Browns’ latest move lands them a potential hidden gem for their 2025 roster

Following the end of their season, the Cleveland Browns have turned their focus to improving for the 2025 season.

The Browns let OC Ken Dorsey go a day after the season ended, as well as offensive line coach Andy Dickerson. Cleveland is still in search of their next offensive coordinator and names like Tommy Rees and Klint Kubiak stand out.

Cleveland made an intriguing addition to the team to start the week by signing a CFL standout who had interest from a high number of teams around the league.

The Browns signed defensive tackle Ralph Holley, who is coming off of a season where he had eight sacks in 16 games in 2024. Holley made 22 tackles and forced a fumble from his defensive tackle position with the Toronto Argonauts.

Holley was a standout at Western Michigan where he played five seasons through 2021. In that time, Holley recorded 138 tackles, 19.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles in 50 games. Holley went undrafted and ended up spending time in the USFL, before landing with Toronto in the CFL during the 2023 season.

At 6-foot and 285 pounds, the 25-year-old defensive lineman is a bit undersized, and that is what hurt his draft stock the most coming out of Western Michigan. Holley’s improvements as a pass rusher in the CFL have obviously caught the eyes of NFL scouts.

Holley will have a chance to impress the staff through OTAs in a couple of months as long as he sticks around. The best-case scenario is that Holley is a late bloomer and can be an NFL player. The Browns have not been shy about taking these kinds of swings to try to find a hidden gem.

Not a splash signing by any means, but the Browns may have found themselves a player that could have a chance at contributing.