Browns’ trade for Tytus Howard draws heavy criticism from ESPN with poor grade originally appeared on The Sporting News.
Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
This offseason is going to be a busy one for the Cleveland Browns. There are needs on both sides of the ball, but the top two needs are with the offense at wide receiver and along the offensive line.
While the new league year hasn’t begun just yet, the Browns have already made one roster move. They traded a fifth-round pick to the Houston Texans for offensive lineman Tytus Howard.
This is the first of many additions along the offensive line for the Browns. But it’s already received some heavy criticism from ESPN’s Seth Walder, who gave Cleveland a D+ grade for this trade.
“But is this where they want to spend their resources, dealing a fifth-round pick to pay what might be an over-market deal for a below-average starter?” Walder writes. “That’s not how I’d want to kick off the offseason.”
This is a brutal grade for the Browns for their first move this offseason. Cleveland needs to make a ton more moves, especially along the offensive line.
But, according to Walder, they’re already off to a bad start. Howard is a 29-year-old offensive tackle who is coming off a shaky season for the Texans.
As Walder notes, “Howard ranked in the 24th percentile in pass block win rate at tackle and the 31st percentile in run block win rate at tackle last season.”
More: Shedeur Sanders gets interesting Cleveland Browns update after team decided to hire Todd Monken
Those are some very poor numbers for Howard, and yet, the Browns not only spent a fifth-round pick, which is a relatively valuable asset, but also gave Howard a $45 million extension.
While Howard might’ve been a good lineman a few years ago, his recent performances leave a lot to be desired. And yet, the Browns spent draft capital and a ton of money on him.
He was set to make $17.5 million in 2026, which was the final year of his deal, but the Browns are also adding another two years and $45 million to his contract. Essentially, this is now a three-year, $62.5 million contract, or roughly $21 million per-year.
For an offensive lineman who struggled a good bit last season, that’s too much money. Add on the draft capital spent to acquire him, and it’s easy to see why Walder gave such a harsh grade for the Browns’ first move this offseason.
Why Browns can afford to splurge on trade for Eagles’ AJ Brown to pair with Shedeur SandersESPN writer hopes Joel Bitonio will leave Browns to finally play for a ‘winner’Browns set to make 56-year NFL free agent history that is bad news for Shedeur SandersBrowns named ‘perfect fit’ for 2 ESPN top 50 stars to solve major roster needBrowns predicted to cut ties with Dillon Gabriel in trade for 49ers former Pro Bowl quarterbackBrowns’ trade proposal lands $40.5 million Jaguars OT for late-round pick-swap
