The dust has settled since the Cleveland Browns chopped down their roster ahead of the 53-man deadline a week ago. There weren’t a ton of surprises, although the list of players the team elected to keep varied ever-so-slightly from our 53-man roster offensive projections.
The Browns cleaned house along the offensive line in the offseason, and made huge moves in the 2026 NFL Draft, in free agency and in the trade market, adding reinforcements which management feels will drastically improve the play of the team in the trenches from mediocre production in 2025.
Spencer Fano is the Future in Cleveland
The Browns used their No. 9 overall pick on offensive tackle Spencer Fano out of the University of Utah, a player who had a very positive scouting report prior to the draft. He was one of two first-round picks for the team, as they also added wide receiver KC Concepcion later in Round 1. The 21-year-old Fano is 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds, and he is expected to be the player the Browns build around for years to come.
In addition to Fano, the team drafted offensive tackle Austin Barber out of the University of Florida in the third round with the 86th pick overall, and center Parker Brailsford out of the University of Alabama in the fifth round with the 146th pick. Even pass-blocking tight ends Joe Royer, drafted in the fifth round, and tight end Carsen Ryan, drafted in the seventh round, are assets to the offensive line and protecting the quarterback.
The big splash in free agency was the addition of left guard Zion Johnson, who will hold down the left guard spot opposition the re-signed right guard Teven Jenkins, one of only a few holdovers from 2025.
The team acquired right tackle Tytus Howard from the Houston Texans via trade, while adding center Elgton Jenkins from the Green Bay Packers. The team also retained offensive tackle Dawand Jones and offensive linemen Luke Wypler and Zak Zinter from last season as reserves.
When Week 1 gets underway on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, we’ll get a good idea if this unit is dramatically improved. All indications are that the offensive line will be very good, though. After years of mediocre to subpar play, dramatic improvement would be a breath of fresh air.
