Ex-Husky Tryon-Shoyinka Gets NFL Fresh Start in Cleveland

Joe Tryon-Shoyinka spent three seasons with the University of Washington football team, putting himself on a fast track to become a pro football player.

He sat out the 2020 season to lift weights once the COVID pandemic disrupted everything and still became a first-round NFL draft pick for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Four years later, Tryon-Shoyinka has reached another crossroad in his football pursuits, this week signing a 1-year, $4.75 million contract with a new team, the Cleveland Browns.

He's played in 66 NFL games with 45 starts, however he'll go to camp as a back-up player looking to earn playing time.

The 6-foot-5, 259-pound Tryon-Shoyinka, with career totals of 138 tackles, 15 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, will battle for the pass-rush position opposite Myles Garrett, who is considered the best at what he does in coming off the edge and recently signed a four-year, $160 million contract extension.

That's $40 million for Garrett this season alone vs. $4.75 million for Tryon-Shoyinka.

Huskies edge rushers Joe Tryon (9) and Laiatu Latu (56) celebrate a play against Arizona in 2019. | Casey Sapio-Imagn Images

To earn the spot opposite Garrett, the former Husky defender will enter into competition with 6-foot-4, 268-pound Isaiah McGuire, who's played two seasons in the league after coming to Cleveland as a fourth-round pick from Missouri.

McGuire played in 16 games last season and drew three starts, finishing with 36 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Tampa Bay got tired of waiting for more production from Tryon-Shoyinka and didn't exercise its fifth-year option on him, enabling him to seek employment elsewhere.

With Tryon-Shoyinka needing a change of pace in his pro career, and the Browns needing a bargain in finding someone to play opposite the high-priced Garrett, the one-time UW player likely has come to the right place.

Cleveland also is known for its end-zone seating of boisterous fans, which is known as "the Dawg Pound," which could prove inspiring this player who played for the Huskies.

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