The Cleveland Browns added benton whitley to their roster on Thursday, June 4, 2026, bringing in a 27-year-old edge rusher as they keep reshaping the pass rush room. The move gives Cleveland another body to evaluate in training camp during a transition that followed the Myles Garrett trade.
Whitley Joins Cleveland
Whitley comes in at 6 feet 4 inches and 255 pounds, and he arrives with a résumé built around brief stops rather than a settled role. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent, then spent time with the Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants before landing with the Browns.
He has played in six career regular season games. That small sample leaves Cleveland with a player who has enough league experience to know the pace, but not enough established production to arrive with a locked-in spot.
Browns Pass Rush Transition
The signing fits a front that is still being adjusted after the Myles Garrett trade. The Browns are building around Jared Verse as the new face of the pass rush, and Whitley gives the group another option as the staff sorts through depth and role competition.
Aaron Wilson wrote, “Browns signed Benton Whitley.” The timing matters for a roster that is still taking shape in early June, when clubs often use these additions to widen the camp competition rather than solve a finished depth chart.
Training Camp Competition
For Whitley, the path is simple: earn snaps, then earn trust. Cleveland signed him to compete for roster spots and push the room in training camp, which makes this less a headline about a finished pass-rush answer than a chance to stick in a group that is still moving pieces.
The Browns have made the signing, and Whitley now has the kind of opening undrafted players usually need: a summer workload, a fresh evaluation, and a room where the top job is not settled.
