The Browns have backed out of a free agent deal with AJ Epenesa.
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The Browns have backed out of a free agent deal with AJ Epenesa.
The Cleveland Browns will not be signing defensive end AJ Epenesa after all.
The Browns had originally agreed to terms with Epenesa on a one-year deal worth up to $5 million. That deal never became official, as there were issues with Epenesa’s physical, per Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN
“The Browns won’t be signing DE A.J. Epenesa as was initially reported, per source. Team wasn’t comfortable finalizing the deal after his physical,” Oyefusi said. “Epenesa visited the team’s facility last Monday, per the NFL’s transaction wire. The anticipation was that Epenesa would provide depth at DE and replace Cameron Thomas, who signed with the Falcons.”
Epenesa would have been a meaningful addition. The former second-round pick spent six seasons with the Buffalo Bills and accumulated 24 career sacks, including back-to-back 6.5-sack seasons in 2022 and 2023. He also brought four career interceptions — two last season — offering disruption beyond pure sack numbers.
With the deal dead, Cleveland heads toward the draft with a thinner edge depth chart than it appeared to have just days ago.
Browns’ Pass Rush Depth Behind Myles Garrett
Myles Garrett remains the centerpiece of the Browns’ defensive line. He set the NFL single-season sack record in 2025 with 23 sacks, earning his second Defensive Player of the Year award. Cleveland ranked third in the league with 53 team sacks, though Garrett accounted for nearly half of them on his own.
Beyond Garrett, the Browns return Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire. Wright led the supporting cast with 5.5 sacks last season. Wright signed a three-year extension last season. McGuire added two. The Browns also re-signed Julian Okwara, who missed the entire 2025 season with an injury.
The Browns have focused mostly on the offensive side of the ball in free agency but have brought in a few new pieces on defense. That includes linebacker Quincy Williams and defensive tackle Kalia Davis. The unit will now be led by new defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg, who replaces Jim Schwartz.
Browns Shut Down Myles Garrett Trade Talk Sunday
The Epenesa news comes on the same day the Browns have been working to quiet a bigger story — whether Garrett might be on the move.
Trade speculation escalated after Cleveland quietly restructured Garrett’s contract, shifting his $29.2 million roster bonus from March to a week before the regular season for each of the next three seasons. The timing made a trade financially workable in a way it hadn’t been before.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry addressed it directly at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix.
“I guess probably the easiest thing to say is, if we wanted to trade Myles, we wouldn’t need to make a contract adjustment, so it doesn’t have anything to do with that,” Berry said. “Myles is a career Brown. He’s one of the faces of our organization. I think we’ve been very clear both past and present in terms of our goals. I understand all the questions. I’ll be honest, I don’t really want to waste a ton more breath on the topic.”
Even if Cleveland reversed course, Garrett holds a full no-trade clause in his four-year, $160 million deal. Any move would require his sign-off.