The next two days will provide numerous roster cuts as teams look to get down to 53 players by Tuesday's deadline. For the Browns, most of their spots seem figured out, but there are the usual debates for the final spots at certain positions.
One of those positions with question marks is cornerback, especially with how important that room is in Jim Schwartz's man-heavy defense. One solution might have just come up, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the Dolphins released veteran cornerback Mike Hilton.
Browns should look into adding Mike Hilton following Dolphins' release
Following the injury to Martin Emerson Jr., the Browns will have to move Greg Newsome back outside from the slot, creating a vacancy there. Myles Harden and Cameron Mitchell have filled in there throughout camp, but it remains to be seen if the Browns feel comfortable enough with one of them as the main starter heading into the season.
Behind those four, undrafted rookies Dom Jones and LaMareon James could vie for roster spots after Nik Needham and Tony Brown were let go. Perhaps those two will be back in Cleveland since they are not subject to waivers, but the Browns still could use to shore up the starting slot role. Hilton would bring a familiar face of sorts, as he's spent his entire eight-year career to this point in the AFC North with the Steelers and Bengals.
Last season, Hilton played in 16 games for the Bengals and recorded 737 total snaps, 52nd most out of 222 cornerbacks. Per PFF, he finished with the 24th-best grade at the position at 75.8, thanks to his league-best 91.7 run defense grade on 260 snaps. Hilton has graded out admirably in the eyes of PFF since being drafted, as he's put up at least a 67 PFF grade every year other than 2020. Most importantly, Hilton has been primarily a slot corner his entire career and would instantly provide an experienced upgrade to the starting defense.
It's possible that Miami is letting the vested veteran go as a form of roster manipulation since he doesn't have to go on waivers, but if he hits the open market, Cleveland should absolutely be interested in the veteran corner.