ESPN didn’t like
The Browns traded a fifth-round pick to the Houston Texans back in March to bring in RT Tytus Howard. It was a veteran addition for the Browns with a player who has played both tackle spots in his NFL career. Cleveland will be playing him at right tackle, and ESPN Seth Walder has labeled it his most disliked move for the Browns.
“At $12 million per year, [Elgton] Jenkins was a very good signing,” Walder wrote. “He has been excellent in the past and brings positional flexibility. But I didn’t like the pricier Johnson deal as much and did not understand the Howard trade at all. 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).”
The Browns did get a player who wasn’t great last season in Houston, but a player who could be better with the change. Howard started for Houston for the last seven seasons and has been up and down. To NFL standards, Howard has been a solid offensive tackle, and that’s all the Browns need. Cleveland had its quarterback sacked 51 times in 2025, and they can’t afford to be put behind the sticks that often to be successful.
At the end of the day the Browns gave up a fifth-round pick for a proven NFL player and most likely got a better player back than they would have on Day 3 of a bad draft overall back in April. Cleveland just needs Howard to be around for a couple of seasons until they find a long-term fix for the position. It’s possible the Browns already have it with rookie OL Austin Barber.
If Cleveland gets just average offensive tackle play from Houston, the trade is a win for them. The Browns haven’t often gotten average tackle play the last few years, and it’s been a major anchor to this team pulling it down.