5 winners (and 3 losers) from the Browns' calculated 53-man roster cutdown

As expected, the Cleveland Browns didn’t have any major moves up their sleeves ahead of the NFL’s roster cutdown deadline on Sunday night. Their only buzzworthy decision was keeping all four quarterbacks in-house — though the path they chose to make that happen has raised more than a few eyebrows across the league.

Third-string QB Dillon Gabriel looked excellent in his lone preseason start against the New England Patriots on Thursday night. He wasn’t sacked, nor was he officially hit by a Patriots defender as he racked up a near-perfect passer rating in the first half.

Gabriel still landed on injured reserve with a new back injury, though, giving the team some much-needed roster flexibility, at least through the month of September.

It was a move tailor-made for preseason memes on social media, as Gabriel showed zero signs of a serious back injury as he chopped it up with teammates on the sideline during the second half of Thursday night’s game. The move was certainly not a win for Gabriel — he now will be prohibited from practicing with the team over the first month of the season while he remains stashed on IR with a designation to return sometime in October.

Gabriel wasn’t the only loser from Cleveland’s roster cutdown, but the team had its fair share of feel-good stories and winners as well. Let’s dive into those top risers and fallers as the team shifts into regular-season mode.

Winner No. 1

Austin Barber, OL 

Thanks to a pair of eye-opening performances in the preseason at right guard, Barber likely forced Cleveland’s decision to move on from a respectable depth lineman in KT Leveston. Head coach Todd Monken hasn’t ruled out Barber opening the season as Cleveland’s starting RG over Teven Jenkins. Either way, the rookie’s climb up the depth chart is very real, and he could be the first man off the bench over veteran Dawand Jones at both tackle and guard if injuries pop up early in the season.

Winner No. 2

Taylen Green, QB

Green only saw a handful of meaningful reps throughout training camp and didn’t play in the preseason until the second half of Game 3 against the Patriots. But the sixth-round rookie will still operate as the Browns’ scout-team and emergency QB3, at least to start the season, after Gabriel was placed on IR. Those additional practice reps in September will be massive for Green as he looks to refine his skills as an NFL passer.

Winner No. 3 

Zak Zinter, OL

Zinter was quietly one of the Browns’ best stories this summer, as he entered training camp in no-man’s land. He was a college right guard at Michigan who Cleveland selected in the third round of the 2024 draft — but he barely got a sniff at right guard this offseason as the Browns spun the dial in search of a solution at that spot. Zinter did, however, lock down the reserve left guard spot behind Zion Johnson in camp on the heels of an excellent preseason, never allowing a single QB pressure in his 42 pass-blocking reps, per Pro Football Focus. He may no longer be in the Browns’ long-term plans, but the 2026 offseason was a win for Zinter.

Winner No. 4 

Michael Coats Jr., CB

Only one undrafted rookie made Cleveland’s initial 53-man roster, and that was Coats, who didn’t even play in the preseason finale due to an injury suffered in practice. Monken voiced optimism on the severity of that injury after the game, and Coats avoided the IR list and was listed on the active roster days later despite the team claiming veteran Mekhi Blackmon off waivers on Thursday. Coats’ story is one-of-a-kind — and his NFL journey isn’t over yet.

Winner No. 5

Julian Okwara, DE 

Okwara made the Browns’ roster as their No. 4 defensive end, but it’s not like he lit the world on fire throughout training camp. He ranked 13th on the team in total defensive snaps in the preseason, per PFF, and essentially backed into a 53-man roster spot with little more than undrafted rookies competing behind him. The season-ending Achilles injury to Alex Wright certainly played a role here as well. Okwara hasn’t played a meaningful role on defense since his one-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals in 2024, but as it stands, he should be in the defensive end rotation with Jared Verse, Isaiah McGuire, and the recently signed Derek Barnett.

Loser No. 1 

Dillon Gabriel, QB

It’s been a brutal offseason for Cleveland’s third-round draft pick in 2025. He opened the spring program as a distant third on the depth chart to Shedeur Sanders, was stripped of his jersey No. 8 following the trade for Jared Verse, and will now enter the 2026 season on IR, meaning he can’t practice until the team opens his 30-day window sometime in October. Gabriel probably would have benefited most from a trade. This was about as close to a worst-case scenario as it gets.

Loser No. 2 

Harold Fannin Jr., TE 

Fannin was always set to be one of the focal points of Monken’s offense, but the 22-year-old will be asked to carry one of the thinnest tight end rooms in football. Due to injuries, off-field issues, and suspect planning, only seventh-round rookie Carsen Ryan and veteran Blake Whiteheart, who’s most valuable on special teams, remain on the depth chart behind Fannin. He'll have to make do without a true sidekick, at least to open the season.

Loser No. 3 

Luke Floriea, WR

One of the biggest second-guesses from the Browns’ initial 53-man roster? The team kept a sixth wide receiver, and it wasn’t Floriea. The fan favorite and Mentor, Ohio, native balled out in training camp for the second straight year. He caught three touchdown passes in as many preseason games — and nearly had a fourth score that was reversed on replay. Floriea did everything in his power to make the team this year, but his lack of size and versatility on special teams likely capped his chances from the start. That’s just one of the brutal realities of the NFL.

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