Cleveland Browns Could Part Ways With Key Defender

The Cleveland Browns could ultimately cut ties with one of their key defensive players during the NFL offseason.

Dec 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (94) celebrates a tackle for loss against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images / Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Browns have an absolutely miserable financial situation heading into the offseason, so they must figure out how to clear some money somehow.

In order to do that, the Browns will need to restructure contracts or make some tough roster decisions, which means that some key players could become cap casualties.

Ben Rolfe of Pro Football Network put together a list of players on each team that could be cut in the coming months, and for Cleveland, defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson topped the list.

"The Browns would get the most value from designating either Dalvin Tomlinson, Juan Thornhill, or Ogbo Okoronkwo as post-June 1 cuts," Rolfe wrote. "They can only designate two of them, and Thornhill and Okoronkwo make the most sense from a usage standpoint. Tomlinson would give them the most 2025 cap space, but he also played 65%+ of the snaps, had three sacks, and 20 pressures."

If the Browns designate Tomlinson as a post-June 1 cut, they would save $6.4 millio in cap space. That isn't a whole lot, but at least it's something, and Cleveland needs all the savings it can get.

Tomlinson is coming off of a 2024 campaign in which he played 16 games and registered 26 tackles and three sacks while posting a solid overall grade of 67.4 over at Pro Football Focus.

The former New York Giants second-round pick has been a steady contributor in the trenches for the Browns since being added in 2023, but he turns 31 years old next month and is definitely expendable.

We'll see if Cleveland tries to get younger on the interior, especially with Mike Hall Jr. waiting for more playing time.