The Browns may have already made their biggest defensive change of the offseason when they moved on from Myles Garrett, but that doesn’t mean the work is done. Cleveland still has a strong enough core to feel good about what it has, yet there’s also a clear case for adding one more experienced piece before training camp gets rolling.
That’s where Kyle Van Noy comes in.
Bleacher Report recently named Van Noy one of the 10 best free agents still on the board, and it’s easy to see why. Even at 35, he brings the kind of versatility teams love in the middle of a season and the kind of steady production that still plays. His market has been unusually quiet, too, which only makes him more interesting for a Browns team that could use extra depth rather than a full-scale overhaul.
The numbers from last season weren’t as loud as the year before. Van Noy finished with two sacks and nine quarterback hits after putting up 12.5 sacks and 21 quarterback hits in 2024.
But he also wasn’t used as much on the edge, and the Ravens’ defense as a whole took a step back. That doesn’t erase what he can still do.
It just changes the lens a little.
What makes this fit stand out is the Todd Monken connection. Monken wasn’t Van Noy’s position coach in Baltimore - he was the Ravens’ offensive coordinator - but the two still spent three years in the same building. That gives Cleveland a direct line if Andrew Berry wants to make the call.
And there’s a football case here beyond the familiarity. Van Noy has 12 years of experience, and his value has always come from being useful in a lot of different ways.
He can line up at linebacker, he can rush the passer, he can drop into coverage, and he can help against the run. For a Browns defense that is still solid across all three levels, that kind of veteran flexibility would be a clean addition.
It would also give Cleveland some breathing room with promising rookie Justin Jefferson or take some of the burden off Jared Verse, who came back in the Garrett trade and gives the Browns a young piece to build around. With no obvious emergency need elsewhere on defense, the Browns are in the kind of spot where a move like this makes sense for depth and balance.
Spotrac projects Van Noy’s market value at $3.5 million per year, and at that price, he looks like the sort of veteran pickup that should be hard to pass up.
If the Browns want another reliable AFC North defender in the mix, they know exactly where to start.
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