According to multiple reports, former Houston Texans defensive end Derek Barnett and the Cleveland Browns just agreed on a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million.
The moves comes after the Browns lost starting defensive end Alex Wright to a ruptured achilles this past Thursday in joint practice with the Buffalo Bills. Barnett now adds his third team to his resume since being selected 14th-overall by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 draft, with the last three being as a member of the Texans' defense.
Many fans in Houston were openly wondering about the possibility of the Nashville native re-joining the club for a fourth consecutive campaign , seeing as though quality depth options had been at a premium behind All-Pro's Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr.
Houston Texans fans openly campaigned for the team to re-sign Derek Barnett
Heading into the 2026 offseason, Houston was working behind the scenes to find at least a third defensive end to rotate with Hunter and Anderson. Barnett --having just finished a three-year stretch of 12.5 sacks and two scoop-and-score touchdowns-- was seen as a natural answer to the would-be problem that the roster was potentially facing.
That was until news broke in early August of former Texans first-overall draft pick Jadeveon Clowney was making his return to the organization. With Clowney being in-house again, fans and local media then made a final plea for team decisionmakers to perhaps consider bringing Barnett back to be the DE4 in 2026. Regardless of the exact role, the former Eagle had made enough of an impression with the fan base to where many didn't want to see him don a different jersey in this upcoming season.
Without a deal, Barnett was available for the Browns to swoop in and offer him an enticing enough contract to come and make up for some of the lost production which will be created by Wright's impending long-term absence. It's a great opportunity for Barnett, who presumably believes that he has plenty of juice left in the tank for his next team to benefit from.
Derek Barnett looks like he has plenty of juice left in the tank for the Cleveland Browns
Barnett just turned 30 years old this past June, which is still plenty young enough to be seen as a potential playmaker in the scheme of Browns defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg. As a rotation piece in Houston the past two campaigns, he had five sacks each, as well as him just having a nose for being around a loose football that needs to be taken the other way for a defensive score.
It's unfortunate that Barnett will no longer be a Texans after the decision, but it's great for his potential to extend his stay in the NFL as a productive defender in a brand new system.
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