Andrew Berry's trade for Houston right tackle Tytus Howard means the Browns may zero in on Georgia left tackle Monroe Freeling in the draft.
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will be the Browns’ offensive line.
But the first building block was laid on Monday when GM Andrew Berry called on his favorite trade partner -- the Houston Texans – to acquire right tackle Tytus Howard.
The Browns sent the Texans the highest of their three fifth-round picks – No. 139 overall, acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders in the trade for quarterback Kenny Pickett last summer – for Howard.
The trade will not be official until the start of the new league year on March 11.
In Howard, the Browns receive a durable, legit, starting right tackle. He made 93 starts for the Texans in seven seasons. Howard, 6-5 and 322 pounds, was drafted in the first round, 23rd overall, in 2019 by former Texans coach Bill O’Brien.
Howard was a mainstay through three other Houston head coaches and earned a second contract from the Texans.
Howard also made starts at left guard and right guard due to injuries on the Houston offensive line. But the Browns see him as their new right tackle, evidenced by reportedly giving him a three-year contract extension for $63 million.
The details of the contract aren’t on record yet, but it’s probable the Browns view Howard, who turns 30 on May 23, as a two- or three-year player. They can convert his 2026 salary of $17.5 million to a cash bonus and reduce his $17.97 million cap number significantly.
The Chicago model
Howard is the first of what is expected to be multiple transactions as Berry overhauls an offensive line that got old, costly and undependable.
At the NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week, Berry confided he would like to follow the model executed by Bears GM Ryan Pace last season, when he added four new starters on the Bears’ offensive line with two trades, a free agent signing and a second-round pick in the draft.
A key component in Berry’s rebuild would be Joel Bitonio, the left guard who is contemplating returning for a 13th season with the Browns. Bitonio has until March 10 to tell the Browns if he’ll be back.
A key chip in luring Bitonio back could be new offensive line coach George Warhop, who was Browns line coach from 2009-13. Bitonio missed Warhop’s tenure by a year, but Warhop was a favorite of Hall of Fame Browns left tackle Joe Thomas. Thomas has vouched for Warhop to Bitonio. Warhop also coached Howard in Houston in 2022.
If Bitonio comes back, it’s possible that Berry’s next move would be to sign a veteran center in free agency. Incumbent starter Ethan Pocic suffered an Achilles tendon tear in December, and is a free agent, and replacement Luke Wypler suffered a knee injury in Game 17 and has been injury-prone.
A name to watch if Berry shops for a center is Cade Mays, who turns 27 in April, and has started 20 games the past two seasons with the Carolina Panthers.
Berry might also seek another guard in free agency or trade, or he could rely on third-year guard Zak Zinter to compete for a starting spot and possibly move oft-injured offensive tackle Dawand Jones to guard.
Draft ramifications
The trade for Howard surely eliminates right tackle as a draft consideration and puts a premium on left tackle if Berry doesn’t pursue one in free agency.
Thus, the focus of the Browns’ draft attention could turn away from Miami’s Francis Mauigoa and Utah’s Spencer Fano. Both played primarily at right tackle in college and are considered better pro prospects at guard.
The top left tackles in the draft are Monroe Freeling of Georgia, Kadyn Proctor of Alabama, and Caleb Lomu of Utah.
It’s unavoidable to peg Freeling as a favorite of the Browns. He fits the profile of a high Berry draft pick – SEC school (Georgia), young (21), and an outstanding athlete. Freeling’s athletic scores were accentuated at the Combine. Pro Football Network gave Freeling a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 9.99 on a scale of 1 to 10. That RAS, which the Browns take to heart, would rank No. 2 out of 1,512 offensive tackles measured from 1987 to 2026.
Freeling had only 18 starts in his Georgia career. That lack of experience makes him a “reach” to take at the Browns’ sixth overall spot in the first round. He is not expected to last until the Browns’ second pick at No. 24 overall, however.
Which means Berry will have to manipulate the first round to secure Freeling by either trading down from No. 6 or trading up from No. 24.
Or he can simply take Freeling at No. 6.
Or he can take Proctor or Lomu at No. 24.
In any case, left tackle might be the only position Berry reserves for the draft.