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.

Browns select Jowon Briggs

   The Cleveland Browns used their final pick of the 2024 draft and the second of their two seventh-rounders on Cincinnati defensive tackle Jowon Briggs.

Briggs started in all five years in college football, two with Virginia and three after transferring to Cincinnati, finishing last season with two sacks.

Briggs appears to be a bit undersized at 6'1 but weighs 313 pounds, so it's possible that he can get past the lack of height.

Briggs had an excellent combine where he showed up bigger than expected and ran a faster time as well.

Briggs is better against the run than as a pass rusher and his tape doesn't really stand out in any particular area,

Briggs doesn't appear to have the potential to be more than a depth player but it's interesting that the Browns have invested three draft picks on defensive tackles in the last two drafts- 2023 third-round Siaki Ika, second-rounder Michael Hall, and Briggs.

I'm not sure the Browns can afford to carry all three of Ika, Hall, and Briggs and if they do, that would be bad news for one of Shelby Harris, Quinton Jefferson, or Maurice Hurst ( I think Dalvin Tomlinson is untouchable at this point) but you build depth through competition and arguably there is no better place to have depth than along either of the lines.

I'll be writing a wrap-up of the draft later this week after I catch up on the Cavaliers' awful loss in Orlando along with a road trip post.