For those of you who follow this space closely (and thank you for that), this news isn’t news. Regardless, the NFL has announced something you already knew.
The proposals to be considered by owners at the NFL’s annual meetings coming later this month in Phoenix include two made by individual teams.
The league posted on Twitter the proposals from the Steelers and Browns. Pittsburgh wants to make permanent the one-year change that gave teams the ability to speak directly to up to five unrestricted free agents during the negotiating window, and to make travel arrangements during the pre-free agency period. Cleveland wants to expand the range of draft picks that may be traded from three years to five.
Both proposals will require 24 votes to pass.
The league also said that the 2026 proposals from the Competition Committee will be revealed next week.
Not mentioned were the Rams’ proposals arising from the nutty two-point play in their Week 16 overtime loss at Seattle. We’re currently checking to see whether those proposals remain on the table, or whether they were withdrawn.
Browns Clips
Free agent defensive end A.J. Epenesa is signing a one-year deal worth up to $5 million with the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Epenesa, 27, has spent his entire career in Buffalo since the Bills made him a second-round pick in 2020.
In 2025, he played 16 games with two starts and totaled 32 tackles, 2.5 sacks, nine quarterback hits, two interceptions and four passes defensed.
In his career, Epenesa has recorded 135 tackles, 24 sacks, 53 quarterback hits, four interceptions, 21 passes defensed and five forced fumbles.
The Browns are also signing wide receiver/returner Tylan Wallace, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports.
Wallace, who turns 27 in May, is following Todd Monken from Baltimore after spending his career with the Ravens.
A fourth-round pick in 2021, Wallace played 14 games with two starts last season. He caught four passes for 45 yards and a touchdown and averaged 24.6 yards on five kickoff returns.
He has only 22 receptions for 305 yards and two touchdowns in five seasons, with one punt return touchdown.
The Browns have re-signed defensive end Julian Okwara, according to the NFL’s transactions wire.
Okwara, 28, spent the majority of the 2025 season on the practice squad. The Browns placed him on the practice squad/injured list in December.
He did not play a down last season.
The Lions selected Okwara in the third round in 2020, and he spent four seasons in Detroit.
He joined the Cardinals’ practice squad out of the 2024 preseason after the Lions cut him.
In six seasons, Okwara has played 51 games with five starts and has totaled 72 tackles, 10 sacks, 18 quarterback hits, one interception, four passes defensed and a forced fumble.
The Browns are bringing in a potential heavy special teams contributor.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Cleveland is signing safety Daniel Thomas.
Thomas, 27, spent last season with Detroit. He appeared in 12 games with two starts, playing 69 percent of special teams snaps in games played. He also played 14 percent of defensive snaps in his appearances.
A fifth-round pick in the 2020 draft, Thomas played his first five seasons with the Jaguars. He’s appeared in 83 career games with six starts for Jacksonville and Detroit, recording three passes defensed, an interception, and 94 total tackles.
The 2026 NFL draft is still more than a month away, but five teams have already accumulated two first-round picks.
The Dolphins became the latest team to get a second first-rounder when they agreed to trade wide receiver Jaylen Waddle to the Broncos. Miami will have its own pick (No. 11 overall) as well as Denver’s pick (No. 30).
The Jets have their own pick (No. 2) and the Colts’ pick (No. 16) from the Sauce Gardner trade.
The Cowboys have their own pick (No. 12) and the Packers’ pick (No. 20) from the Micah Parsons trade.
The Browns have their own pick (No. 6) and the Jaguars’ pick (No. 24) from the draft-day trade a year ago that allowed the Jaguars to move up to draft Travis Hunter.
The Chiefs have their own pick (No. 9) and the Rams’ pick (No. 29) from the Trent McDuffie trade.
A sixth team was poised to get a second first-round pick when the Raiders agreed to trade Maxx Crosby to the Ravens, but that trade fell through and the Ravens kept their first-round pick.
Five teams don’t have a first-round pick: The Broncos, Falcons, Colts, Packers and Jaguars.
The teams with two first-round picks all missed the playoffs last season and are attempting to rebuild their roster. A draft with two first-round picks is a big part of the rebuilding process.
Free agent tight end David Njoku visited with the Ravens today, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Njoku, 29, spent the past nine seasons with the Browns, who made him a first-round pick in 2017. He had already announced on social media that he would not return to the Browns.
He ranks 76th on PFT’s top-100 free agents list.
Njoku made the Pro Bowl in 2023 with 81 receptions for 882 yards and six touchdowns.
He finishes his time in Cleveland with 384 catches for 4,062 yards and 34 touchdowns.
The Ravens need help at the position with Mark Andrews the only current tight end on the roster. Isaiah Likely left for the Giants and Charlie Kolar signed with the Chargers.
The Browns are holding onto cornerback D’Angelo Ross.
They announced that they have re-signed Ross on Tuesday afternoon. No terms of the deal were included in the announcement.
Ross was signed off of the Texans’ practice squad last November and he had nine tackles in seven games for Cleveland. He also played in three games for Houston earlier in the season.
Ross had 21 tackles in 23 games for the Texans over the previous two seasons. His first NFL action came in three games with the Patriots during the 2021 season.
The Browns also announced the previously reported signing of cornerback Tre Avery. He played in 10 games for the Browns last season.
A new guard has landed in Houston.
Wyatt Teller has agreed to sign a two-year deal with the Texans, according to a report from NFL Media.
Teller was No. 58 on PFT’s list of the top 100 free agents of 2026.
Teller, 31, had spent the majority of his career with the Browns, playing for the club for the last seven seasons. He is a three-time Pro Bowler, having been selected in 2021, 2022, and 2023. He was also a second-team All-Pro in 2020 and 2021.
Teller started his career with Buffalo as a fifth-round pick in 2018 before he was traded to the Browns in August 2019.
He has appeared in 109 career games with 101 starts, starting 13 contests in each of the last two seasons.
Cornerback Nahshon Wright’s play with the Bears during the 2025 season landed him a contract with the Jets and it earned him the most performance-based pay in the league for last year as well.
The NFL announced that Wright earned more than $1.44 million in performance-based pay. The bonus more than doubles Wright’s base salary for the season.
Wright signed with the Bears after being released by the Vikings last April. He was named to the Pro Bowl after recording 80 tackles, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries during the regular season.
The performance-based pay fund is part of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement to compensate all players based on a formula encompassing their playing time and salary. It paid out more than $542 million for the 2025 season.
Browns safety Ronnie Hickman earned over $1.293 million for second place and tackle Elijah Wilkinson earned over $1.272 million for his work with the Falcons. Wilkinson has since signed with the Cardinals.
Panthers safety Nick Scott, former Commanders guard Chris Paul, Ravens guard Andrew Vorhees, Vikings defensive end Jalen Redmond, Steelers guard Mason McCormick, Chiefs defensive back Chamarri Conner, and Patriots safety Craig Woodson make up the rest of the top 10 recipients of performance-based pay for 2025.
The Commanders have made another addition at running back.
NFL Media reports that they have agreed to terms with Jerome Ford. It will be a one-year deal for Ford in Washington.
Ford was a Browns fifth-round pick in 2022 and he’s spent his entire NFL career in Cleveland. He started 18 games for the Browns over the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but only carried the ball 24 times for 73 yards in his final season with the team.
Ford had 340 carries for 1,463 yards and seven touchdowns over his entire time with the team.
The Commanders also signed Rachaad White as a free agent this week and 2025 seventh-round pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt is also due to return for the 2026 season.
