The Cleveland Browns are heading into the 2026 season with most of their roster questions settled and one leftover issue still needing resolution. Todd Monken already named Deshaun Watson the starter over Shedeur Sanders to close out the summer, and Cleveland’s focus has shifted to its September 13 opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Now the NFL has stepped in on one of Watson’s blockers. Cleveland closed the preseason at 1-2, losing to the Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills before finishing with a 37-13 win over the New England Patriots. However, the Bears game back in August is where things got complicated for starting right tackle Tytus Howard.
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NFL Fines RT Tytus Howard for Tripping
Howard was flagged for a 15-yard penalty in the first quarter for tripping an opponent, and the league office reviewed the play once film from the preseason opener made its way to New York.
The NFL has now fined the Browns tackle $12,537 for unnecessary roughness (tripping), the largest fine issued by the league throughout the entire 2026 preseason till now.
It matches the NFL’s standard minimum penalty for tripping, striking, kicking or kneeing, and Howard avoided the steeper $18,507 fine reserved for a second offense.
Only one other player came close to that number this preseason. Tennessee Titans linebacker Oluwafemi Oladejo was fined $10,625 for a facemask penalty during a Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks, the next-largest preseason fine the league handed down.
The fine lands during an otherwise strong offseason for the eighth-year lineman, who signed a two-year, $45 million extension with Cleveland that included an $18.45 million signing bonus and $34.5 million guaranteed.
NFL fine money goes toward the Professional Athletes Foundation and the NFL Foundation, both of which support former players.
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