Tytus Howard has a new home — and a big new contract.
The Browns are acquiring the right tackle from the Texans for a fifth-round pick and giving the 29-year-old a three-year, $63 million contract extension, multiple reports said Monday. The deal won’t be official until the new NFL year begins on March 11.
Howard provides flexibility to a Browns team looking to overhaul its offensive line as he can play both guard positions.
Dawand Jones, a 24-year-old fourth-round pick in 2023, is the only Week 1 starter from the Browns’ offensive line who is under contract for the 2026 season, and he’s recovering from surgery for an LCL tear and hamstring avulsion suffered in Week 3.
Howard, a 2019 first-round pick by the Texans, started 93 games during his seven-year tenure in Houston, including 16 starts in each of the last two seasons.
The Texans appear to be clearing room as they prepare for contract talks with some of their younger players, something Howard knew was coming.
“I wasn’t surprised,” Howard told KPRC-2 TV in Houston after news of the trade broke. “They’re trying to get younger and pay some guys. I ain’t mad. I kind of knew it was going to happen.”
“I just appreciate the support over the last seven years,” Howard added. “I’ll always be a Texan forever. I’m excited to go to Cleveland and turn the city up and help change the program and win some games.”
The Browns fired head coach Kevin Stefanski after a second straight miserable season that finished 5-12. They hired Todd Monken, who was the favorite to become the Giants’ offensive coordinator under John Harbaugh, as their new coach and own the No. 6 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
For the third straight season, the Texans won a wild-card game but were eliminated in the Divisional Round, this time falling to the Patriots in an ugly game in Foxborough.