The Cleveland Browns added an intriguing prospect to the defensive line group on Monday with the reported signing of defensive tackle Ralph Holley.
The 6-foot-1 and 285-pound Holley spent last season with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, where he had 22 tackles, tied for the league lead in sacks with eight, and had a forced fumble as part of a unit that helped the Argonauts capture their 19th Grey Cup championship.
Cleveland Browns sign Toronto Argonauts' DL Ralph Holley, per sources.
Holley tied for the CFL lead in sacks last season. https://t.co/tvUWhZSDHg#Toronto #Argos #CFL #Cleveland #Browns #DawgPound #NFL pic.twitter.com/bYjfX9AWf6
— Justin Dunk (@JDunk12) January 13, 2025
Holley played collegiately at Western Michigan, finishing with 138 tackles, 45.5 tackles, for loss, and 20.5 sacks in 50 games for the Broncos. Along the way, he picked up a First Team All-Mid-American Conference selection in 2020 and a Second Team nod in 2021.
His lack of size hurt Holley when it came time for the 2022 NFL Draft, as Lance Zierlein highlighted in a draft profile at NFL.com:
Smallish interior lineman with impressive production but lacking the traits and ability to keep it going on the next level. Holley’s game tape tends to be feast or famine depending on the matchup and the blocking scheme employed on the play. He’s too small to hang on against the bullies but plays with enough tenacity and quickness to disrupt the play when allowed to attack gaps and edges.
After going undrafted, Holley spent time with the Philadelphia Stars of the USFL before signing to Toronto’s practice squad in the fall of 2023. It took a while, but injuries along the defensive line allowed Holley first to find a spot on the active roster and then into the starting lineup in 2024.
Once there, he was part of a unit that led the CFL with 48 sacks, was second against the run (85 yards per game), was fourth in net yards allowed per game (361.9), and was fifth in scoring (24.5 points per game).
Holley never lost his drive and took every opportunity to improve his game, according to an article from last November in The Canadian Press:
“When Pinball (Argos GM Mike Clemons) told me I’d made the team and was on the practice roster, I was like, ‘Great, I’m going to be great at that.’ Then when we had those unfortunate injuries and (defensive line coach Demetrious) Maxie told me I was up I said, ‘Great, I’m going to be as great as I can. Each level I’m at I just want to be as excellent as I can be regardless of where I am.
“I took advantage of the opportunity and excelled at what I’m good at. That is getting off the ball, ripping and running and getting vertical, which is what our defence is based on.”
Since the end of the CLF season, Holley has spent the past two months working out for NFL teams, including the Atlanta Falcons, Tennessee Titans, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, and the Browns.
With Cleveland, Holley will be part of a defensive tackle group that includes unrestricted free agent Maurice Hurst, veterans Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris, and other young players including Jowon Briggs, Michael Dwumfour, and Mike Hall Jr.
