Browns just had to make a notable free agent signing due to losing a key starter to a brutal injury Cleveland couldn’t afford
The Cleveland Browns just had to sign a veteran free agent due to losing a key defensive starter for the 2026 season.
The Cleveland Browns will be without defensive end Alex Wright for the entire 2026 NFL season after he went down during practice earlier in the week. Wright was injured during a one-on-one drill against Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Spencer Brown, eventually leaving the field on a cart, though his leg was not immobilized at the time.
The severity of the injury is now clear. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Browns are placing the starting defensive end on the season-ending injured reserve with a ruptured Achilles.
Cleveland moves quickly to add pass rush veteran
Cleveland wasted no time addressing the loss. The Browns signed veteran pass rusher Derrick Barnett to a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million. A move that was first reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Barnett is a former first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft out of Tennessee who has spent the last three years with the Houston Texans. He recorded five sacks in each of the last two seasons and has stayed primarily healthy throughout that stretch.
Barnett never became the double-digit sack player some thought he could be in the NFL. His career best came with 6.5 sacks in 2019. Still, he’ll be able to serve as a secondary rusher to Jared Verse for the Browns, splitting time with Isaiah McGuire at the position. He brings 10 years of NFL experience to the locker room, and that should be a plus for Cleveland.
The Browns likely aren’t done adding to the defensive line
Losing Wright is a tough ordeal for Cleveland because the team already needed a player like Barnett before the injury happened. Now the Browns probably need to sign another body at defensive end before the regular season arrives with a Week 1 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on the road.
It’s a tough break for Wright, who had been ascending as a pass rusher. He posted 5.5 sacks in 2025 after missing all but four games in 2024 due to a serious injury. This marks the second time in five seasons that his year has been cut short, and this time it ended before the regular season even started.
The coming weeks will show whether Cleveland can add enough depth along the defensive line to replace what Wright brought. The Barnett signing is a reasonable start, but with the season opener approaching, the Browns likely need at least one more move before Week 1.
