The Browns went into the offseason knowing the offensive line needed a reset, and Andrew Berry attacked the problem in a hurry. He borrowed a page from the Bears’ playbook and tried to rebuild the group in one swoop, starting with a trade for Houston Texans right tackle Tytus Howard and then adding guard Zion Johnson.
Those moves were never going to be simple sell jobs. Howard arrived with respectable advanced numbers but came from a Texans line that struggled as a whole, and the immediate extension only raised the stakes.
Johnson brought the profile of an athletic veteran and former first-round pick, but he also carried the weight of not fully living up to that billing. Two games in, the early results have done nothing to quiet the doubts.
Through the first two weeks, Howard and Johnson have been the weak spots on a five-man unit that was supposed to feel sturdier. Even rookies Spencer Fano and Austin Barber have looked better, which is not exactly where Cleveland wanted the conversation to be for Todd Monken’s offense.
The financial reality makes this even messier. There isn’t an easy escape hatch here, and there isn’t a clean way to move on without eating a brutal amount of money. Howard is set to have $13.5 million guaranteed in 2027, and Johnson carries the same number, $13.5 million, as well.
Before anyone asks, the #Browns can't realistically cut either Tytus Howard or Zion Johnson after 2026.
They are here for 2027 with $13.5m and $13.565m guaranteed respectively
- Jack Duffin (@JackDuffin) September 20, 2026
The on-field numbers haven’t helped the case for patience, either. Pro Football Focus credited Howard with a team-high four pressures allowed in Week 2, along with one quarterback hit and one sack.
For the season, he’s at seven pressures, two quarterback hits, and one sack allowed. His work in the run game was rough too, as he posted a 29.3 run-block grade in Week 2.
Johnson was cleaner in pass protection in Week 2, allowing no pressures, and he checked in with a 57.6 run-block grade. But the penalty count is already climbing. He has three penalties in two games, which is nearly the total he had over 1,131 snaps last season, when he was flagged four times.
There’s still time for a new line to settle in, and that much is obvious. But there’s also not much in either player’s recent track record to inspire confidence that this is about to turn quickly. The versatility both players offer is real, but it only matters so much when the Browns are lining up the same five guys in the same spots.
Cleveland did find two potential building blocks in the same draft class in Fano and Barber. For now, though, the best path is to keep leaning on veterans around them and hope the two biggest offseason additions start making good on the investment.
The Browns can’t realistically back out now. They can only wait and see whether more reps finally bring better football.
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