Browns Make 19 Roster Cuts
The first of the Browns’ 53-man roster moves came to light this afternoon with the release of veterans Tyler Huntley and Tony Brown. Cleveland then made the following 19 cuts, per a team announcement:
Released:
Waived:
- CB Chigozie Anusiem
- TE Sal Canella
- G Javion Cohen
- T Sebastian Gutierrez
- DE K.J. Henry
- DT Ralph Holley
- CB Christian Holmes
- CB Keenan Isaac
- T Jason Ivey
- DE Titus Le
- LB Marvin Moody
- CB Darius Rush
- LB Charlie Thomas
- T Lorenzo Thompson
- G Dartanyan Tinsley
- TE Mitchell Van Vooren
- C Bucky Williams
Barton started two games at right tackle for the Cardinals in 2024, but he couldn’t win a backup job in Cleveland this summer. Needham, who appeared in 63 games for the Dolphins over the last six years, similarly had a shot at a nickel role in the Browns defense, but the team opted to keep their younger cornerbacks instead. The two veterans are free to sign with any team, while the other 17 cuts will be subject to waivers.
Among them are Henry and Rush, two 2023 fifth-rounders who made their way to Cleveland this offseason after failing to catch on with their original clubs. Henry started three games for the Commanders as a rookie, but was waived under Washington’s new regime last August. He spent time with the Bengals and the Cowboys before landing with the Eagles in November and finishing the season as a Super Bowl champion. Rush was a fringe third-round pick in 2023 but fell to the Colts on Day 3. He didn’t make the 53-man roster as a rookie and bounced between Kansas City and Pittsburgh across his first two seasons with five regular-season appearances for the Steelers.
NFL Reserve/Futures Deals: 1/6/25
With the regular season having come to an end, many teams have started signing players to reserve/futures contracts. This allows organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Andre Baccellia, CB Jaden Davis, CB Darren Hall, OL Matthew Jones, WR Tejhaun Palmer, TE Bernhard Seikovits, DL Ben Stille
Atlanta Falcons
- DT Junior Aho, WR Phillip Dorsett, RB Elijah Dotson, WR Dylan Drummond, G Joey Fisher, G Jovaughn Gwyn, DB Lamar Jackson, QB Emory Jones, DE Khalid Kareem, WR Jesse Matthews, DB Benny Sapp III, OT Tyrone Wheatley Jr.
Carolina Panthers
- RB Emani Bailey, G Ja’Tyre Carter, TE Dominique Dafney, LB Kenny Dyson, LB Thomas Incoom, WR T.J. Luther, TE Jordan Matthews, WR Dax Milne, C Andrew Raym, G Brandon Walton
Chicago Bears
- OL Theo Benedet, OL Chris Glaser, WR John Jackson, LB Carl Jones Jr., DL Jamree Kromah, QB Austin Reed, OL Ricky Stromberg, WR Samori Toure, TE Joel Wilson
Cleveland Browns
- G Javion Cohen, S Trey Dean, DE Marcus Haynes, OT Roy Mbaeteka, TE Tre’ McKitty, OT Julian Pearl, DE Elerson Smith, K Andre Szmyt, OT Lorenzo Thompson
Dallas Cowboys
- G Jack Anderson, DB Luq Barcoo, DT Denzel Daxon, WR Kelvin Harmon, LB Brock Mogensen, WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper, DB Troy Pride Jr., LB Luiji Vilain, WR Seth Williams
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Salvon Ahmed, LB Austin Ajiake, LB Liam Anderson, QB Jason Bean, S Marcel Dabo, CB Alex Johnson, G Atonio Mafi, TE Sean McKeon, WR D.J. Montgomery, DE Durell Nchami, TE Albert Okwuegbunam, DT Pheldarius Payne, G Josh Sills, WR Laquon Treadwell
Las Vegas Raiders
- DE David Agoha, OT Gottlieb Ayedze, CB M.J. Devonshire, CB Keenan Isaac, WR Shedrick Jackson, WR Tyreik McAllister, DE Ovie Oghoufo, C Will Putnam, LB Brandon Smith, RB Isaiah Spiller, OT Dalton Wagner, WR Kristian Wilkerson
New York Giants
- K Jude McAtamney, DL Ross Blacklock, C Bryan Hudson, C Jimmy Morrissey, DL Casey Rogers
New York Jets
- OL Zack Bailey, RB Zach Evans, T Obinna Eze, TE Zack Kuntz, G Kohl Levao, QB Adrian Martinez, LB Jackson Sirmon, WR Brandon Smith, DB Tre Swilling, WR Easop Winston
San Francisco 49ers
- DL Jonathan Garvin, OL Sebastian Gutierrez, DL Tarron Jackson, OL Zack Johnson, CB Chase Lucas, S Jaylen Mahoney, QB Tanner Mordecai, OL Drake Nugent, WR Terique Owens, TE Mason Pline, WR Trent Taylor
Seattle Seahawks
- DT Quinton Bohanna, CB Ryan Cooper, LB Michael Dowell, CB Tyler Hall, C Mike Novitsky, DE Kenneth Odumegwu, S Ty Okada, WR Cornell Powell, LB Jamie Sheriff, LB Tyreke Smith, CB Damarion Williams
Tennessee Titans
- DT McTelvin Agim, DT Abdullah Anderson, LB Curtis Bolton, OL Chandler Brewer, DT Isaiah Iton, CB Gabe Jeudy-Lally, OLB Kyron Johnson, WR Stanley Morgan, TE Thomas Odukoya, S Gervarrius Owens, T Isaiah Prince, RB Jabari Small
Wednesday NFL Transactions: AFC North
Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These Bengals, Browns, Ravens and Steelers moves are noted below.
Baltimore Ravens
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- OT Corey Bullock, RB Chris Collier, CB Bump Cooper Jr., WR Malik Cunningham, G Darrian Dalcourt, OLB Joe Evans, CB Ka’dar Hollman, TE Qadir Ismail, RB John Kelly, WR Keith Kirkwood, QB Devin Leary, WR Anthony Miller, DE C.J. Ravenell, ILB Josh Ross, WR Dayton Wade
Cincinnati Bengals
Signed:
Claimed:
- DE K.J. Henry
Released:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Nate Brooks, WR Cole Burgess, T Devin Cochran, DT Domenique Davis, CB Jalen Davis, TE Cam Grandy, LB Shaka Heyward, C Trey Hill, WR Shedrick Jackson, S PJ Jules, WR Kendric Pryor, QB Logan Woodside
Cleveland Browns
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- DT Jowon Briggs, CB Tony Brown, WR Jaelon Darden, S Christopher Edmonds, CB Mike Ford, CB Justin Hardee, T Germain Ifedi, T Sam Kamara, T Roy Mbaeteka, WR James Proche, LB Winston Reid, LS Rex Sunahara, T Lorenzo Thompson, WR Michael Woods
Pittsburgh Steelers
Signed:
Claimed:
Signed to practice squad:
- CB Anthony Averett, RB Boston Scott
Browns Release RB D’Onta Foreman, Trim Roster To 53
The Browns kept four quarterbacks on their active roster, using other position groups to make their way down to 53. Here is how Cleveland maneuvered there:
Released:
- CB Tony Brown
- RB D’Onta Foreman
- CB Justin Hardee
- T Germain Ifedi
- WR James Proche
Waived:
- DT Jowon Briggs
- WR Ahmarean Brown
- WR Jaelon Darden
- S Christopher Edmonds
- DT Siaki Ika
- DT Sam Kamara
- TE Zaire Mitchell-Paden
- LB Winston Reid
- T Lorenzo Thompson
- TE Treyton Welch
- WR Michael Woods
Placed on reserve/non-football illness list:
Placed on reserve/non-football injury list:
- RB Nyheim Hines
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- RB Nick Chubb (story)
Placed on IR:
Placed on commissioner exempt list:
- DT Michael Hall (story)
Kevin Stefanski pointed to Foreman not being out of the picture, alluding this only being the team’s initial 53-man roster. The veteran back, who signed as a depth/rotational option this offseason, should be expected back, cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot tweets. Teams can use up to six practice squad slots on vested veterans. This is Foreman’s fourth team in four years, but he has managed to play regular roles for each. The Browns also have their two other high-profile options — Chubb and Hines — out for at least four games, as they recover from 2023 injuries.
Cleveland considered trading Jameis Winston or Tyler Huntley, with second-year QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson showing enough improvement to have made the 53-man roster. But the team stopped short and made the rare move to carry four active-roster arms. One of the non-Deshaun Watson passers could be vulnerable, however, as the waiver wire will come into play soon. Winston and Huntley are vested vets and would head straight to free agency if released; Thompson-Robinson would need to pass through waivers. Teams often prioritize those players on cutdown day.
Hall is out of the picture for the foreseeable future, as his legal issue runs its course, and Wypler is out for the year with a broken ankle. The Browns designated Dunn for return. This will cut into Cleveland’s eight injury activations, and while the veteran blocker will miss at least four games, the team prioritized his comeback enough to use this early designation. Dunn has been with the team since 2020.
Browns Bring In Eight UDFAs
Here are the eight priority free agents heading to Cleveland as part of the Browns’ post-draft haul:
- Ahmarean Brown, WR (South Carolina)
- Javion Cohen, G (Miami)
- Christopher Edmonds, S (Arizona State)
- Dyshawn Gales, CB (South Dakota State)
- Winston Reid, LB (Weber State)
- Aidan Robbins, RB (BYU)
- Lorenzo Thompson, T (Rhode Island)
- Treyton Welch, TE (Wyoming)
After playing alongside first-round pick Xavier Legette with the Gamecocks, Brown will collect some notable (in the UDFA realm, that is) guarantees to join the Browns. Cleveland is giving Brown $170K guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Standing 5-foot-8 and weighing just 170 pounds, Brown provided a contrast to the 227-pound Legette. Brown tallied 26 receptions for 265 yards and two TDs in 2023. As a freshman at Georgia Tech, the diminutive target totaled a career-high 396 yards and seven TD grabs.
Cohen profiles as an interesting add. ESPN’s Scouts Inc. slotted the interior blocker as the 159th-ranked player in this year’s class. An Alabama transfer, Cohen started 36 games in college. This included 10 for the Crimson Tide in 2022, when Cohen received second-team All-SEC acclaim. The former four-star recruit was a full-time guard starter for the 2021 Alabama edition as well.
The Browns hosted Robbins on a “30” visit in April. They reached a pay-cut agreement with Nick Chubb, and while Nyheim Hines joined the team in free agency, the Browns did not draft a back. Robbins played for three Division I-FBS teams, transferring from Louisville to UNLV to BYU. Robbins’ most notable season came in 2022 — his lone Runnin’ Rebels year — when he rushed for 1,009 yards and nine touchdowns. He totaled 485 on the ground in eight games at BYU.
Cleveland dipped into the lower levels of the sport in its UDFA haul, with one of its bigger-school additions (Edmonds) having transferred from the Division I-FCS tier as well. Reid spent seven years at Weber State, while Gales intercepted four passes en route to all-conference honors while at South Dakota State in 2022. Thompson twice earned all-conference acclaim at Rhode Island, starting 37 straight games along the Rams’ O-line. Edmonds transferred from Samford, having been a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award (given to Division I-FCS’s top defender) in 2021. Edmonds picked off three passes with the Sun Devils last year.