Browns Compelled to Cut Bait With Key Defensive Piece

The Cleveland Browns are entering an offseason in which they have countless decisions to make, and most of them will be difficult because of their financial circumstances.

The Browns have one of the worst salary cap situations in the NFL, and while Deshaun Watson's deal is a significant part of it, it runs deeper than that for Cleveland.

In order to get into the black, the Browns will have to make some roster cuts, and that could mean parting ways with some key players.

One such example is defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, who has just one year remaining on his deal and carries an $11.5 million cap hit in 2025.

Matt Okada of NFL.com feels that Tomlinson represents a natural cut candidate for Cleveland, which will have to find a way to escape this mess it has created.

"Their most lucrative options for legitimate cap savings would be designating a couple of offensive linemen as post-June 1 cuts, but that doesn't feel likely," Okada wrote. "Instead, they might have to look at Dalvin Tomlinson, who started 16 games in 2024 and was pretty solid from a production standpoint, as a designated post-June 1 cut, which would result in $6.4 million in cap savings."

Tomlinson registered 26 tackles and three sacks this past season, posting a decent 67.4 overall grade at Pro Football Focus.

The 30-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was selected by the New York Giants in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

After spending six years between the Giants and Minnesota Vikings to begin his NFL career, Tomlinson signed with the Browns in 2023 and totaled 28 tackles and three sacks during his debut campaign in Cleveland.

He's a solid player for sure, but he is replaceable, and in order for the Browns to save some money, they will have to make moves just like this in the coming weeks and months.

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