Browns Release Big-Name Former Viking
Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson spent two years with the Minnesota Vikings, two with the Cleveland Browns thereafter, and now he’ll look for a new employer in 2025.
Browns Release Big-Name Former Viking
The Browns shed Tomlinson’s contract this week, a maneuver to gain some much-needed cap space.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Tuesday, “The Browns have notified DT Dalvin Tomlinson that he will be released at the start of the new league year. Tomlinson will be designated as post-June 1 cut but can officially sign with a new team at the start of the league year on Wednesday.”
Tomlinson will command a robust free-agent market Wednesday and beyond, as teams need proven commodities in the trenches. The veteran defender is precisely that — dependable and consistent.
These are the Browns’ DTs without Tomlinson as of March 12th:
- Mike Hall Jr.
- Shelby Harris
- Sam Kamara
- Jowon Briggs
- Michael Dwumfour
- Ralph Holley
Tomlinson played for the Vikings for two years, arriving from the New York Giants in 2021, one of the few free agents during that cycle to sign a two-year deal, not a one-hitter-quitter. And the investment by then-GM Rick Spielman paid off.
The Vikings onboarded Tomlinson with the grand plan of using his talents as a big-bodied three-technique defensive tackle. Mike Zimmer and friends did just that, but in 2022, Tomlinson transitioned back to his “roots” from the Giants days, manning a nose tackle gig with the new-look Vikings. The strategy checked out because, well, Tomlinson is built like a nose tackle and performs aptly as such.
In 2021, Tomlinson was quietly the Vikings fifth-best player, according to Pro Football Focus. He fired up a 74.9 grade, which ranked 16th among 109 interior defensive linemen. And in each season of his career to that point, Tomlinson had never dipped below a 74.0 score from PFF. It was quite remarkable and wasn’t often touted by the masses. His performance remained consistent in 2022, his final season with the Vikings.
Here’s Tomlinson’s Pro Football Focus resume to date:
- 2024: 67.4
- 2023: 61.2
- 2022: 77.0
- 2021: 74.9
- 2020: 75.1
- 2019: 78.2
- 2018: 76.1
- 2017: 81.0
The Browns must find creative solutions with their salary cap, as quarterback Deshaun Watson’s large cap numbers are setting in. Watson reaggravated a torn Achilles injury this offseason and won’t play in 2025. Still, Cleveland must mitigate his fully guaranteed contract, and men like Tomlinson are apparently cap casualties.
Tomlinson will have no problem finding a new team.
He turned 31 last month.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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