Browns to sign ex-Eagles, Texans Super Bowl champion DE to $5.5M contract originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Browns traded away Myles Garrett, making their edge-rusher room significantly worse, even with the addition of Jared Verse.
With Alex Wright now banged up and out for the year, the need for another edge rusher has only grown. They were already eyeing up edge rusher options, missing out on Jadeveon Clowney and Za'Darius Smith recently.
But now, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Browns are signing free-agent veteran edge rusher and former Super Bowl champion with the Philadelphia Eagles, Derek Barnett, to a one-year, $5.5 million contract.
Browns to sign Derek Barnett to $5.5 million contract"Defensive end Derek Barnett is signing with the Cleveland Browns on a one-year deal up to $5.5M, per source," Fowler reports. " The former first-round pick is back for Year 10, spent previous three years in Houston."
Barnett is 30 years old and has been a solid rotational edge rusher during his career. Over the last few seasons with the Houston Texans, Barnett has 12.5 sacks, 66 tackles, and two fumbles recovered for touchdowns. He had 5.0 sacks each of the last two years.
During his days with the Eagles, from 2017 and partially into the 2023 season, Barnett had 21.5 sacks, including one during the Eagles' Super Bowl title run.
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He also famously recovered the fumble from Tom Brady in the Super Bowl that was a practically game-winning play for Philadelphia.
The former first-rounder hasn't lived up to the hype, but he's still been a solid edge rusher in his career, and is some much-needed help at the position for Cleveland.
This is a cheap one-year deal for Cleveland and is a quality flier for the Browns to take as they try to improve their edge rusher room following the season-ending injury to Wright ahead of the 2026 season.
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