Release Candidates: Shelby Harris, Ogbo Okoronkwo

For the Browns, a key talking point through training camp and the preseason will of course be the team’s quarterback competition. Other position battles will be taking place this summer, though, and the defensive line will be a position group to watch.

Cleveland has free agent addition Maliek Collins set to occupy a starting role along the interior after he inked a $20MM deal to join the Browns. Having selected Mason Graham fifth overall in this year’s draft, it can also be safely assumed the All-American will be counted on as a key contributor early and often in his career. 2024 second-rounder Mike Hall is another defensive tackle attached to a rookie contract in Cleveland’s case.

Given the nature of the Browns’ depth chart along the D-line, Shelby Harris could find himself on the outside of the roster bubble. The Athletic’s Zac Jackson writes Harris is in danger of being cut this summer (subscription required). Jackson also notes that the same is true of veteran edge rusher Ogbo Okoronkwo.

Harris has spent time with four teams over the course of his NFL career. The 33-year-old played for the Seahawks in 2022 after being acquired as part of the Russell Wilson trade. That was followed by a free agent deal with the Browns. Harris has logged 31 games and 20 starts to date in Cleveland, and his snap share jumped from 42% in 2023 to 59% last year.

In spite of that workload, the Browns’ moves along the defensive interior this spring would leave Harris lower on the depth chart in the event he were to be retained. One year remains on the former seventh-rounder’s contract. If the Browns were to release or trade him, they would see $1.68MM in cap savings while incurring a slightly lower dead money charge.

Okoronkwo has also been in Cleveland for the past two years. After showing potential with the Texans in 2022 (five sacks, 17 QB pressures) the former fifth-rounder joined the Browns to operate as a complementary option to Myles Garrett. Over the course of his time with the team, however, Okoronkwo has only totaled five starts (each of them coming late last season after Za’Darius Smith had been traded away). In all, he has managed 7.5 sacks.

Garrett is still in the fold for years to come thanks to his new market-resetting deal. The Browns also have recent draftees Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire in place as No. 2 and 3 pass rush options along the edge. As a result, Jackson notes Okoronkwo, 30, could find himself on the outside looking in. That comes as little surprise given a report from April which stated he was among the players Cleveland was shopping in a potential trade.

Just likes Harris, Okoronkwo is a pending 2026 free agent. None of his scheduled base salary for the year is guaranteed, but the Oklahoma product is owed a $1.5MM option bonus on August 30. That represents a logical deadline for a decision to be made on keeping him in the fold or moving on. In Okoronkwo’s case, a release or trade would yield $3.67MM in cap savings while generating $1.95MM in dead money.

As things stand, the Browns have just over $18MM in cap space. That figure can and will change once final roster cuts are made, and Harris and Okoronkwo are among the notable names to watch with respect to a potential parting of ways in the near future.