The clock is slowly ticking down to the 2025 NFL draft, but NFL free agency is open for business as well. This offseason, the Cleveland Browns have brought in QB Joe Flacco, OT Cornelius Lucas, DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, OL Tevin Jenkins, LB Jerome Baker and WR DeAndre Carter as outside free agents.
With the draft expected to bring WR/CB Travis Hunter to the team, the Browns still have a lot of holes to fill, including at tight end and much of the rest of the offense. Quarterback continues to be a lot of the conversation, including about the draft, which has left the defense as mostly an afterthought.
Many believed that DE Abdul Carter would be the one heading to Cleveland with the second overall pick, but Hunter is considered the favorite and there isn’t a lot of room in the defensive end room for another player. That is even more true now with Julian Okwara signing:
Okwara was a third-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2020. In 38 games with the Lions, Okwara had 54 tackles, 16 QB hits. 12 tackles for loss and nine sacks. The Notre Dame product spent last year with the Arizona Cardinals, where he played 13 games.
The Browns have added Okwara and Tryon-Shoyinka to a defensive end group that includes Myles Garrett, Alex Wright, Isiaah McGuire, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Sam Kamara, Cameron Thomas and Elerson Smith. Wright and McGuire played well opposite of Garrett, while Okoronkwo and Tryon-Shoyinka are well suited as pass rush specialists.
Details of Okwara’s contract will provide insight into his position within the group. The initial 53-man roster last year had just five defensive ends, which means competition will be fierce at the position.