BEREA, Ohio — The Cleveland Browns are doing what work they can on the roster now as they prepare for the NFL Draft and free agency in the next several weeks. That work included tendering six exclusive rights free agents on the team, including standout kicker Andre Szmyt.
Here are the players the Browns tendered on Wednesday:
- K Andre Szmyt
- TE Brenden Bates
- WR Malachi Corley
- LB Winston Reid
- LS Rex Sunahara
- WR Jamari Thrash
Szmyt started off his debut NFL season with the Browns with some struggles. In the Week 1 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals, Szmyt missed an extra point attempt and later a 36-yard field goal in a game the Browns lost by just one point. But that moment didn't rattle Szmyt, who went on to be one of the most consistent and reliable players on the team. Szmyt ended the year 24-for-27 in field goal attempts and 25-for-26 in extra point attempts.
Co-owner Jimmy Haslam mentioned Szmyt as a silver lining to the season and among the reasons the organization chose to stick with general manager Andrew Berry after firing Kevin Stefanski as the head coach.
"Andre Szmyt is a great lesson of when you fail, pick yourself up, persevere and good things will happen. And the signing of Andre and bringing him on, holding with him that first week when everybody was saying, 'You need to cut him, you need a new kicker.' I think we've hopefully solved our place-kicking woes for a long time. Quality person, the team believes in him and we're glad to have him," Haslam said.
Also tendered was longsnapper Rex Sunahara. The Bay Village native, playing for his hometown team, was hopeful to return to the Browns in 2026.
"I have the best job in the world. It's the best job I've ever had...I can't thank this team enough....I can't thank all of them enough for the opportunity and just to be a part of this is something so special," Sunahara told News 5 after the final game of the 2025 season.
Bates played in six games for the Browns last season, starting in three. Reid was unable to play last season as he dealt with a back injury, but he has played in 16 games with three starts for the Browns in his career.
The Browns tendered two receivers as well, in Corley and Thrash.
Corely played in 13 games with five starts last season with Cleveland, notching 11 catches for 79 and 13 rushes for 127. On Wednesday, new special teams coordinator Byron Storer mentioned Corley as a weapon he thinks can help the return game this upcoming season.
"So, depending on who we have available to us on game day, I'm going to play to our strengths in that way. So without getting the logistics of who's going to be back there, but if we have a guy that ... The two guys that we have now back there, Malachi Corley and Dylan Sampson, and I feel pretty good about those guys. We're going to get vertical and then we have Gage Larvadain, who's our punt returner, or was last year. He's got a full year of experience now, so I expect him to get better," Storer said.
Meanwhile, Thrash played in nine games for the Browns last season, recording 10 receptions for 107 yards.
Exclusive rights free agents are players with fewer than three accrued seasons and an expired contract. If an ERFA player's original team offers a one-year contract at the league minimum, the player cannot negotiate with other teams.
