A familiar face from last season’s Cleveland Browns defense is calling it a career. Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who spent part of the 2025 season with the Browns before finishing the year in Chicago, is stepping away from football at just 27 years old.
Ari Meirov confirmed the move after Tryon-Shoyinka had signed with the Eagles earlier this offseason.
“Eagles DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is retiring from the NFL. The former Bucs first-round pick is stepping away from football at age 27,” Meirov posted.
#Eagles DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka is retiring from the NFL.
The former #Bucs first-round pick is stepping away from football at age 27. pic.twitter.com/uQdCta2Wqp
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) June 16, 2026
Tryon-Shoyinka had signed with Philadelphia in late March looking to find a fresh start after a 2025 season that saw him bounce between Cleveland and Chicago.
Tryon-Shoyinka’s career began with real promise. The Washington product was selected 32nd overall in the 1st round of the 2021 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay, and he spent 4 productive seasons with the Buccaneers, racking up 138 combined tackles and 15 sacks across 66 games while developing into a reliable rotational pass rusher on a perennial playoff contender. His stay in Cleveland was brief. In November of 2025, the Browns sent Tryon-Shoyinka along with a 2026 7th-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 2026 6th-round pick.
Across his career he finished with 97 solo tackles, 15 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles over 82 games, a body of work that reflects a player who consistently contributed in a rotational role even if he never developed into the dominant pass rusher his draft position once suggested he could become.
Walking away at 27 is young by NFL standards, but Tryon-Shoyinka leaves the game having carved out a respectable 5-year career that included a 1st round selection, real production in Tampa Bay, and a brief midseason chapter in Cleveland during a rebuilding year for the franchise. Browns fans will remember him as a depth piece who came and went quickly during a year of big change on that side of the ball.
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