Cleveland Browns: 3 cuts before 2021 season that would surprise no one

Three Cleveland Browns players who are likely cuts before the 2021 season begins

The Cleveland Browns are at their 90-player maximum ahead of training camp, and there will no doubt be plenty of moves over the summer.

Competition for the final few roster spots will be fierce, but there are players who are more likely to be cut than others. That does not mean those players aren’t in the team’s future plans, however.

Here are three guys who likely won’t make the final 53, but could hand around nonetheless.

3. FB Johnny Stanton

Originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Minnesota Vikings in 2018, Stanton spent the 2020 campaign on the Browns practice squad, filling in for starter Andy Janovich in Week 11. Janovich cost Cleveland a sixth-rounder to acquire, and as long as he’s on the team, he will be the lone fullback on the active roster. Janovich is 28 years old, under contract through 2022, and is one of the best fullbacks in the league.

Kevin Stefanski uses the fullback more than most teams; Janovich and Stanton combined for the seventh-most fullback snaps in the NFL, and only 14 teams used a fullback at all. The Browns brought Janovich in for a reason, and they intend to keep him.

However, he no longer carries any dead cap if cut, and it’s not unreasonable to think the team views Stanton as Janovich’s replacement at some point. It likely won’t be this year, but it’s a near certainty that Stanton will remain on the practice squad, provided no other team claims him off waivers.