Browns trade Jowon Briggs

    The Cleveland Browns made a minor trade before their final preseason game this weekend, as the Browns traded defensive lineman Jowon Briggs and a seventh-round draft pick in 2026 to the New York Jets for the Jets' sixth-round pick in the same draft.

The seventh-round pick going to Gotham is one that the Browns obtained from Buffalo, so it is likely to be one of the final picks of the draft.

Briggs was the Browns' seventh-round selection from Cincinnati in the 2024 draft and played in six games for Cleveland last season.

Briggs finished the year with three solo tackles and one tackle for loss in his limited action.

Cleveland was likely to make a trade involving a defensive lineman due to depth at the position (which seems hard to believe, but is true).

Briggs was a possible choice considering the Browns used a top-five draft pick at defensive tackle (Mason Graham), signed a high-priced veteran (Maliek Collins), retained veteran Shelby Harris, and still have 2024 second-round pick Mike Hall on the roster, which allowed them to move Briggs.

These deals often are minor, but accumulating picks in the lower rounds can help make a trade happen on the final day of the draft to move up to nab a particular player, as the Browns did in round five of the 2025 draft to select Shedeur Sanders, so give Andrew Berry credit for gaining an asset in return for a player who may have been caught in the roster squeeze but is good enough that it's possible Briggs would not have cleared waivers to return to the practice squad.