Browns' Offseason Could Still Take One More Major Turn in June

The Cleveland Browns are set to look very different in 2026 from when we last saw them in a regular season game. The offensive line will be made up of five new starters, and the team’s two best players over the last decade, Myles Garrett and Joel Bitonio, will be nowhere to be found.

Nonetheless, the Browns still have plenty of time and opportunity to keep tweaking the roster, one that’s looking to overcome two straight losing seasons and find a way back into the playoffs.

Given the way things have shaken up during the offseason, we can almost guarantee at least one more major turn before the new season begins. Maybe even before the month of June gives way to July.

If the Browns are serious about a youth movement within their ranks, then either one of the two longest-tenured players on the club’s roster -- or both of them -- could be dealt away.

Browns' defensive backs on the move?

Denzel Ward looks like the easy target, first off. He’s 29 years old, and has spent nine years with the team after being selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s set to carry a cap hit of almost $31 million in 2026, but trading him now would mean Cleveland saves $17.4 million against the cap this year and the remaining hit gets divided between the 2026 and 2027 campaigns. There’s also very little remaining money on his deal, which runs through 2027 with three automatically void years tacked on at the end.

Plus, he’s coming off his third consecutive Pro Bowl season, fifth overall, meaning he’s still playing at a high level, even as he approaches the wrong side of 30.

Despite general manager Andrew Berry stating recently that there were no plans to move on from Ward, that’s exactly what he said about Garrett before shipping him away to the West Coast.

The thought of playing for another team hasn’t been lost on Ward, either.

"I could get traded, but I don't look too much into that stuff," said Ward after Garrett’s move. "It's the nature of the game. Say I do get traded, for me, wherever I'm at that's where I'm supposed to be. So if I'm here, I'm supposed to be here. If I go to a different team, that's where I'm supposed to be. But I love playing for the Cleveland Browns. I want to be here. I'm grateful wherever I'm at, whatever opportunity I get to go play football, that's what I do."

Here for Browns CB Denzel Ward’s inaugural celebrity softball game.

Ward says “I still want to be here” even after Cleveland trading Myles Garrett. pic.twitter.com/eDR46F2kFw
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) June 6, 2026

Then, there’s safety Grant Delpit, a six-year veteran who was picked up as a second round choice in 2020, has also been subject of trade speculation recently. He’s in the last year of his current deal, which has four void years built into it, and trading him now would recoup almost $2 million against this season’s cap.

However, Delpit wouldn’t be such a commodity as highly sought out as Ward. He’s not the same caliber player, and he plays a position regarded as non-premium, safety. Besides the fact that the compensation would surely be limited to a low round draft pick, the financial incentive of dealing Delpit just isn’t significant enough.

Speculation regarding a trade involving either one of the defensive backs grew during the team’s mandatory minicamp last week, with neither one being a real active participant.

Ward didn’t attend any voluntary work before the minicamp, and was limited to just some individual work on the side during full-team sessions. Delpit didn’t even do that, as he was present during the three-day event but did no actual work, fueling theories about a hold-in seeking a new deal.

While minor injuries were reported by Browns Insider Mary Kay Cabot as the reason for the defensive backs being held out of the physical work, it’s still intriguing to see if either one of them, or both, could actually be wearing a new uniform in the short term.

Earlier this month, Berry confirmed that a GM’s word can’t be taken at face value when it comes to discussing potential trades. At this point, dealing Ward away shouldn’t be considered imminent but surely much more likely than it was a mere three weeks ago.

The Browns don't have obvious replacements for the specific skillset of either Ward or Delpit on roster, but getting their hands on more capital could seem more useful, especially if the team does get involved in a supplemental draft bidding war for embattled quarterback Brenden Sorsby.

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