2021 Cleveland Browns: 4 surprise cuts to get to 53
By Greg Newland
Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski now have the Cleveland Browns to 53 on the roster, here are the four biggest surprises who didn’t make it.
The day has finally come, and the Cleveland Browns have their final roster down to just 53 guys. With each team cutting more than 30 guys in the last few days, there are a ton of young players around the league that are seeing their NFL dream slowly come to an end.
General manager, Andrew Berry, and head coach, Kevin Stefanski, had a ton of tough decisions to make this year. The Browns still have a few positions where they could use an upgrade, but they also have a few areas where they had a ton of depth.
In the past, it seemed like the Browns were always keeping one or two undrafted rookies, and now guys with a lot of experience can’t even make the final 53-man depth chart because of so much talent.
Keep in mind, the Browns could continue to make some changes as they see other teams release talented players, but as of this moment, below are the four most surprising cuts before the start of the 2021 season.
Cleveland Browns surprise cut No. 4 – Johnny Stanton, Fullback
I’ll be completely honest, I never thought Johnny Stanton had a great shot to make the roster with Andy Janovich ahead of him, but he really gave it everything he had to make this roster.
Not only was he a great lead blocker, but he was also catching and running the ball himself and really showcasing his superior athleticism for his size.
Because of his ability to do it all (even some experience at quarterback), I thought he had a chance to make the final roster. He could have been an ace on special teams and then been a great option at tight end or fullback.
Stefanski could have easily schemed a few trick plays to utilize Stanton, but with only 53 spots available you just can’t keep two fullbacks. After his great preseason, Stanton should find himself on another team’s final roster for week one.