The Browns have already found a replacement for Desmond Bryant, as Cleveland announced that they’ve signed fellow defensive tackle Brandon Thompson.
While Thompson doesn’t offer the experience or history of production of Bryant, he is roughly four years younger (age-27) than his defensive line counterpart. Having just been released by the Bengals on Monday, Thompson also presumably has some level of familiarity with Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson, who was previously Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator.
A former third-round selection, Thompson never broke into the starting lineup for the Bengals during his five-year run with the club (with the exception of 2013, when he started seven contests after Geno Atkins went down with injury). Still, he was a serviceable reserve, appearing in 39 games and and posting three sacks from 2012-15. Thompson didn’t see the field in 2016 after suffering a torn ACL the previous December.
Thompson should have an opportunity to earn playing time in the place of Bryant, but he’ll have to compete with several other players. Trevon Coley, Jamie Meder, Xavier Cooper, and rookies Caleb Brantley and Larry Ogunjobi are among the interior defenders who could see action alongside nose tackle Danny Shelton during the upcoming campaign.