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Browns place DE Alex Wright on IR, add Derek Barnett

By Thomson Reuters Aug 23, 2026 | 1:12 PM

The Cleveland Browns placed starter Alex Wright on injured reserve Sunday and signed fellow defensive end ​Derek Barnett.

Terms of Barnett’s deal ‌were not announced by the Browns, but ESPN reported it was a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million.

Wright sustained a ruptured Achilles ‌on ​Thursday while competing in ⁠a one-on-one drill ⁠during a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills.

Signed to a three-year, $33 million extension in November, Wright recorded 5 ​1/2 sacks and 37 tackles in 14 games (nine starts) last season with ⁠Cleveland.

Wright, who turns ⁠26 on Sept. 5, has ​totaled 11 1/2 sacks and 98 tackles ​in 51 career games (15 starts) since ‌being selected by the Browns in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of UAB.

Barnett, 30, had ⁠five sacks and 21 tackles in 17 games off the bench last season with the ⁠Houston ‌Texans.

A Super Bowl champion with ⁠Philadelphia, Barnett has notched 34 ​sacks ‌and 216 tackles in ​112 career ⁠games (50 starts) with the Texans and Eagles. He was selected by the Eagles with the 14th overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Tennessee.

–Field ​Level Media