Cleveland Browns News & Rumors

Browns Were Diontae Johnson’s Only Suitor

After a rollercoaster 2024 season, Diontae Johnson received virtually no interest in free agency until he landed in Cleveland last month.

Johnson said at mandatory minicamp that the Browns were “the only team to hit me up,” per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot.

The lack of suitors for the veteran wide receiver makes sense after tumultuous stints in Baltimore and Houston at the end of last season. He averaged 51.0 yards per game for the Panthers before being dealt to the Ravens at the trade deadline, where he only saw five targets in his first four games.

Rashod Bateman‘s Week 13 injury should have been an opportunity for Johnson to seize a bigger role. Instead, he refused to enter the game, leading to a one-week team suspension and his eventual departure from Baltimore. The Texans tried their luck by claiming Johnson on waivers, but he also seemed dissatisfied with his target share despite the team’s playoff victory over the Chargers.

Houston waived Johnson as well, and after being briefly re-claimed by the Ravens for compensatory pick purposes, he hit free agency with significant questions about his ability to adjust to new teams.

The Browns could use some experience at wide receiver behind Pro Bowler Jerry Jeudy, but Johnson’s veteran-minimum salary should set low expectations for his contributions in Cleveland. He’s been able to produce in the past, but he will have to prove he can be a reliable teammate to earn playing time.

Browns Discussed Re-Signing Nick Chubb Before Draft

Once the 2025 draft had taken place, it was essentially guaranteed Nick Chubb would find himself on a new team this season. That is now officially the case, with his one-year Texans pact in place.

Chubb will collect a base value of $2.5MM, and incentives will allow him to double that figure. It comes as no surprise the four-time Pro Bowler was only able to land a pact of that nature given the uncertainty surrounding his health status. Chubb managed to briefly return from his massive knee injury in 2024, but his showing when on the field fell well short of his previous production.

That was a key factor in the expectation Cleveland would move on this offseason. Shortly after the draft, Browns general manager Andrew Berry all-but confirmed Chubb would not be back for an eighth season with the team. Few eyebrows were raised once it became clear the 29-year-old was headed to Houston as a result, but Cleveland did engage in talks about a new deal in this case.

The Browns discussed a re-signing with Chubb and his camp prior to the draft, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Team and player were unable to reach agreement, though, and in the wake of that development Cleveland’s attention turned to the highly-regarded pool of RBs in this year’s class. The team wound up adding Quinshon Judkins in the second round and then Dylan Sampson in the fourth. Both of them are now in place for the next four years as a result.

The Browns also have Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong as returnees from last year. Ford in particular should have a notable role in 2025, but a new Chubb agreement would have allowed him to continue operating as a key member of the backfield. Retaining the latter is something Myles Garrett lobbied for during his offseason talks with Berry, as Garrett recently noted (via ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi). Conversations related to the direction of the franchise were part of Garrett’s offseason, one in which his trade request was rescinded in the wake of a $40MM-per-year extension being worked out.

No agreement came to bear in Chubb’s case, however, leaving him to remain on the open market deep into free agency. The four-time 1,000-yard rusher will look to regain his previous form in Houston while the Browns attempt to find an effective short- and long-term replacement for him in the backfield.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/9/25

Here are the latest minor moves from around the league:

Cleveland Browns

New Orleans Saints

Barton started two games at right tackle for the Cardinals in 2024, but ended the season on injured reserve. He will join a crowded OT room in Cleveland with Dawand Jones and Jack Conklin as the expected starters at left and right tackle, respectively.

Texans Looking Into RB Nick Chubb

The Texans have been “looking at [the] running back market” and could pursue former Browns RB Nick Chubb, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Chubb, a seven-year veteran, hit free agency this offseason for the first time in his career after playing just 10 games in the last two years due to injury. A torn ACL robbed him of most of the 2023 season; he worked his way back to the field for eight games in 2024 before going down once more with a broken foot. Chubb expressed a desire to stay in Cleveland, but the Browns declined to re-sign him and instead pursued younger options for their backfield.

Houston signed ex-Bengals running back Joe Mixon last offseason and could look to add another former AFC North ballcarrier in Chubb. Both Mixon and his backup, Dameon Pierce, missed at least three games last year with minimal production from Cam Akers and Dare Ogunbowale further down the depth chart.

Chubb’s 41.5 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry in 2024 were well below his career standards, but he was one of the most efficient running backs in the league before his 2023 injury. This late in the offseason, he will likely have to sign a one-year deal close to the veteran minimum to prove his health, which could offer significant upside for the Texans.

Fowler said on SportsCenter (via Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters) that a return to Cleveland is “not totally off the table” but remains unlikely after the Browns selected two running back in April’s draft. That aligns with Fowler’s previous report on ESPN Cleveland that Chubb is not expected to re-sign with his longtime “barring some sort of surprise or injury.”

Fowler also mentioned the Commanders and the Bears as potential suitors at the end of May. The Commanders are returning their 2024 backfield, making Washington a less likely destination than Chicago. The Bears missed out on their preferred running backs in the draft and do not have a clear No. 2 behind D’Andre Swift.

Dawand Jones On Track To Be Browns’ LT

JUNE 5: Jones noted when speaking to the media that he has dropped 20 pounds in anticipation of handling blindside duties (h/t Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald). As expected, Jones is indeed in position to operate as Cleveland’s new starter at the left tackle spot.

MAY 28: The quartet of tackles chosen during the first half of the 2020 first round delivered mixed results on their respective rookie contracts. Tristan Wirfs has become an anchor in Tampa, now residing as the NFL’s highest-paid left tackle, while Giants draftee Andrew Thomas — when available — has been among the best LTs as well. Mekhi Becton, who looked like the worst of the batch as his Jets career careened off course, has bounced back as a guard.

Quietly, Jedrick Wills — chosen ahead of Becton and Wirfs (at No. 10 overall) — remains in free agency. The Browns could not rely on the Alabama alum following troublesome 2023 knee injuries (MCL and PCL sprains, along with bone bruises), and despite picking up his fifth-year option, the team demoted a five-year starter late last season. As Wills remains unattached, the Browns are aiming to turn to another injury-prone option to replace him.

Dawand Jones has filled in for both Wills and Jack Conklin in Cleveland’s lineup, but the Ohio State alum has also seen both his NFL seasons end early. Jones suffered a knee injury during a December 2023 practice, ending his season and further depleting a Browns O-line that had already lost Conklin and Wills by that point, but he returned on time in 2024 — something the Browns’ then-tackle starters failed to do — and played 10 games (eight starts). Not long after the Browns elevated Jones over Wills, the 2023 fourth-rounder sustained an ankle injury to close his second season. He also underwent a cleanup knee procedure this winter.

The Browns, however, did not draft a tackle or any O-linemen last month. As the team conducts a rare four-man quarterback competition, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot notes Jones is on track to start at left tackle. Jones opened as a Week 1 starter last year, but he was then a fill-in performer. The Browns do have part-time 2024 Commanders starter Cornelius Lucas — who signed a two-year, $6.5MM deal — in place as insurance, but the 12th-year veteran’s contract points to a swing role. The Browns certainly needed their swingmen during the Wills-Conklin period, and with the latter still in place after an offseason pay cut, Lucas stands to be important even in the event Jones becomes Cleveland’s LT starter.

Playing 334 right tackle snaps and 176 on the left side in 2024, Jones graded as a bottom-five tackle (in the view of Pro Football Focus) last season. The advanced metrics site was more bullish on Jones in 2023, ranking him 48th among tackle regulars. PFF graded Lucas (464 offensive snaps) 28th among tackles last season. This plan, with Jones unproven and injury-prone and Lucas entering an age-34 season, brings considerable risk for a Browns team with a destabilized QB situation.

The other pieces from a once-formidable Browns O-line are also aging. Joel Bitonio considered retirement this offseason and will turn 34 in October. Teller and longtime Bitonio guard sidekick Wyatt Teller are entering age-31 campaigns. While no reinforcements arrived in the draft, the Browns did sign three-year Bears guard starter Teven Jenkins on the cheap (one year, $3.1MM); that may prove important given the ages of the team’s expected starters. Even center Ethan Pocic is not young, by NFL standards, as he will play an age-30 season this year.

Lucas winning the LT job would stand to give the Browns an extraordinarily rare all-3o-something front, but the team is hoping Jones can provide some youth for the unit. Jones, 24 in August, has two years remaining on his rookie deal. A Browns team that may need to conduct an O-line overhaul in 2026, as its four 30-something starters are in contract years, would certainly benefit from a young player seizing the reins this season.

Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Signs Rookie Deal

While the day was filled with snippets of Shedeur Sanders‘ reps at Browns Organized Team Activities today, the real news happened off the field as third-round rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel signed his rookie contract, according to a team announcement. No contract details have been released.

With Deshaun Watson dealing with injury and the quarterback room consisting of only a 40-year-old Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett on his third team in as many years, the Browns were constantly linked to a rookie quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft. While many assumed that that quarterback would in some way or another end up being Sanders, a historically strange slide led to five other passers hearing their names called before Sanders. One of those names was Gabriel’s, which came at No. 94 overall.

After six years playing college football (three at UCF, two at Oklahoma, and one at Oregon), Gabriel only got better and better, even after a left clavicle injury ended his time with the Knights. Overall, Gabriel proved to be an elite producer who could protect the ball and score with his arm or his legs. He went 46-17 as a starter with the Knights, Sooners, and Ducks, showing an impressive ability to pick up new systems quickly and effectively.

That, contrasted with Sanders, who has worked under the same offense under the same coach since high school, could be a reason that Gabriel’s name has been seeing much more run in recent days as a contender for a role as QB1 or 2. One of the latest reports we’d seen saw Gabriel seemingly looking like the QB2 behind Pickett. The lefty seems to be making quick progress as he learns his fourth new offense in five years.

There will still be plenty of time for Gabriel to challenge Pickett or for Sanders to challenge them both or even for Flacco to get back in the picture. Regardless, Gabriel can now get his mind off contract negotiations and put all his efforts into football.

Gabriel is only the third Browns rookie to put pen to paper so far. Here’s how the rest of the draft class is looking:

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/4/25

Today’s minor moves across the NFL:

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Gill becomes the 13th wide receiver on the Browns roster. While that certainly seems like a lot, keep in mind that the Browns need to run drills for four quarterbacks and some receivers aren’t able to participate at the moment. An undrafted receiver out of Fresno State last year, Gill spent the last two months of the season on the Browns’ practice squad.

The Eagles add another undrafted rookie to their group in Adeyi. The speedy, diminutive wideout spent his final two collegiate seasons at Sam Houston State. He had 30 catches for 271 yards and a touchdown, with another score on the ground. He returned punts for the Bearkats in 2024, as well.

2025 NFL Cap Space, By Team

This week started with a point on the NFL calendar that has been important for decades. Although teams have not needed to wait until June to make their most expensive cuts in many years, they do not see the funds from post-June 1 designations until that point.

With June 1 coming and going, a fourth of the league has seen the savings from post-June 1 releases arrive. That has affected the NFL’s cap-space hierarchy. Here is how every team stands (via OverTheCap) following June 2 changes:

  1. New England Patriots: $67.34MM
  2. San Francisco 49ers: $53.49MM
  3. Detroit Lions: $40.12MM
  4. New York Jets: $39.8MM
  5. Las Vegas Raiders: $36.16MM
  6. Arizona Cardinals: $32.11MM
  7. Dallas Cowboys: $32.11MM
  8. Pittsburgh Steelers: $31.88MM
  9. Seattle Seahawks: $31.21MM
  10. Tennessee Titans: $30.16MM
  11. Green Bay Packers: $28.94MM
  12. Cincinnati Bengals: $27.08MM
  13. Los Angeles Chargers: $26.83MM
  14. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $26.63MM
  15. Jacksonville Jaguars: $26.54MM
  16. Philadelphia Eagles: $25.79MM
  17. New Orleans Saints: $22.62MM
  18. Washington Commanders: $21.13MM
  19. Indianapolis Colts: $20.09MM
  20. Los Angeles Rams: $19.44MM
  21. Baltimore Ravens: $18.95MM
  22. Carolina Panthers: $18.69MM
  23. Minnesota Vikings: $18.49MM
  24. Cleveland Browns: $18.2MM
  25. Houston Texans: $16.3MM
  26. Denver Broncos: $16.23MM
  27. Chicago Bears: $14.76MM
  28. Miami Dolphins: $13.81MM
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: $10.75MM
  30. Atlanta Falcons: $5.02MM
  31. New York Giants: $3.82MM
  32. Buffalo Bills: $1.69MM

The Jets saw their situation change the most from post-June 1 designations, as $13.5MM became available to the team after its Aaron Rodgers and C.J. Mosley cuts. Teams have up to two post-June 1 designations at their disposals. Five clubs — the Jets, Browns, Ravens, Eagles and 49ers — used both slots. Only three other teams made a post-June 1 cut before that seminal date. The eight that made these moves will have dead money split between 2025 and 2026.

Baltimore used the cost-defraying option to release Marcus Williams and Justin Tucker, while Cleveland — in Year 4 of the regrettable Deshaun Watson partnership — used it to move on from Juan Thornhill and Dalvin Tomlinson. As the Eagles’ option bonus-heavy payroll included two hefty bonus numbers for Darius Slay and James Bradberry, the reigning Super Bowl champions released both 30-something cornerbacks. Together, Slay and Bradberry will count more than $20MM on Philadelphia’s 2026 cap sheet. As for this year, though, the Browns, Eagles, Ravens and 49ers respectively saved $9.85MM, $9.4MM, $6.3MM, $6.4MM and $5.6MM, according to Spotrac.

The Jaguars made a mid-offseason decision to release Gabe Davis, doing so not long after trading up to draft Travis Hunter — with the plan to primarily play him at wide receiver — at No. 2 overall. Off-field issues, coupled with a down 2024 season, made Tucker expendable — after the Ravens drafted Tyler Loop in Round 6. The Vikings moved off Garrett Bradbury‘s contract and will replace him with free agency addition Ryan Kelly, while Mason lasted two seasons paired with C.J. Stroud‘s rookie deal. The 49ers made it known early they were moving on from Javon Hargrave, while 2024 trade addition Maliek Collins also exited the team’s D-tackle room.

Derek Carr‘s retirement being processed Tuesday also changed the Saints’ funding. The team will spread the dead money ($50.13MM) across two years. Even with the number being reduced this year, the Saints will be hit with the second-highest single-player dead money hit (behind only the Broncos’ Russell Wilson separation) in NFL history as a result of the Carr exit. The Saints will only be responsible for $19.21MM of that total in 2025. As they did with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox‘s retirements last year, the Eagles will also process Brandon Graham‘s hit this way.

Eight of this year’s post-June 1 releases remain in free agency. The Patriots added Bradbury to replace the now-retired David Andrews, while the Vikings scooped up Hargrave. As the Steelers await Rodgers’ decision, they added two other post-June 1 releases in Slay and Thornhill. Tomlinson joined the Cardinals not long after his Browns release.

Former Vikings DE Jim Marshall Dies At 87

Jim Marshall, whose ironman streak remains the standard for NFL defenders, has died. He was 87. The Vikings announced the longtime defensive end’s passing. Marshall had been hospitalized for a lengthy period, according to the team.

Minnesota rostered Marshall for 19 of his 20 NFL seasons, acquiring the historically durable pass rusher in the franchise’s first year of existence (1961) and using him as a starter until his age-42 campaign in 1979. Marshall was part of the Vikings’ famed Purple People Eaters defensive line, one housing Hall of Famers Alan Page and Carl Eller. Marshall has not joined those two standouts in Canton, but his run of starts is unrivaled among defensive players.

It took Brett Favre‘s streak to knock Marshall’s run of 282 straight games from the top of the NFL ranks. Marshall logged 270 consecutive starts for the Vikings, a run that also included 19 playoff games. Favre did not eclipse it until the first month of his Vikings career, in 2009.

The entire Minnesota Vikings organization is mourning the loss of Jim Marshall. No player in Vikings history lived the ideals of toughness, camaraderie and passion more than the all-time iron man,” Vikings Zygi Wilf said in a statement. “A cornerstone of the franchise from the beginning, Captain Jim’s unmatched durability and quiet leadership earned the respect of teammates and opponents throughout his 20-year career.”

The Vikings did not draft Marshall, obtaining him from the Browns via trade in 1961. Marshall started seven games for Paul Brown‘s team as a rookie fourth-round pick out of Ohio State, and the Kentucky native made an immediate mark with the Vikings by taking over as a full-timer in his first game. He did so despite arriving barely a week before the 1961 season. Marshall predated Eller’s arrival by three years and Page’s by six, yet he outlasted both with the team. The Vikings voyaged to four Super Bowls between 1969 and 1976; Marshall was on the field for each. While accolades on the level of Page and Eller did not come his way, Marshall played an integral role — both from a performance and leadership standpoint — in helping Bud Grant‘s team field formidable defenses for many years.

Sacks did not become official until 1982, but retroactive work on the part of Pro-Football-Reference credits the ironman D-end with 130.5. When pre-sack-era unofficial totals are grouped with modern-day numbers, Marshall’s total is tied for 22nd in NFL history. Marshall, Page, Eller and defensive tackle Gary Larsen comprised the primary Purple People Eaters front, one that powered the Vikings to those Super Bowls along with Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton. The Vikings fielded a top-three defense seven times from 1969-76.

Marshall earned Pro Bowl honors in 1968 and ’69, the latter year doubling as Minnesota’s first Super Bowl trip — one made before the team reacquired Tarkenton from the Giants. Marshall is credited with 14 sacks, earning him a second-team All-Pro nod, in 1969. Marshall, of course, is also remembered for a 1964 play in which he recovered a fumble and sprinted the wrong way into the end zone for a 66-yard safety. While the Vikings won that game over the 49ers, it lives on to this day. Though, Marshall did plenty to balance out that gaffe during a two-decade career.

Among defenders, only Bruce Smith is within 15 starts of Marshall in NFL history. Darrell Green‘s 295 total games have Marshall’s number topped, but the Hall of Fame cornerback is nearly 20 starts behind the revered Viking. No active defender has a realistic shot at eclipsing Marshall’s 277 career starts, and only five offensive players — Tom Brady, Favre, Bruce Matthews, Drew Brees and Jerry Rice — have that number beat.

2025 NFL Trades

The modern NFL features four clear trade windows. While the Cowboys and Steelers’ George Pickens swap showed moves can be made at other points on the NFL calendar, early March, the draft, the 53-man roster-setting date and the November deadline reside as the primary points trades occur around the league. On that note, it is a good time to check in on what has transpired on the trade market between windows two and three.

Excluding pick-for-pick trades, here are the moves NFL teams have made thus far in 2025:

March 1

49ers chose running back Jordan James at 147

March 4

Rams traded pick to Vikings, moving up to No. 172 for linebacker Chris Paul Jr.

March 5

March 6

March 7

Seahawks chose quarterback Jalen Milroe at 92

March 9

Seahawks used No. 52 to trade up (via the Titans) 17 spots for safety Nick Emmanwori, drafted running back Damien Martinez at 223; Steelers selected quarterback Will Howard at 185

March 10

Texans added wide receiver Jaylin Noel at 79, sent 236 to Jaguars in Day 2 trade; Commanders chose wideout Jaylin Lane at No. 128 

Eagles used No. 164 to climb one spot (via Chiefs) in first round for linebacker Jihaad Campbell

March 11

March 12

Bills took Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock at 170; Cowboys chose guard Ajani Cornelius at No. 204

Titans drafted running back Kalel Mullings at No. 188; Cowboys chose running back Phil Mafah at 239

March 13

March 15

Vikings packaged No. 187 in trade-down move (via Texans); 49ers drafted safety Marques Sigle at 160

April 3

Patriots traded down from No. 171 (via Lions) to draft kicker Andres Borregales; Cowboys chose defensive tackle Jay Toia at 217

April 26

Seahawks selected defensive lineman Rylie Mills at No. 142; Vikings traded No. 172 to Rams

May 7

June 2

Pick could upgrade to fourth-rounder if performance-based conditions are met