Cleveland Browns Lose Out on Free Agency Offensive Line Target

As the first flurry of free agency deals are announced during the first few hours of the NFL’s legal tampering period, the Cleveland Browns have been relegated to the sidelines.

The top interior lineman available, and a target that had sparked Cleveland’s interest, has chosen to play elsewhere.

According to a report by The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, center Tyler Linderbaum has agreed to a three-year $81 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders that includes $60 million in guarantees.

Russini also reported that the Browns were one of the teams interested in signing Linerbaum, along with the Baltimore Ravens, the team that he’s leaving behind.

The Ravens worked hard to try to retain Tyler Linderbaum. The Commanders and Browns also inquired. But the price was just too high. https://t.co/KLVD68xtwn
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) March 9, 2026

Cleveland has a gaping hole in the middle of its offensive line, after watching four of its own key players become unrestricted free agents. Center Ethan Pocic along with guards Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller and Teven Jenkins are now free to sign with any team they choose.

In Bitonio’s case, the seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro is also considering retirement, although new head coach Todd Monken recently said he has already met with him and tried to convince him of returning one more season for the Browns.

Pocic has been Cleveland’s starting center for the last four years, but he missed four games last season due to injuries. Luke Wypler, a sixth-round draft choice from 2023 by the Browns, replaced him last year and is still on the team’s roster.

Linderbaum was not only considered the best center available on the open market, but one of the best available players, period. His previous ties with Monken, for whom he played the last three years in Baltimore, were certainly a factor in Cleveland looking hard at adding him, though the money offered from the Raiders ultimately sealed his future in Las Vegas.

What Other Options Do the Browns Still Have at Center?

Linderbaum’s signing comes after the Buffalo Bills prevented another potential target at the position from reaching the open market, re-signing center Connor McGovern to a four-year deal, and after recently cut Commanders’ center Tyler Biadasz joined the Los Angeles Chargers to a three-year $30 million contract.

Those agreements could mean Pocic is now the best center available still on the market, but he’s recovering from a torn Achilles suffered back in December.

With Linderbaum off the market, the Browns could now look to Titans' Lloyd Cushenberry or Lions' Graham Glasgow -- both of them recently released -- as options moving forward.