The Browns have signed veteran cornerback Myles Bryant.
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The Browns have signed veteran cornerback Myles Bryant.
The Cleveland Browns are adding secondary depth just as voluntary workouts get underway.
NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday that the Browns have signed cornerback Myles Bryant, a veteran defensive back who spent the past two seasons with the Houston Texans.
The timing is notable. Teams with new head coaches, including Cleveland, begin voluntary offseason programs this week — earlier than the rest of the league. The Browns, led by first-year head coach Todd Monken, are among clubs kicking off Phase One of their nine-week programs ahead of the standard April 20 start date.
Bryant is a 5-foot-9, 192-pound cornerback who went undrafted out of Washington in 2020. He spent the first four years of his NFL career with the New England Patriots before signing with Houston in 2024. With the Texans, Bryant appeared in 22 games with three starts, appearing on 51% of their defensive snaps last season.
Bryant is a versatile slot cornerback known for his work in coverage and on special teams. He brings the kind of experienced depth Cleveland is looking behind Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell.
Former Browns CB Martin Emerson Visiting With Texans
The Bryant signing carries an added layer of intrigue given what’s happening on the other side of the transaction. On the same day Cleveland added a cornerback from Houston, Rapoport reported that former Browns starting cornerback Martin “MJ” Emerson Jr. is visiting with the Texans.
Emerson, 25, has been unsigned since free agency opened in March. He missed all of 2025 after tearing his left Achilles in training camp.
Browns GM Andrew Berry acknowledged last week that a reunion was unlikely, citing the team’s cornerback depth with Ward and Tyson Campbell locked in as outside starters.
“Love MJ,” Berry said. “Absolutely love MJ, both as a person and as a player. Selfishly would love to have him back. I think we’re also realistic that with MJ and the injury that he’s coming off of, to reach his personal goals, he’s also got to be in a position where he has maybe a strong opportunity to compete for a starting spot.”
“That’s probably a little bit harder with how we’re configured with Denzel and Tyson,” Berry added. “But certainly if that changes … we’d love to have him back.”
A healthy Emerson — who compiled 202 tackles, 34 passes defensed and four interceptions across three seasons in Cleveland — would be a legitimate addition to any secondary if the Achilles is fully behind him.
Browns Looking to Maintain Elite Defense
The Browns entered the offseason with one of the NFL’s stronger defenses, anchored by record-setting pass rusher Myles Garrett. They’ve focused the bulk of their offseason spending on overhauling the offense.
The biggest change comes at defensive coordinator, where Mike Rutenberg replaces Jim Schwartz, who stepped away after being passed over for the head coaching job.
Rutenberg began his NFL coaching career in 2013 with the Jacksonville Jaguars and held multiple roles there through 2019. He later worked with the San Francisco 49ers (2020), spent four seasons as the New York Jets’ linebackers coach (2021-24), and most recently served as the Atlanta Falcons’ defensive pass game coordinator.
“Any new opportunity is about building relationships, right? And relationships come from the heart. So we’re going to build relationships. I’m going to learn about the players, learn about the coaches, share my story and learn their story,” Rutenberg said. “And whatever is important to the players, I want to learn about them. Whether it’s their families, whether it’s football, any outside interests, I’m going to dive right in and build those relationships.”
The biggest relationship Rutenberg has to work on is with Garrett. There’s been rumors that Garrett is disgruntled but the team has shown no sign that they’re opening to trading their All-Pro.