With all five starting offensive line positions open ahead of the start of the new league year, the Cleveland Browns have to reshape and retool the group up front, and do so quickly.
Browns’ GM Andrew Berry is off to a fast start coming out of the Combine doing just that. According to a report from NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, the Browns have agreed to a trade with the Houston Texans to land offensive tackle Tyus Howard.
According to Rapoport, Cleveland is sending a fifth-round pick to the Texans, and has agreed to a three-year, $63 million extension with Howard in the process, with $45 million in new money.
Howard, a former first-round pick of the Texans in the 2019 NFL Draft, is the second offensive tackle traded in back-to-back offseasons by Houston. Last offseason, the Texans traded star left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders to help free up cap space. Now, with potential big extensions looming for the likes of Will Anderson Jr. and CJ Stroud, Houston needs the cap space.
The move by the Browns is a big swing from Berry as Cleveland lands a 29-year-old offensive tackle with experience on both the left and right side in his career. Last season, Howard played 1,162 snaps for the Texans, seeing time at left tackle, left guard, right guard and right tackle.
In the AFC Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Howard started and played 68 snaps at left guard — his first action of the season at the position — and allowed just three pressures.
In his career, Howard has played 5,950 snaps, including 3,588 snaps at right tackle, 1,971 snaps at left guard, 245 snaps at left tackle and 135 snaps at right guard. He’s allowed 208 pressures and 16 sacks in his career, according to Pro Football Focus.
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