Top Browns Pros Struggle as Team Faces Challenging Year in 2023
A look at why they didn’t get any compensatory picks this offseason, and how next year is shaping up.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 24: Andrew Berry of the Cleveland Browns speaks during a press conference at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine on February 24, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images As NFL free agency and the 2026 league year was beginning earlier this week, compensatory picks were unveiled, of which the Cleveland Browns did not have any . From 1994-2025, the Browns have a league-low 14 compensatory picks.
Granted, Cleveland missed a year years as a franchise during that span, but those years wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Each year, we like to look back at why the Browns did or didn’t receive compensatory picks. In short, it comes down to a net gain and net loss of a team’s free agents who were lost (and signed by another team) versus those who were signed by your team.
It does not apply to players who were terminated or cut. If you end up having a net loss, you may be awarded some compensatory picks. The players also have to of been ranked in the Top 35% of all players, which Over the Cap explains here .
For example, the Baltimore Ravens were awarded four compensatory picks this year. They lost five players in free agency last year (Malik Harrison, Josh Jones, Patrick Mekari, Brandon Stephens, and Tre’Davious White). They gained one player in DeAndre Hopkins.