The Browns are signing free agent defensive end Derek Barnett, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. The deal is worth up to $5.5MM.
Unfortunately, the move appears to have been driven, at least in part, by injury. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Cleveland is placing Alex Wright, who was expected to start opposite trade acquisition Jared Verse on the club’s defensive line, on injured reserve. Wright suffered a ruptured Achilles during a joint practice with the Bills on Thursday, and his season is now over.
Wright, who will turn 26 in two weeks’ time, was selected by the Browns in the third round of the 2022 draft. As such, he would have been eligible for free agency this offseason, but he and the team came to terms on a three-year, $33MM extension in November. The deal, which features $21MM in guaranteed money, keeps him under club control through 2028, though Cleveland will now have to wait until 2027 for the contract to pay any dividends.
Wright saw action in 14 games (nine starts) in 2025. He enjoyed a 55% snap share and posted 5.5 sacks (both career-high marks) as Myles Garrett’s primary running mate, and with Garrett now in Los Angeles, the Browns were hoping Wright would take another step forward.
Of course, Cleveland is also relying on Verse, part of the return in the Garrett trade, to help mitigate the loss of the future Hall of Famer. But even before the Wright injury, the Browns were exploring additional pass rush help. It appeared they had a deal in place with Za’Darius Smith before he took a page out of his own playbook and left them at the altar to sign with the Falcons, and they also seriously considered a reunion with Jadeveon Clowney (who later joined the Texans). So, as Fowler suggests, GM Andrew Berry may make another addition to his EDGE contingent despite the Barnett signing.
Now 30, Barnett spent the last two-plus seasons with the Texans after a lengthy stint as a member of the Eagles to start his career. Philadelphia added him in the first round of the 2017 draft, and while he never lived up to that billing, he did bring some value as a member of the team’s pass rush rotation. He tallied 21.5 sacks over six-plus years with the Eagles, who waived him in November 2023.
The Texans claimed him off waivers, and he produced back-to-back five-sack campaigns with Houston from 2024-25. Prior to today’s agreement, however, there had been no public reports of interest in his services this offseason.
With Wright now lost for the year, 2023 fourth-rounder Isaiah McGuire will have more opportunity to make a case for a notable second pro contract as he enters the last season of his rookie deal. In a full-length piece, Schefter says McGuire will step into Wright’s starting role.
