AJ Epenesa will not be signing with the Cleveland Browns after all.
Initially expected to ink a contract with the AFC North club, Epenesa will have to find work somewhere else after the Browns decided to nix an apparent agreement with Epenesa due to a medical issue, according to Daniel Oyefusi of ESPN.
“The Browns won’t be signing DE A.J. Epenesa as was initially reported, per source. Team wasn’t comfortable finalizing the deal after his physical,” Oyefusi reported via a social media post on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday.
The Browns and Epenesa had a one-year deal in place on March 18, and it's said to be worth up to $5 million. Epenesa was even at the Cleveland facility last week. In any case, the deal between the two parties is off, as Epenesa now weighs his other options amid the NFL offseason.
Epenesa, a former second-round pick by the Buffalo Bills in the 2020 NFL Draft, has played his entire career with Buffalo. In the 2025 campaign, he played 15 games with two starts, and recorded 32 combined tackles, nine quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, four passes defended and 2.5 sacks.
It remains to be seen where Epenesa will land this offseason, but as things have gone for him of late, it seems that there is a chance for the former Iowa Hawkeyes star defender to run it back with the Bills.
As for the Browns, they will also have to look in a different direction to address their defensive depth, especially following the departure of defensive end Cameron Thomas.
