Seven years and ninety-three starts were the first-round pedigree offensive tackle Tytus Howard forged with the Houston Texans. Now that he’s headed to Cleveland, he’s arriving with a promise.

“I just appreciate the support over the last seven years,” Howard told KPRC2, per NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. “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 Texans traded their most versatile offensive lineman to the Cleveland Browns for a 5th round pick and a three-year, $63 million contract. That pick is the same selection Cleveland pocketed when they shipped quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders last season, and Howard didn’t waste any time in promising that he plans to fix the offense and win games under Todd Monken. 

In 2025, Howard was arguably Houston’s best offensive lineman. He logged 555 snaps at right tackle, 334 at left guard, and 132 at right guard. What’s more, he also played 88% of Houston’s offensive snaps. His positional flexibility isn’t just a roster bonus, it’s a coaching staff’s dream.

That versatility is exactly what Cleveland needs the most right now. All five of their primary starters from the 2025 offensive line are hitting free agency this offseason. Howard is now the lone established anchor in a unit being rebuilt from scratch. Browns’ new head coach, Todd Monken, framed it without ambiguity at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine.

“Gotta build it up front,” Monken noted. “That’s it. I mean, it starts up front. It starts in the trenches on both sides of the ball.”

Now, if second-year quarterback Shedeur Sanders wins the starting job, Tytus Howard’s arrival becomes a lifeline. Sanders posted a 3-4 record as a starter in 2025 (the best winning percentage any Browns QB managed all season) while getting pummeled without adequate protection.

Howard’s 3.4% pressure-allowed rate won’t just keep Sanders upright, it will buy him the mental freedom to read defenses, trust the pocket, and develop into the quarterback Cleveland needs him to become.

Now the only real question left is who gets to stand behind the wall that is Tytus Howard, and Todd Monken hasn’t given that answer to anyone yet.

The man behind center still has to earn it

Tytus Howard’s $63 million investment pays dividends only if someone capable is under center. In Cleveland, that answer remains the same as last year: stubbornly wide open. Todd Monken has made his stance brutally clear: he’s not buying the tape he’s seen from past seasons.

“I don’t know why it wouldn’t be an open competition,” Monken said about the quarterback room. “I don’t mean harshly, but I don’t think there’s enough on film over the last couple years one way of the other to say, ‘Boy, we have our starter at quarterback yet, whether internally or externally.’”

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Right now, three names dominate the room. Deshaun Watson, sidelined since tearing his Achilles in 2024, is healthy heading into the April workout and is considered “the frontrunner” for the starting job, per NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah.

Shedeur Sanders, meanwhile, closed his rookie campaign with 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, and 10 interceptions, all the while absorbing 23 painful sacks.

Then there’s Dillon Gabriel, the third-round rookie from last year who showed flashes but only had one win across six starts. Additionally, general manager Andrew Berry hasn’t shut the door on adding another quarterback option.

“I think there’s always the possibility,” Berry told reporters at the Combine. “But we have a long way to go before we get to that point.”

Berry has further stated that he has seen a lot of growth in Sanders, and another offseason of reps could sharpen his skills. Monken, on the other hand, has given Watson a chance to prove himself.

“I think that anytime that you have a player that at one time has exhibited the skill set at an elite level, you’re always going to give them the benefit of the doubt that somehow we’re going to be able to get that out of him,” Monken said about Watson. “I’m gonna let it play out.”

Cleveland has cycled through more starting quarterbacks than most franchises see in a decade. But Tytus Howard’s arrival sends a clear signal: this front office is building around whoever earns the job.

The wall is finally in place. But whether the man behind it becomes a legacy or just another Cleveland footnote, that still needs to be seen.