The Cleveland Browns have locked in pass-rusher Alex Wright with a new deal that links him to the team for three more years.
The team announced an extension for the 25-year-old former third-round pick on Thursday. It keeps him with the team through the 2028 season and is worth $33 million. Wright will also get $21 million guaranteed as part of the deal, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com.
Wright is third on the Browns with three sacks in nine games played this season. He also has 24 tackles and nine tackles for loss. He has logged nine starts with the Browns since being drafted in 2022. But the extension locks him in as a key part of the defensive line opposite of Myles Garrett for the foreseeable future in Cleveland.
Browns DE Alex Wright Dealing With Quad Injury
Wright missed all but four games last season with a torn right triceps. He’s currently dealing with a quad injury that kept him out of Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens. Isaiah McGuire helped fill the void, playing on 67% of the snaps against Baltimore.
Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz had some strong praise for Wright after the deal was announced.
“Really proud of Alex. He’s played really good football for us but has been derailed by a couple of injuries,” Schwartz said. “We really missed Alex last year. No. 1, he’s a physical presence for us. He has great size. Some of our best plays on the edge are Alex taking on pullers and knocking tight ends back. Those are things we value. And he really has rushed well for us, too, and has been a good complement.”
Schwartz admitted that sometimes it’s hard to ignore Garrett’s gaudy numbers in the box score. But he looks at the defensive line as a whole unit.
A lot of times, we look at individual performances, and it’s hard to ignore Myles’ individual performance. But when it’s all said and done, the defensive line has a lot of offensive line components in that it’s the production of the group,” Schwartz said. “Alex has played a really strong part of that and we have a good rotation up there. Hopefully, we’ll be able to get him back on the field quickly.”
Browns DE Myles Garrett Setting Standard for Pass-Rushers
Garrett will continue to be the centerpiece of the defensive line for the Browns. He’s notched an NFL-high 15 sacks this season. He’s had five sacks in one game and four in another.
After asking for a trade, Garrett signed a four-year extension with an average of $40 million per year. While he’s racked up stats, has the sack record (22.5) in his sights, and is the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, Garrett’s focus is on winning in Cleveland — something that’s been hard to come by the last few years.
“The main thing is winning. However, many I can get on the way to getting a win that’s more or less in the record. It doesn’t matter to me,” Garrett said recently. “That’s what they brought me here for, and I feel like that’s a way in which we can win. You know, me going in and taking over. So, all things come to fruition, and some of my personal goals happened, that’s great. But now I want to go and continue to play after January. That’s the biggest goal.”
The Browns enter Week 12 with a 2-8 record. They’ll face the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday as a four-point road underdog.
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