Cleveland recently released him for poor production
On Wednesday night, former defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson signed a two-year deal with the Arizona Cardinals worth $29 million with $16 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Earlier that same day, Tomlinson had been released from the Cleveland Browns.
He wasn’t unemployed very long.
Tomlinson had been a huge free agency “splash” back in 2023 when GM Andrew Berry inked the 325-pound DT to a four-year, $57 million contract. The two other main free agents signed that year were S Juan Thornhill and WR Marquise Goodwin. Now, all three are gone from the Browns’ roster.
Tomlinson’s signing was supposed to become the key component of Cleveland’s defense to stop the run. At the time, players signed for the DT position were Ben Stille, Roderick Perry, Mo Hurst, and Trysten Hill to meld with Jordan Elliott, Perrion Winfrey, and Shelby Harris. The club also drafted Siaki Ika from Baylor.
However, out of all these players, only Harris has been consistent. Most have been released and some are now members of the UFL.
If nothing else, Tomlinson was durable. But in his first season with Cleveland, he had 16 starts but tallied just 28 total tackles. That’s an average of 1.75 tackles per game in a position that is supposed to stop the run. That same season, he had 4 tackles for loss, 12 QB hits, 3 sacks, 2 hurries, 8 knockdowns, 14 pressures, and missed 3 tackles.
Basically, Tomlinson was making bank with minimal results. Plus, he only played on 62% of defensive plays with just 623 snaps. Where else does a person get paid 100% of their income and work a mere 62% of their workload?
In 2024, it was pretty much the same stats: 16 starts, 26 tackles, 3 sacks….okay, just cut and paste and you get the picture. This time around, he played 60% of the defensive snaps.
Between the post-June 1 cuts of S Juan Thornhill and DT Dalvin Tomlinson, the Browns will have about $9.7 million in cap savings they can use to make a late addition or hold for in-season moves/carryover.
— Daniel Oyefusi (@DanielOyefusi) March 12, 2025
Tomlinson was halfway through his $57 million when the Browns released him. In 2025, there was a $750,000 roster bonus due on the third day of the league year. The Browns also had the ability to exercise an option for $10 million, so cutting him loose when they did was crucial.
In film study, Tomlinson was constantly being pushed to the side and out of harm’s way. If he could not at least maintain his gap, then his presence was a liability. As the 2024 season rolled along, several media outlets began to question his ability to stop the run, despite his huge contract.
After the season, it was documented that the defensive tackle group was in dire straits.
So far on the roster, Berry signed DT Ralph Holley, Jr. from the Grey Cup Champions Toronto Argonauts, and Maliek Collins from the San Francisco 49ers during free agency. Currently on the roster are Jowon Briggs, Michael Hall, Jr., and Harris. Michael Dwumfour and Mo Hurst are unsigned free agents.
Berry is more than likely to draft a young DT in this year’s draft.