Three Browns Veterans Who May Have New Homes in 2026
The Browns find themselves in a precarious position concerning roster construction entering the 2025 season, seemingly stuck halfway between a rebuild and contention. Though the team appears committed to demonstrating that their 2023 playoff run was no fluke, in the event of another disappointing season, they possess both the young talent and draft capital to quickly pivot toward a youth movement. The following three veterans are plausible casualties in this scenario. Each is entering at least his fifth year with the team and is either playing on an expiring contract or may feasibly be cut without incurring excessive penalties toward the salary cap.
David Njoku, TE
A first-round selection in 2017, David Njoku is no stranger to rumors surrounding his future in Cleveland. Such chatter plagued his early years with the Browns, when, succinctly put, Njoku looked the part of a bust. He struggled mightily with drops and consistency, issues that not only prompted many fans to call for his removal from the team but also prompted the Browns to find his replacements. They shelled out a large contract to Austin Hooper in the 2020 offseason and used a fourth-round pick on tight end Harrison Bryant just two months later. Consequently, Njoku made a quick recanted trade request that summer; However, as Browns fans know, this story has a happy ending. Njoku found his footing and beat out both players brought to Cleveland to replace him en route to becoming a Pro Bowler and one of the team’s longest-tenured players.
Fast forward to 2025. The University of Miami product will be 29 in July and is playing on the last year of a lucrative contract extension signed before the 2022 season. To add insult to injury, his replacement may already be in the building with Cleveland using a third-round selection on Ohio native and former Bowling Green State University star Harold Fannin Jr. Though David Njoku’s value to the team and impact throughout his tenure remain unwaveringly strong, recent contract extensions to top tight ends George Kittle and Trey McBride have netted each player at least $19 million per season, far north of the roughly $13 million yearly average on Njoku’s most recent extension. David Njoku is a beloved figure on the field and off in northeast Ohio, but it is difficult to envision him and the Browns coming to terms on another lucrative extension with a highly drafted youngster waiting in the wings.
Jack Conklin, RT
Browns general manager, Andrew Berry, has been notoriously aggressive in free agency since assuming his role with the team in 2020. While the return on these investments has been mixed, bringing in Jack Conklin to shore up the right side of his offensive line five years ago remains among his finest accomplishments. Though on paper, a first-team All-Pro nod in 2020 punctuates his time in Cleveland, Conklin’s perseverance and grit in the ensuing years define his stint in brown and orange thus far. After a torn patellar tendon prematurely ended his 2021 season, Conklin looked good as new in 2022, earning a four-year extension that offseason. Unfortunately, his positive momentum hit a harsh impasse when he again suffered a season-ending knee injury, this time in Cleveland’s first game of the 2023 season. Once more, Conklin fought back to good health in time to anchor the right side of the Browns’ offensive line in 2024.
While Jack Conklin still has two years left on his 2022 contract extension, the Browns can generate significant 2026 cap space by releasing Conklin following this season. Although a release would be a disappointing way to divorce a player who has continually defied the odds to produce for the team, unfortunately, it is likely the logical choice. The alternative involves committing approximately $15 million toward a player who will be 32 years old at the start of the 2026 season with an extensive injury history. Strong offensive line play has been a crucial component of the Browns’ semi-turnaround this half-decade; However, the unit is aging and, with the looming retirement of Joel Bitonio, is on borrowed time. Regardless of what 2025 has in store for the Cleveland Browns, their offensive line has to get younger sooner rather than later. Should a youth movement start ahead of 2026, Conklin will almost certainly be a casualty.
Wyatt Teller, RG
Another forthcoming casualty in the likely event of the Browns rebuilding their offensive line is three-time Pro Bowler Wyatt Teller. After being acquired from the Bills for just a fifth-round pick in 2019, Teller has blossomed into one of the NFL’s premier interior offensive linemen, being selected to two All-Pro teams in addition to his Pro Bowl nods. However, 2024 was a down year for the soon-to-be 31-year-old. Now entering a contract year, the pressure is on for Wyatt Teller. Save for a return-to-form season, the aging guard appears on his way out of Cleveland at season's end.
The apparent imminence of Teller and the Browns parting ways is exacerbated by the presence of 2023 third-rounder Zak Zinter. If, or perhaps when, Cleveland opts for a younger offensive line unit, they need not look further than their bench for a potential solution at Wyatt Teller’s right guard spot. At his peak, Teller was not just among the best at his position league-wide, but one of the NFL’s very best overall players. Unfortunately, he is rapidly aging out of Cleveland’s timeline, making Teller increasingly expendable ahead of the 2026 season.
