The Cleveland Browns’ first trade of 2026 is already in the system and ready to process at the start of the new league year next week.

The necessary rebuild of the offensive line begins with the agreed-upon acquisition and extension of veteran Tytus Howard, who played right tackle and both guard spots last season for the Houston Texans.

More offensive linemen and at least one pass catcher are probably next up for the Browns, who also could be seeking to add to their quarterback room and will be value shopping across multiple positions. Cleveland traded a fifth-round pick for Howard and still holds two 2026 fifth-rounders.

Cleveland general manager Andrew Berry acknowledged that the team is probably a year “from being hyper aggressive” in free agency. The Browns started intentionally getting younger last season, still hold nine draft picks for this year, and still have to rework quarterback Deshaun Watson’s contract just to create salary-cap flexibility.

But once Watson’s contract and Howard’s extension are complete, the team will figure out exactly how it wants to stack some of the void money for departing offensive linemen and tight end David Njoku. By next week, the Browns will have approximately $30 million to $40 million in available cap space.

The Browns will probably be selective and take more cheaper risks than make big bids at top-tier players, but they’ll have some flexibility — and potentially end up adding six to eight veterans to what likely will be one of the NFL’s youngest rosters.

With as many as six veteran offensive linemen potentially departing, the Howard trade made sense and served as a reminder that it’s hard to find offensive linemen in the first wave of free agency.

Joel Bitonio is expected to soon choose between retirement and potential free agency, and the Browns could also try to re-sign Teven Jenkins after he finished last season starting at guard. Even with the Browns certain to draft at least one offensive tackle in April, the offensive line needs reinforcements in multiple spots — a process that likely will occur over several months.

Who will the Browns look to add next week, and in the weeks that follow? For now, we have 26 names to track. The players below are in order of my best guess of their likelihood of landing in Cleveland. But this is not a fully definitive list.

However, entering Berry’s seventh offseason as general manager, there is at least some blueprint for how the Browns view March acquisitions. Even the secretive Berry acknowledged that offense is the offseason priority, and the Browns clearly need upgrades.

Anthony Richardson, QB

New coach Todd Monken views his quarterback room as one headed for a spring and summer competition. The Browns could trade for Richardson and add a quarterback who’s made 15 career starts and is three months younger than Shedeur Sanders, who’s prepping for his second NFL season.

Richardson is a rare athlete for his size (6-foot-3, 244 pounds) and is under contract for one more season. He’d be a low-risk, high-upside shot, and even if he’ll never be a long-term starter, the Browns can’t stop trying to add to their current room.

Wan’Dale Robinson, WR

How much can the Browns really spend on a free-agent wide receiver who’s not a true No. 1 going forward? That’s what we’re waiting to find out, but Robinson seems primed for a big payday after posting 185 receptions the last two seasons with the New York Giants.

Robinson is just 25 and has done good work from the slot, but he played more than 40 percent of his snaps last season aligned wide, per Pro Football Focus.

Charlie Kolar, TE

Kolar was generally the third tight end under Monken in Baltimore behind Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, who’s also eligible for free agency. Likely is going to get a big contract from some team, and his status with the Ravens might determine whether or not Kolar actually hits the market.

Besides the Monken tie, why might Kolar fit in Cleveland as a complement to Harold Fannin Jr.? PFF graded him among the 10 best run-blocking tight ends last season.

Braxton Jones, OT

A day one starter in Chicago after being drafted as a fifth-rounder in 2022, Jones now hits free agency after missing time due to injury in each of the last three seasons. He’s probably not a long-term answer, but he’s only 27 as of March 27. And if healthy, he could be a relatively affordable player who started games at left tackle for the Bears in each of the last four seasons.

Malik Willis, QB

Maybe the Browns are fine letting Sanders grow into the job, or maybe they won’t spend big on their next quarterback to keep their future plans flexible. And though nothing is certain with Willis, given that he’s made just six career starts, he is a starting-caliber quarterback with upside.

The Browns’ perpetual quest for a long-term starting passer continues.

Michael Pittman Jr., WR

The Indianapolis Colts used the transition tag on quarterback Daniel Jones and will have to spend top-of-the-market money to keep wide receiver Alec Pierce from hitting free agency. If they keep Pierce, Pittman will likely become available via trade or be released.

Pittman, 28, has been a reliable receiver for multiple seasons, and the Browns currently (and embarrassingly) have zero reliable wideouts.

Alijah Vera-Tucker, G/T

He missed all of 2025 with a torn triceps suffered last August, marking the third time Vera-Tucker has suffered a season-ending injury. But he’s just 26 and was one of the NFL’s best-graded guards by PFF in 2024, so maybe Cleveland will be looking to take a gamble at an injury discount on a high-ceiling player.

Daniel Faalele, G

The Browns are obviously looking for offensive linemen, and Faalele, 26, played under Monken in Baltimore the last three seasons. The Ravens listed the massive Faalele at 6-foot-8, 370 pounds, and he started his Baltimore career at tackle before moving inside to guard.

At this point, the Browns might see Howard as their right tackle and could be looking for two starting guards — even if they plan to draft multiple offensive linemen.

Justice Hill, RB

Different position, same Monken connection. Hill, 28, might end up being cut by the Ravens for salary-cap reasons, and the Browns figure to have the addition of an experienced running back somewhere down their offseason priority list.

Hill caught a career-high 42 passes as Baltimore’s third-down back in 2024, but he was limited to 10 games last season due to injury.

Daniel Bellinger, TE

Bellinger, a fourth-round pick in 2022, caught two touchdowns for the Giants as a rookie but never became a steady part of the passing game. He can hold up in the run game at 6-foot-6, 255 pounds, and he averaged a career-best 15.1 yards per catch on 19 receptions last year.

The Browns are certainly going to look to add experience and size to their tight end room with Njoku set to depart via free agency.

Zayne Anderson, S

Anderson, 29, has made two career starts and has one interception in five seasons, but he’s mostly been a special teams player. The Browns’ new special teams coach, Byron Storer, previously served as an assistant special teams coach in Green Bay and helped oversee Anderson’s work in kick coverage.

As you’re likely aware, Cleveland’s special teams have been sort of a disaster.

Cade Mays, OL

Mays has played center and guard for Carolina over the last four seasons. With the top centers and guards in free agency likely to get monstrous paydays, Mays probably fits into that next tier of players who could be viewed as valuable upgrades for line-needy teams.

Keon Coleman, WR

Now that the Buffalo Bills have moved on from former coach Sean McDermott and promoted offensive coordinator Joe Brady, will the team commit to Coleman or shop him after he was a healthy scratch multiple times last season?

Maybe Coleman needs the fresh start a trade would bring, but given that the Bills seem desperate for receiver help, wouldn’t Coleman — a 2024 second-round pick — being available be a bit of a red flag?

Brandon Aiyuk, WR

Aiyuk seems certain to be released after the start of the new league year. Berry has a track record of pursuing players he didn’t get the first or second time around, and the Browns have been linked to Aiyuk in the past. Aiyuk, who turns 28 in two weeks, hasn’t played since suffering a torn ACL in October 2024.

Brandon Aiyuk, a second-team All-Pro in 2023, missed all of last season due to the knee injury he suffered in October 2024. (Jeffrey Becker / Imagn Images)

Romeo Doubs, WR

Doubs is going to get paid handsomely because he’s been a mostly reliable pass catcher who has over 200 career receptions. He turns 26 next month and hits the market after posting six touchdown catches for Green Bay last season.

Jamaree Salyer, OL

Salyer, 25, has 40 career starts and position versatility: he played left tackle, right tackle and right guard for the Los Angeles Chargers last season. With so much uncertainty across the line and multiple jobs up for grabs, expect the Browns to value versatility as part of the roster remake.

Kyler Murray, QB

The Arizona Cardinals plan to release Murray, who almost certainly will play on a near-minimum one-year deal in 2026. The Browns will assess all quarterback options in free agency and the draft, but it’s unclear where Murray might rank on the team’s priority list. Murray will probably sign to become some team’s unquestioned starter.

In general, we’re all wondering what Monken and the revamped Browns’ inner circle really think of Sanders and the chances that Watson actually is anything besides a last-resort option next season. Because we’re assuming Monken wants a mobile quarterback, we’re leaving the Philadelphia Eagles’ Tanner McKee off the list of potential trade targets.

Calvin Austin III, WR

Austin dealt with injury issues during his time in Pittsburgh and never really took off, but he’s been a productive player in spurts and will get a chance to help some team as a slot receiver and potentially as a return man and gadget player.

Justin Skule, OT

Skule saw action for Minnesota late in the London game versus Cleveland in October. He ended up starting nine games last year and now hits free agency ahead of his age-29 season, where he’ll likely sign as veteran insurance for a tackle-needy team.

Brian Thomas Jr., WR

This is probably a bit of a pipe dream, but the Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars have made two trades in the last 10 months. Thomas is just 23 and was the No. 23 overall pick two years ago, but if the Jaguars want to move on, the Browns would be one of many teams making serious calls with Thomas having two years left on his rookie deal.

Josh Woods, LB

Woods was a backup linebacker and full-time special teams contributor in Atlanta, where new Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg coached last season. The Browns figure to have some shuffling in their linebacking corps, even if Devin Bush signs a new contract.

Treylon Burks, WR

The Browns figure to be positioned to take at least one flier on a low-price, high-ceiling bounceback prospect, and Burks is a 2022 first-round pick. He spent three seasons in Tennessee and had 10 catches in eight games for Washington last season.

Jonah Williams, OT

Williams is a 2019 first-round pick who might be worth a flier. Though injuries have limited Williams the last two seasons, he’s 28 and has experience playing both left and right tackle.

Will Dissly, TE

Dissly is a veteran blocking tight end, and that’s probably what the Browns will eventually be seeking with Fannin locked in as a centerpiece of the passing game.

Marcus Mariota, QB

The Browns will probably skew younger with their next quarterback addition. But if the internal thought is that the team believes Sanders has a chance to eventually grab the starting job, Mariota, 32, makes sense as a mentor and insurance policy. Mariota has shown the last two seasons that he can still be a serviceable backup when called upon.

Mekhi Becton, G

Becton was released by the Chargers this week after a bad 2025 season. Consider him a potential option for the Browns if the line rebuild ends up taking a piece-by-piece approach.