Browns’ Deal For DE A.J. Epenesa Falls Through After Physical Concerns

The AFC North is becoming a tough division to get in to. In the wake of the Ravens-Maxx Crosby reversed trade, the Browns have decided not to sign former Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa. The two sides came to a one-year, $5MM agreement about a week and a half ago. Per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, the team was not “comfortable finalizing the deal after his physical.”

The news comes as a bit of a surprise as the six-year veteran has never missed more than three games in an NFL season. While he’s only appeared in every game of a season once, Epenesa’s absences each year have, for the most part, been limited to one or two games. No injury information accompanied today’s announcement, so any specifics will have to be disclosed in future reports.

Epenesa joined the Bills as a second-round pick in 2020. Coming out of Iowa, Epenesa excelled in his role off the bench as a sophomore Hawkeye, registering 10.5 sacks, 16.5 tackles for loss, four batted passes, and four forced fumbles without making a single start. After putting up similar numbers as a junior starter, Epenesa declared for the NFL draft and found his way to Buffalo.

Over the course of his rookie contract, Epenesa’s experience contributing off the bench came in handy. Entrenched behind a starting lineup that, over the years, featured Mario Addison, Jerry Hughes, Greg Rousseau, Shaq Lawson, Von Miller, Leonard Floyd, and Joey Bosa, Epenesa only saw more than two starts in one of his six season in Buffalo. After a slow rookie year, Epenesa began to generate more pressures with his opportunities in Year. Over the final two years of his rookie contract, Epenesa logged 6.5 sacks each year despite only starting two of 30 game appearances.

Epenesa’s best season came two years ago, when he was tasked with a bigger role. Appearing in every game for the only time in his career and making 13 starts, Epenesa recorded six sacks and saw career highs in tackles (39), tackles for loss (8), and quarterback hits (11), tacking on a safety for good measure. The arrival of Bosa last year pushed Epenesa back to a rotation role, and he saw his lowest pass rushing production since his first two years in the league.

Without a deal with the Browns, Epenesa will head back to the open market where several teams are still looking for pass rush help. Any future deal will depend on him passing a physical, though, so it will be interesting to see if we see any more information on what concerns caused Cleveland to back out here.