Cleveland Browns

The Texans scoffed at chatter about a trade involving quarterback C.J. Stroud last week, but they have agreed to move another member of their roster once the new league year opens next month.

According to multiple reports, the Texans have agreed to trade offensive lineman Tytus Howard to the Browns. Cleveland will send a fifth-round pick to Houston in return for the veteran blocker.

Howard is heading into the final year of his current contract and was set to make $18 million in salary and bonuses with a cap number of nearly $28 million. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that he will get a three-year, $63 million extension as part of the trade.

Howard started at left guard in Houston last season and played right tackle for the Texans earlier in his career. The Browns have six offensive linemen on track for free agency, so the Howard trade represents a big move to begin remaking the offensive line in Cleveland.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has known Browns head coach Todd Monken for years, and Simpson says he’d love to go to Cleveland and play for Monken in the NFL.

“My dad and coach Monken go way back,” Simpson told cleveland.com. “They talk often. He texted him when he got the job and they’ve texted a little bit [since], so if I had the opportunity to play for the Browns, it would be a dream come true.”

Simpson believes Monken and his staff will make Cleveland a good place for a quarterback to develop.

“I think I’d be in great hands with the team that they have and the organization, and then coach Monken, what he does with the quarterbacks and the offense is super quarterback-friendly and I think he’s going to coach me hard if I’m able to go there and I know he’s going to do it the right way,” Simpson said. “So I’m super-excited.”

The Browns drafted two quarterbacks last year in Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, and they still have Deshaun Watson under contract for one more season. It’s not clear whether they’ll add another quarterback in the draft, but if they do, Simpson hopes to be that quarterback.

Teams making decisions about picking up the fifth-year options on the contracts of their 2023 first-round picks now know how much that will cost.

The NFL revealed the values on Friday afternoon. There are four levels of compensation at each position. Players who have made multiple Pro Bowls as an original selection are at the top followed by players with one Pro Bowl selection and players who have hit playing time milestones before reaching the lowest level.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud were the first two picks of that draft and both of them reached the playing time level of compensation. That will leave them with fully guaranteed salaries of $25.904 million if the teams decide to exercise the options, but longer-term extensions are also a possibility now that they have finished their third seasons.

The full list of 2023 first-rounders — there were 31 that year because the Dolphins were stripped of their pick — and their fifth-year option salaries appears below:

1. Panthers QB Bryce Young — $25.904 million (playing time).
2. Texans QB C.J. Stroud — $25.904 million (playing time).
3. Texans DE Will Anderson — $21.512 (Pro Bowl).
4. Colts QB Anthony Richardson — $22.483 million (base).
5. Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon — $21.161 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
6. Cardinals OT Paris Johnson — $19.072 million (playing time).
7. Raiders DE Tyree Wilson — $14.475 million (base).
8. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson — $11.323 million (Pro Bowl).
9. Eagles DT Jalen Carter — $27.127 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
10. Bears OT Darnell Wright — $19.072 million (playing time).
11. Titans OG Peter Skoronski — $19.072 million (playing time).
12. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs — $14.293 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
13. Packers DE Lukas Van Ness — $14.475 million (base).
14. Steelers OT Broderick Jones — $19.072 million (playing time).
15. Jets DE Will McDonald — $14.475 million (base).
16. Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes — $12.633 million (base).
17. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez — $18.119 million (Pro Bowl).
18. Lions LB Jack Campbell — $21.925 million (Pro Bowl).
19. Buccaneers DT Calijah Kancey — $15.451 (playing time).
20. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba — $23.852 million (Pro Bowl).
21. Chargers WR Quentin Johnston — $18 million (playing time).
22. Ravens WR Zay Flowers — $27.298 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
23. Vikings WR Jordan Addison — $18 million (playing time).
24. Giants CB Deonte Banks — $12.633 million (base).
25. Bills TE Dalton Kincaid — $8.162 million (base).
26. Jets DT Mazi Smith — $13.391 million (base) Smith was traded to the Jets by the Cowboys.
27. Jaguars OT Anton Harrison — $19.072 million (playing time).
28. Bengals DE Myles Murphy — $14.475 million (base).
29. Saints DT Bryan Bresee — $13.391 million (base).
30. Eagles LB Nolan Smith — $13.752 million (base).
31. Chiefs Felix Anudike-Uzomah — $14.475 million (base).

The Browns have three quarterbacks on their roster. Yet, even after drafting Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders last year, the Browns could draft another quarterback this year.

If they do, University of Miami’s Carson Beck makes a lot of sense.

Beck spent three years with new Browns coach Todd Monken at Georgia before transferring to Miami. Monken was the offensive coordinator for 34 of Beck’s games, when Beck passed for 7,736 yards with 56 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

“I love him personally,” “I’ve actually known him since I was 7 or 8 years old. I played baseball with his son whenever he was the wide receivers coach with the Jags. That’s cool. I’ve been able to have a really good relationship with him over the years, and obviously at Georgia, he taught me a lot of what I know. He’s amazing coach. I had the opportunity to talk with him a little bit the other day when I was done with all my interviews. We walked and chatted for a little bit. I love Coach Monk. He’s an awesome coach and great guy.”

Beck had a formal interview with the Browns, one of many so far. He also said he has met with the Jets, Steelers and Dolphins, among others.

Beck might be one of the few quarterbacks ever who would actually relish being drafted by the Browns.

“That would obviously be super cool,” Beck said. “Any team that’s going to draft me, I’m super grateful for the opportunity, but if coach Monken were to be my coach again, obviously I really enjoyed him being my coach at the University of Georgia, and what I was able learn from him there. So, I’d be super stoked.”

Beck played six college seasons, passing for 11,725 yards with 88 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.

“It’s been a super cool journey,” Beck said. “Obviously, it feels like I was in college forever, but again, everybody’s path is different. I’m truly blessed and grateful that my path went the way it did. It’s a lot easier to say that looking back at it now, but you’re in the middle of a grind of a season or you’re in the middle the rehab and I can’t throw a football for four months, and you don’t know what your future is going to look like. To get to this point, and to have the injury and battle through that and fight through that, and have the success of some of these great teams I’ve been a part of it, it’s been a really cool experience. I’m obviously super blessed and grateful to even be able to stand in front of you today.”

The NFL is a copycat league. And there’s an emerging trend that one new head coach believes will soon be copied.

Browns coach Todd Monken has a prediction: There will be more downfield laterals.

“I do think that laterals are going to be a bigger part of our game,” Monken said during a Wednesday appearance on PFT Live. “I believe that you get these zone looks. Now, you’ve got to throw it to the guy you trust, because you don’t want that damn thing on the ground. But I do think that is going to become more and more in vogue with teams as you see more and more success with your ability to, first off, get the ball in someone’s hands as the defense starts to collapse, collapse, and get yourself an explosive play.”

Monken believes it won’t be something that happens only in specific situations.

“Not just on third downs, not just on fourth down, not just as a gimmick play,” Monken said. “Obviously, Ben [Johnson] started doing that a lot in Detroit. Give credit where credit’s due. And then others have started to do that a little bit more. And it takes some stones to do it. If the ball ends up on the ground, you’re gonna get critiqued for it, but I can see the game going that way, where plays have built-in laterals. It just feels like it can go that way.”

It’s an effective way to counter a defense’s pursuit of the ball and, if/when the defense is bracing for it, to get the defense a little wobbly and uncertain.

Still, as Monken said, execution will be critical. A bad lateral potentially becomes a lost possession, followed by public and private questions as to the sanity of the coach who called the play.

The Browns have signed linebacker Devin Bush to one-year contracts the last two offseasons and they’re reportedly trying to get a longer deal done with him this year.

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that the Browns have made re-signing Bush to a multi-year contract is a “high priority” for the team heading into free agency.

Bush, who is No. 40 on PFT’s list of the top 100 free agents, signed with the Browns in 2024 after stints with the Steelers and Seahawks. He returned to the team after starting 10 games and started all 17 games after returning to Cleveland.

Bush recorded 125 tackles, three interceptions, two interception returns for touchdowns, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 2025. Bush did that playing alongside defensive rookie of the year Carson Schwesinger and the Browns will be hoping to keep the duo together in Todd Monken’s first year as their head coach.

As expected, the push has officially commenced to expand the ability to trade future draft picks.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Browns have proposed an amendment to Article XVI, Section 16.6 of the NFL Constitution & Bylaws “to allow draft selections to be traded up to five (5) seasons in the future.”

The current limit (which isn’t articulated in the Constitution & Bylaws) is three years.

Cleveland’s proposal would require 24 votes to pass. The subject will be discussed and possibly voted on in March. It also could be tabled until the May meetings.

Why not allow teams to go five years into the future, if they want? Why not allow them to go 10 years into the future? The teams should be allowed to fashion any any all trades they choose.

Deshaun Watson has not played in a game since October 2024 due to a torn Achilles.

But he’s still under contract with the Browns in 2026 and at this point, it appears Cleveland is ready to give him another shot at being the starting quarterback.

To put it mildly, Watson has been ineffective since the Browns traded form him in the 2022 offseason. Between injuries and suspensions, he’s played just 19 games since the trade, completing 61.2 percent of his passes for 3,365 yards with 19 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.

It’s a far cry from the elite player Watson appeared to be during the 2020 season, when he finished with a league-leading 4,823 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a 70.2 percent completion rate. That was also before Watson was suspended for sexual misconduct during massage therapy sessions.

Still, because Watson has played at a high level before, new head coach Todd Monken said on Wednesday that he’s interested in seeing whether Watson can get back to that level of performance.

“I think anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skillset at an elite level, I think you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we might be able to get that out of him again,” Monken said in his press conference at the scouting combine. “And I think that’s how you should look at every player. I’ve said that. You guys have heard me say it. I’m going to let it play out.

“I think it’d be completely unfair just like it would be in any classroom setting — be it a history exam — and all the students walk in, and before they’re actually given the exam, you give them a grade. Well, how would you give them a grade? Based on male, female, race, how they look, how they’re dressed? I think that’s unfair.”

Effectively, Monken was saying that he’d like to work with Watson and see what’s there for himself. But that does’t mean he’s going to completely disregard the tape.

“Now you’re going to have some preconceived notions, obviously, because we have prior evidence, but I don’t decide who plays,” Monken said. “The players decide who plays. I’ve never decided who plays.”

There’s also the possibility that Monken may provide a fresh perspective that could raise Watson’s performance.

“You’ll have to ask him. I don’t know how he’ll view that,” Monken said. “I know that I’m excited to work with him. I’m excited to work with all of our players on the roster. That’s what you’re paid to do as a coach. Just like [G.M.] Andrew [Berry is] going to trust what we call on fourth-and-1, I’m going to trust him that we’re going to put an elite roster together that allows us to build a consistent winner.”

Shedeur Sanders finished last year as the Browns’ starting quarterback.

Could he keep that role for the start of the 2026 season?

“Sure he can,” Cleveland head coach Todd Monken said at the scouting combine on Wednesday. “I think what you see is elite playmaking ability — that’s in him. You’ve seen it, we’ve seen it. You saw it in college. You saw it on tape last year. Sure, there’s a ways to go, but what rookie isn’t? I mean, what first-year player doesn’t have a long way to go?

“So, I’m excited to get started with him and all of our quarterbacks and all of our players.”

Sanders is one of three quarterbacks under contract for 2026, with the others being fellow 2025 draftee Dillon Gabriel and Deshaun Watson. Monken noted that the Browns will do their “due diligence” in potentially bringing in another QB to compete for the role.

Monken characterized Cleveland’s current quarterback situation as an open competition. But he noted that he’d prefer to have the starting role settled by the time training camp starts.

“You would hope that that’s the case,” Monken said. “You would hope that by the time you get to training camp that the reps you’re giving to a quarterback is for your starter. Whether we get to that place, I don’t know. That will be determined in the offseason as part of it, just another part of the piece.”

In eight games with seven starts as a rookie, Sanders completed 59.6 percent of his passes for 1,400 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Shedeur Sanders? Deshaun Watson? Someone else?

When it comes to the Browns’ quarterback position, it’s entirely unclear who will be on the field to start the season in September. The club finished 2025 with Sanders, but Watson is getting healthier after missing the 2025 season with a torn Achilles. The club has Dillon Gabriel under contract for 2026, too.

And then there’s also free agency and the draft to potentially add to that spot.

While Sanders and Watson would appear to be the top two options right now, the Browns know they have plenty of time to figure out their QB1.

“You know what, right now, it’s what, February 24? We don’t have to make that decision anytime soon,” General Manager Andrew Berry said at the scouting combine on Tuesday. “I think any player that we have in that room, we would expect to compete to earn the role. [Sanders and Watson] would be no different.”

While Berry acknowledged new head coach Todd Monken is probably better equipped to answer what Sanders must do to earn the starting job, he did note that Sanders’ first job once the offseason program begins will be to learn the new offense.

“I think the biggest thing that we want to see from Shedeur is just continued growth,” Berry said. “I think he grew a lot from start [No.] 1 to start [No.] 7. I think certainly playing more efficiently, not putting the ball in harm’s way as much would be important while maintaining the ability to produce out of structure and generate explosive plays.”

Watson will also need to learn the new offense, but he’s expected to be in a healthier place after missing all of last season. He did get back on the practice field late in the year, though he was not activated to the 53-man roster.

“Deshaun’s been working really hard,” Berry said. “He’s been working his tail off. Like I said, we’re excited to go into April with all of our players across the roster because competition is important.”

Unconventionally, the Browns selected Gabriel in the third round of last year’s draft before swooping back in to get Sanders in the fifth round. While some might think that could take Cleveland out of picking another QB in 2026, don’t rule it out.

When asked about potentially drafting another QB to give the Browns three players with under two years of experience, Berry said, “I wouldn’t put any restraint on it.”