With Todd Monken taking over as head coach, there are sure to be plenty of changes coming to the Cleveland Browns. One has already been made, with the franchise acquiring tackle Tytus Howard in a trade with the Houston Texans.
But with every addition comes subtractions. On Tuesday, the Browns released fellow offensive tackle Cornelius Lucas, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. Cleveland saved $2 million in cap space with their move.
In his first, and now lone, season with the Browns, Lucas appeared in 10 games, making five starts. However, he earned just a 42.7 grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking 87/89 tackles. Lucas' 36.9 run blocking grade also ranked second-worst.
Of all the changes on the Browns, their offensive line might be the biggest. Cleveland is going on a complete overhaul with all five of their 2025 starters set to be free agents. Lucas now too won't be back for the Browns' re-alignment.
Howard will though, and for the long haul too after signing a three-year, $63 million contract extension with the Browns. The tackle has started 93 games since entering the league in 2019, giving Cleveland some experience. Furthermore, Howard's 77.1 pass blocking grade in 2025 from PFF ranked 17/89 tackles.
The Browns still have plenty of work to do when it comes to constructing their offensive line and entire roster. That extra $2 million won't make a large dent but should help along the way. Cleveland's Howard trade and eventual Lucas release are far from the franchise final offseason offensive line moves. But they're at least laying the groundwork for where the Bears want to take the unit.
