The Browns have a season coming up that could shape more than just the win-loss column. With new faces in the front office and on the roster, Cleveland has some breathing room on expectations. But for a handful of familiar names, 2026 is about more than team results - it’s about proving they deserve another deal when it’s over.
That puts a spotlight on a small group of extension candidates, each with a different kind of pressure attached. Some are trying to hold onto key roles.
Others are trying to remind the Browns they still belong in the long-term plan. And in every case, the money they could command depends on what happens this season.
Grant Delpit is one of the clearest cases. He played all 17 games last year, but the numbers didn’t jump off the page: his solo tackles were his second lowest, and his total tackles were only the third highest of his five-year career.
Still, at 27, he’s got plenty of football ahead of him. Delpit remains a major part of Cleveland’s secondary thanks to his coverage ability and the kind of physical presence offenses notice.
He hasn’t had more than one interception in a season since his second year, but if teams throw his way enough, that can change. The Browns would feel his absence if he landed elsewhere, and with Delpit currently the 20th highest paid safety in the league, a strong season could push him into top-ten territory.
Predicted contract: Four-year, $60 million contract extension
Deshaun Watson’s path is far less straightforward. Before anyone talks about a new contract, he has to win the starting job in training camp.
That alone is a major hurdle, especially with the Browns still living with the memory of the $230 million fully guaranteed deal they handed him in 2022. His competition with Shedeur Sanders is about more than a standard quarterback battle.
Watson hasn’t taken a snap since his season-ending injury in 2024, and what he has shown in Cleveland hasn’t been enough to justify an extension. If he does start this season, he would need to look like the Houston version of himself to put him back in the conversation for next year and beyond.
Predicted contract: Two-year, $18 million contract extension
Dalvin Tomlinson is another veteran whose future depends on proving he still has plenty left. At 31, he played a career-low 12 games, but the production was still solid: 25 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.
He can still provide starting-caliber snaps and impact, but the Browns also have younger options coming up on the defensive line. Tomlinson likely won’t be pushed into a smaller role this season, and if he wants to stay in Cleveland through the end of his career, he’ll need to keep showing he’s one of the team’s best answers against both the run and the pass.
Predicted contract: Two-year, $14 million contract extension
Cedric Tillman feels like the longest shot of the group, mostly because his role has slipped and the Browns have added two rookie receivers while also expecting Isaiah Bond to have a bigger part in the offense. Tillman hasn’t delivered the kind of production Cleveland wanted when it drafted him, never topping 350 yards or more than three touchdowns in a season.
Even so, there’s a path here if he can become a dependable No. 2 target and stay healthy. A season with 700 yards and six touchdowns would put him in position to land another deal.
With this new-look receiver room, he has an uphill climb, but if he breaks through, he could still earn a contract worth keeping him around.
Predicted contract: Three-year, $12 million contract extension
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Browns May Have Found The O-Line Answer Fans Were Bracing Against
The Browns found a way to address a glaring need up front without paying the kind of premium that usually comes with it. Cleveland signed veteran lineman Elgton Jenkins to a two-year, $24 million deal with $15 million guaranteed after his release from Green Bay, giving the offense a proven, versatile blocker who can help stabilize the interior and compete for a starting job at center or right guard.
For a team that has spent plenty of time searching for answers along the offensive line, the appeal is obvious because the move did not cost draft picks. There is still risk attached, of course, since Jenkins is working back from a serious leg injury, but the Browns now have a veteran option in place and a chance to see whether he can become the kind of fix they were bracing to chase all offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Draft Gamble Suddenly Feels Like The Answer Fans Wanted
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Concepcion brings the kind of big-play speed that can change how defenses line up, while Boston offers a more physical, bully-ball presence and a red-zone target the offense has lacked. Early buzz has been strong enough that some around the league are already talking about both as potential rookie award candidates, but the real question for Cleveland is whether this is just a promising spring story or the start of a much longer answer at receiver. [Read more 🡒]
4 Browns Veterans Suddenly Feel Far Less Safe This Summer
The Browns are heading into camp with more than a few jobs still up for grabs, and that uncertainty is spreading to some familiar names. Deshaun Watson, Jones, Tillman and Wypler are all in the mix as Cleveland sorts out its preseason depth chart, with head coach Todd Monken declining to lock in starters before he gets a longer look in training camp and preseason games.
For veterans, that makes this summer feel a lot less comfortable than usual. Jones is trying to hold off the effects of last seasons LCL tear while the Browns have added more competition around him, Tillman has younger receivers pressing for snaps, and Wypler is facing a challenge at center after the team brought in another rookie in April. Even Watsons place remains part of the evaluation, which is a reminder that nothing is being handed out in Cleveland right now. [Read more 🡒]