The Cleveland Browns are having a nightmare season with the 2-8 record so far. But for defensive end Alex Wright, this is a life-changing year.
The Browns extended Wright on a three-year, $33 million contract Thursday. It was a well-deserved raise for a player who is a key piece on one of the top defenses in the NFL this year.
Another deal in Cleveland: Browns and defensive end Alex Wright reached agreement today on a three-year, $33 million extension that includes $21 million guaranteed, per agents Drew Rosenhaus and Shawn O’Dare. pic.twitter.com/WechalK2PV
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 20, 2025
Myles Garrett is secured in the long term, Mason Graham is dominating in his rookie year, and now Wright is being paid for his level of play. The defense is great up front, and that is before getting to all the talent on the rest of the unit.
The problem is that Wright's extension does nothing to solve the team's glaring problem, which is arguably 90% of the positions on offense.
Quinshon Judkins and Harold Fannin Jr. are two rookie bright spots. Outside of those two there is a dismal wide receiving corps led by the disgruntled Jerry Jeudy, an aging offensive line lacking depth, and a quarterback position featuring two rookies. Well, two rookies and a player making $46 million in cash to stay away from the field. Only this organization could concoct such a scenario.
This is not to say the Browns were wrong to pay Wright. He has earned the money after improving consistently since he was a third-round pick by the Browns in 2022. The issue is that the defense could be stacked with All-Pros at every level and that wouldn't make the offense any better.
Last week's crushing loss to the Baltimore Ravens provided the sad evidence everyone needed. A muffed punt gave the Browns the ball at the 6-yard line with a chance to go up 10-3.
Instead, Dillon Gabriel and the offense ended up settling for a field goal. There is good field position, then there is great field position. This sequence alone showed just how bad, for lack of a better word, the offense is compared to the defense.
What this Wright extension does show is that it appears Andrew Berry feels safe in his job. This was a long-term move to help solidify the defensive line for the future. Clearly, Berry expects to stick around, or else he may have been more active before the trade deadline.
Yet this all comes back to the quarterback position. If Shedeur Sanders lays an egg Sunday in Las Vegas, that will mean two rookie quarterbacks taken by Berry in 2025 look ill-equipped to play at the NFL level. If he plays well there is at least some hope.
Fans have seen Myles Garrett have a handful of sacks and it have no impact on the final score. The Browns offense needs competent quarterback play and Wright's development, or any other draft pick for that matter, will not matter if Berry can't solve the glaring issue at quarterback. Deshaun Watson can only be blamed for so long.