Cleveland Browns just broke the bank open ahead of free agency after making a substantial trade with a familiar team
The Browns are on the board with a trade ahead of free agency.
Free agency doesn’t begin until next week in the NFL, but the Cleveland Browns are already on the board with a big move this week.
Heading into free agency, the Browns are going to be heavily interested in players along the offensive line. Cleveland just checked one of those needs off with a big addition.
The Browns trade for a starting offensive lineman from the Texans
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Browns have agreed to send a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for RT Tytus Howard. Howard was due to be a free agent after the 2026 season, so the Browns have given him a three-year, $63 million extension as part of the deal.
Howard started 16 games in each of the last two seasons for the Texans and has spent seven years in Houston altogether. When healthy, Howard has been a versatile offensive lineman who can start in multiple positions at 6-foot-5 and 322 pounds. Howard was a first-round pick from Alabama St. in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Cleveland will watch Jack Conklin walk in free agency along with multiple other starting offensive linemen. Howard is 29 years old and locks down one starting spot for the Browns. Cleveland is clearly getting ahead of free agency and what it has to go after with this move.
Howard did not give up a sack in 609 pass blocking reps during the 2025 season. Cleveland sends one of three fifth-round picks they own for a solid player.
What are the Browns getting in OL Tytus Howard?
Howard comes to Cleveland with a first-round pedigree and positional flexibility. The Texans made Howard a surprise first-round pick back in 2019 and have subsequently gotten their money’s worth by playing him all over the line. He’s logged nearly 2,000 career snaps at left guard and over 3,500 career snaps at right tackle. He logged more than 100 snaps at right guard in 2025 as well.
He isn’t always the cleanest run blocker but he’s developed into a proficient pass protector while also offering power and physicality that should play well for new head coach Todd Monken’s scheme in Cleveland. Given the pay compensation, it’s safe to assume the Browns see him as a right tackle. But if things go haywire elsewhere amid OL upheaval this season, Howard can be an issue erasure with his experiences in Houston to play elsewhere. — Kyle Crabbs
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