Cleveland Browns make final cuts; roster now at 53
By Thomas Moore
Sep 21, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns helmet on the field before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Schwane-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns have made their final decisions in trimming their roster down to the NFL-mandated limit of 53 players.
The team announced the moves on its website.
The team released: wide receiver Josh Lenz, quarterback Thad Lewis, quarterback Pat Devlin, defensive lineman Jacobbi McDaniel, cornerback Joe Rankin, cornerback Robert Nelson, defensive lineman Dylan Winn, offensive lineman Andrew McDonald, offensive lineman Karim Barton, running back Shaun Draughn, defensive back Landon Feichter, running back Tim Flanders, defensive back Kendall James, wide receiver Darrius Jennings, offensive lineman Erle Ladson, wide receiver Vince Mayle, offensive lineman Darrian Miller, offensive lineman Vinston Painter, linebacker Hayes Pullard III, defensive back Joe Rankin, linebacker Mike Reilly, defensive back De’Ante Saunders and offensive lineman Eric Olsen.
Among the released players, we would expect the Browns to try and sign Draughn, Lenz, Mayle, Bibbs, Devlin, Pullard, Jennings, Painter and McDonald to the practice squad. In fact, McDonald’s agent Tweeted out that that is the plan as long as another team doesn’t claim the offensive lineman first:
The Cleveland Browns are releasing LT Andrew McDonald in a temporary move... Will sign to p-squad tomorrow and should be back on 53 soon.
— Brett Tessler (@TesslerSports) September 5, 2015
Noticeable by his absence from the cut list is wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, who may have just become the first player with no track record of success at the pro level to make an NFL roster despite doing absolutely nothing during training camp and the preseason.
More from Dawg Pound Daily
- 3 Cleveland Browns players who don’t deserve another season in 2023
- How the Browns could maximize Nick Chubb in 2023
- Can Deshaun Watson get to Patrick Mahomes level for Cleveland Browns?
- 3 Cleveland Browns who should see an expanded role in 2023 and 1 who should not
- Is Marcus Davenport on the Browns radar in 2023?
It also means that undrafted free agent T.J. Bibbs made the roster, giving the Browns four tight ends at the moment as Bibbs joins Gary Barnidge, Rob Housler and Jim Dray.
Eight of the team’s 12 draft picks made the roster, with Danny Shelton, Cameron Erving, Nate Orchard, Duke Johnson, Xavier Cooper, Ibraheim Campbell, Charles Gaines and Malcolm Johnson all earning spots.
Of course, the roster is still fluid as the Browns will go through the players released across the league to see who else is available, so this is the “final 53” in name only for the time being.