Texans Trade OL Tytus Howard to Browns for Fifth-Round Pick and Three-Year, $63M Extension
The Houston Texans cleared a logjam on their offensive line and pocketed a draft pick on Friday, trading veteran offensive lineman Tytus Howard to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2027 fifth-round pick. The Browns agreed to a fresh three-year, $63 million extension with Howard as part of the deal.
This is a rare in-season-adjacent trade that makes sense for both sides. Houston was sitting on more starting-quality interior offensive linemen than it had snaps to give them. The team drafted Aireontae Ersery in the second round, signed Cooper Kupp’s former Rams teammate Jonah Jackson in free agency, and was already paying Laremy Tunsil $25 million a year at left tackle. Howard, who has played both guard and tackle in his career, was the odd man out.
The Browns were the perfect trade partner. Cleveland’s offensive line lost veteran Jack Conklin to retirement last week, opening the right tackle spot, and longtime starter Joel Bitonio is in his age-34 season with no clear succession plan at left guard. Howard solves both problems. He starts at right tackle in 2026 and slides inside to guard in 2027 or 2028 if and when Bitonio retires.
The financial structure of the new deal is the part Andrew Berry will be most proud of. The $63 million number sounds aggressive, but only $24 million is guaranteed at signing, and the second and third years are largely guaranteed only for injury, which gives Cleveland the flexibility to move on if the fit does not work. Howard’s first-year cap hit is reportedly under $11 million.
For Houston, the trade frees up roughly $14 million in cap space and a roster spot that will likely go to one of the team’s developmental defensive tackles after the loss of E.J. Speed at linebacker reshuffled the depth chart. The Texans were not going to pay Howard, Tunsil, Jackson, Ersery, and center Juice Scruggs market salaries on the same line. Something had to give.
The decision to trade Howard rather than cut him is a small win for Texans general manager Nick Caserio. A fifth-round pick is not a massive return, but it is a meaningful one for a team that has historically had limited draft capital. Caserio is in the back half of his Houston tenure and has been more aggressive about consolidating picks in the middle rounds for future use.
The Browns’ broader plan is the interesting story here. Cleveland is reportedly preparing for what one league source called ‘a real run’ in 2026 around quarterback Shedeur Sanders, who took over the starting job in November and has the offensive coordinator (Tommy Rees) building plays around his skill set. Adding Howard to the right side gives Sanders a real edge protector. Combined with the addition of receiver Travis Hunter on the offensive side this offseason, the Browns are loading up.
The AFC North is going to be brutal again. Baltimore is Baltimore. Pittsburgh just brought Aaron Rodgers back for what would be a 22nd NFL season. Cincinnati is healthy and has Joe Burrow back at full strength. Cleveland needs every advantage it can get if it wants to compete for a wild card.
Howard does not turn Cleveland into a contender by himself. He does, however, take a real weakness off the board. That alone makes Friday’s trade one of the smarter quiet moves of the post-draft cycle.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
