Cleveland Browns general manager Andrew Berry was placed in a nearly impossible situation this offseason. He had limited cap space to work with (though that was largely his own fault) and had to replace multiple starters on both sides of the ball. Forget making major improvements, Berry had a steep hill to climb just to field a competent football team.
In that kind of situation, the only real option is to bet on players whose prices have been driven down for various reasons. That's exactly what Berry did. Outside of one expensive signing (more on him later), he relied on low-cost free agents and draft maneuvering to fill out the roster .
For the most part, those gambles have paid off. The Browns have been competitive so far this season, due in large part to the offseason moves they made. Of course, not all of their moves have worked out.
Before the 2026 NFL Draft, Denzel Boston was criticized by many analysts for his lack of separation ability. His stock was driven down, allowing the Browns to land him in the second round. After five games, Boston is already making the rest of the league's lack of faith in him look foolish.
He has logged 330 yards and three touchdowns and has made multiple highlight-reel catches. Boston looks like he can be Cleveland's future WR1. The Browns were clearly right to take a chance on him.
Elgton Jenkins was discarded by the Green Bay Packers despite years of competence at both the guard and center positions. The Browns didn't mind scooping him up in free agency.
The veteran immediately took over the starting center position and has played at a high level so far. Cleveland's rushing attack hasn't been especially efficient, and Jenkins deserves part of the blame. But he has only allowed one pressure in 161 pass-blocking snaps this season. That's tied for the fewest among all qualifying centers.
The Browns welcomed another veteran castoff in linebacker Quincy Williams. The former New York Jets starter signed with Cleveland on a two-year, $13 million deal.
He's already living up to that contract . He leads the team in solo tackles and has helped the Browns become one of the better pass defenses in the league so far. At 30 years old, he's not a long-term answer next to Carson Schwesinger, but he has made a positive impact this season.
The Browns' most expensive addition of the offseason may have been their most misguided. Zion Johnson was coming off a rocky season with the Los Angeles Chargers, but Cleveland gave him a three-year, $49.5 million deal.
Johnson has held up in pass protection so far, but he hasn't made the impact on the running game that the Browns hoped he would. At $16.5 million per year, he should clearly be the best member of the interior offensive line, but he hasn't been.
Even with his recent struggles, it's hard to fault the Browns for their Tytus Howard trade. They sent a fifth-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for a starting offensive tackle. That's just good business.
Unfortunately, he has often been the weak link in Cleveland's offensive line . He leads the team in pressures allowed and has recorded the lowest PFF run-blocking grade among the starters.
This article was originally published on www.dawgpounddaily.com as 3 Browns offseason gambles that have paid off (and 2 that have flopped) .
