What Wyatt Teller’s Departure From Browns Means for Cleveland Going Forward

The Buffalo Bills gave up on offensive guard Wyatt Teller early in his career.

After Teller's rookie season, he was traded to the Cleveland Browns for a fifth and sixth round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. The Browns saw the value Buffalo originally saw in him when they drafted him. The trade was worth every pick. Buffalo packaged the fifth round pick they received from Cleveland to trade for Stefon Diggs. The Minnesota Vikings ended up drafting receiver K.J. Osborn with Cleveland's pick from the Wyatt Teller trade.

The Browns received seven tough and elite seasons from Teller. He started 13 or more games in five of his seven seasons in Cleveland.

Teller appeared in three Pro Bowls and signed a huge four-year $56.8 million contract extension with the Browns during the 2021 season. The free agency-led overhaul of Cleveland's offensive line has left 31-year-old Teller out of those plans. He's headed to the Houston Texans on a two-year deal to block for young quarterback C.J. Stroud.

Oct 12, 2025; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Browns guard Wyatt Teller (77) blocks at the line of scrimmage against Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (95) during the second quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

Cleveland's getting younger

In the middle of last season's chaos, we saw young weapons thrive all over both sides of Cleveland's field.

Quarterbacks Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel commanded the offense for most of the regular season. Tight end Harold Fannin Jr. made Browns General Manager Andrew Berry comfortable with letting veteran tight end David Njoku walk in free agency this offseason. Their star linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who turned 23-years-old this past February, will be heading into his sophomore season after a dominant individual rookie campaign.

Even young wide receivers Isaiah Bond and Malachi Corley showed small bursts of greatness throughout the regular season.

Carson Schwesinger 156 Total TKL, 2.5 SCK, 2 INT NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year 2025-2026 Season.pic.twitter.com/8XnfFI072f https://t.co/0qLEbzRj46
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) February 11, 2026

This offseason has been about getting younger while trying to stay elite on the frontlines of both sides of the ball. Expect Berry to address the defensive linemen in this year's rookie draft. This free agency period has been about getting younger in the trenches of Cleveland's offense.

Cleveland is taking an interesting approach to rebuilding. They've restructured veteran contracts to free up chunks of cap space like a championship-contending team, but they're using the money to sign younger players that can still develop into their peaks later with the new regime in Cleveland.

Who was signed and who left

For example, Cleveland's front office signed 26-year-old guard Zion Johnson, 28-year-old guard Teven Jenkins was re-signed after showing again why he deserves to be a starter, and 30-year-old guard-center combo offensive linemen Elgton Jenkins from the Green Bay Packers.

Elgton Jenkins is expected to return to his natural position of center under new head coach Todd Monken's system. Cleveland also traded for 29-year-old tackle Tytus Howard from the Houston Texans.

34-year-old free agent guard Joel Bitonio is currently mulling retirement but hasn't made a decision yet. Berry has said Bitonio is welcome back into Cleveland with open arms if he decides to return to football, but there hasn't been an update on that front. Bitonio's indecision led to a $23 million dead cap charge for this season since his contract voided on March 11.

Former tenth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft Jedrick Wills Jr. departed Cleveland to sign with the Chicago Bears on a one-year "prove it" deal worth $1.4 million. Wills battled injury and inconsistency in his first five NFL seasons. He'll get a chance to prove he belongs on an NFL roster still with the Bears. The Browns have gotten younger while still being big spenders who are trying to stay competitive in their very competitive division.

Teller's departure was just another cog in the previous machine being let out the door in favor of younger long-term options.