Cleveland Browns sign DE Khordae Sydnor

Signing Khordae Sydnor to a three-year deal at a $1.04M AAV earns a fair-deal designation on the Contract Value Index (CVI), landing at a C+ that reflects the modest upside ceiling of a depth defensive end on a minimum-adjacent contract. At roughly $3.1M total with only $275K guaranteed, Cleveland is taking on virtually zero financial risk here — the structure is about as team-friendly as it gets without being a pure practice squad arrangement. Sydnor profiles as a roster-filler or developmental piece at defensive end, the kind of signing that makes sense for a Browns team that finished 5-12 and needs to add bodies across the roster without committing real cap resources. The near-zero guaranteed money tells you everything about where the front office sees him in the depth chart conversation — this is a flier, not a foundational piece. For a team with that kind of record still 109 days away from the regular season opener, there's logic in accumulating low-cost options at a premium position like defensive end, where even replacement-level contributors can generate value relative to their price tag. The CVI reflects that this deal neither damages Cleveland's cap flexibility nor provides meaningful competitive upside — it's an efficiently priced roster gamble with a clean exit if he doesn't earn a spot.