The Browns’ edge room is still begging for help, and the list of available veterans gives Andrew Berry a few real ways to patch it up.
That need has been there for months, and it only looks more obvious now. Cleveland’s failed swings at Jadeveon Clowney and Za'Darius Smith didn’t solve anything, and the Browns are left with a depth chart that leans heavily on presumed starters Jared Verse and Alex Wright, plus rotation man Isaiah McGuire. After that, the options get thin fast: undrafted rookies Logan Fano, Khordae Sydnor, and Tyreak Sapp; recently signed Benton Whitley, who has appeared in just six games since entering the league in 2023; and Julian Okwara, a veteran with 51 games on his resume who has not played in over a year after spending last season on the practice squad.
Even so, there are still several experienced pass rushers sitting out there who could make sense for Cleveland.
Leonard Floyd is the name that keeps popping up for good reason. He played for the Falcons last season and posted 4.0 sacks while working closely with Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, who was then Atlanta’s defensive pass game coordinator.
Floyd also put up a 60.1 Pro Football Focus grade and generated pressure on 15.7 percent of his rushes, a mark that ranked 32nd in the league among 159 qualifiers, according to Sports Info Solutions. For the Browns, he’d look like a clean fit as a pass-rush specialist who could rotate with Verse, Wright, and McGuire.
Derek Barnett is another logical option. He was part of the Texans’ No. 1 defense last season, finished with 5.0 sacks as a rotational EDGE, and has prior familiarity with Browns defensive line coach Jacques Cesaire from Cesaire’s time in the same job in Houston in 2023.
PFF gave Barnett a 67.0 grade, and his 11.4 pressure percentage is enough to keep him in the conversation. He also just turned 30, which leaves open the possibility that he could be more than a one-year stopgap if the fit is right.
Kyle Van Noy brings a different kind of value. His ties to the Browns staff are easy to trace, since he spent the last three seasons with Todd Monken and the group of Ravens defectors who followed Monken to Cleveland.
Van Noy is 35, but he still found a way to produce last season, collecting 2.0 sacks in the versatile role he’s known for. He earned a 63.0 PFF grade and posted pressure on 11.5 percent of his rushes, so the production is still there.
He would also bring leadership to one of the league’s youngest teams.
Yetur Gross-Matos is younger than the rest of the group at 28, and his profile suggests there’s still more in the tank. He had a quiet, injury-hit season with the 49ers and finished without a sack, but PFF still gave him a 60.8 grade.
He also generated pressure on 10.7 percent of his rushes, which matters because it shows the skill set hasn’t vanished. Gross-Matos was healthy to close the year, and Browns senior defensive assistant Dom Capers has prior experience with him from Carolina in 2023.
Haason Reddick may be the hardest sell of the bunch. His last two stops have come with plenty of weirdness attached, starting with a six-week holdout after the Jets traded for him and continuing into 2025, when he stayed away from the Buccaneers’ voluntary workouts in his first season with the team.
The results were uneven, too: 1.0 sack with the Jets and then 3.0 sacks with Tampa Bay, along with a 57.2 PFF grade and an 8.5 percent pressure rate, which landed him among the bottom quarter of the league. If Cleveland made a call, it would likely be with the idea of a reclamation project, and Rutenberg does have a connection to him from when he was the linebackers coach for the Jets in 2024.
For a Browns team still hunting for edge help, the answer isn’t complicated. There are veterans on the board, there are staff ties to lean on, and there’s still a clear path to improving the pass rush depth with one phone call.
In Other News...
Browns Offense Finally Showed Something Fans Have Been Waiting For
A joint practice against the Bills gave the Browns a chance to measure themselves against another roster, and for once the offense came away with something to build on. Head coach Todd Monken said Cleveland looked like it belonged on the field, a notable step for a group that has spent much of camp trying to find its footing. There were still mistakes and some injuries to sort through, but the overall impression was more encouraging than the usual late-summer noise around an offense still trying to settle in.
The offensive line also showed progress, which matters just as much as any flashier moment in practice because it sets the tone for everything else. Cleveland still has a long way to go before anyone can draw conclusions about the season opener, but this was the kind of day that can hint at a unit starting to mesh. For a Browns team looking for signs of cohesion, it was at least a reminder that the offense may be moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Quarterback Uncertainty Could Put Rival Cutdown Decision In Focus
After the first week of preseason, Cleveland still does not have a clear answer under center for 2026, and that uncertainty is starting to frame everything the Browns do at quarterback. Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and the rest of the room have all had uneven moments, leaving the team with more questions than answers as the evaluation process continues into the rest of August.
Across the state line, Pittsburghs own quarterback decision has become a subplot worth watching, with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar all tied to the Steelers roster picture. Howard, a former Ohio State quarterback, made a strong preseason debut and is now the kind of player Cleveland could have in mind if he ends up available, giving the Browns one more possible name to monitor while their own competition remains unsettled. [Read more 🡒]
Quinshon Judkins Injury Should Ease One Big Browns Concern
Quinshon Judkins has been working through a nagging injury during training camp and the preseason, which kept the Browns running back out of practice for stretches at a time. Even so, head coach Todd Monken has framed the absence as precautionary, and the early read is that Cleveland is not dealing with a major setback as it builds toward the start of the season.
For a Browns team that is counting on Judkins to lead the backfield in 2026, that matters. He enters the year as the expected feature back and a player with real fantasy football appeal, so every missed practice naturally draws attention, but the current outlook suggests Cleveland may be able to move past one of its bigger camp concerns without it turning into a season-opening problem. [Read more 🡒]