Head coach Todd Monken was asked about the Cleveland Browns’ decision to waive training camp standout Luke Floriea, and the verb tense he used in his response was impossible to ignore.
"I was happy that he was a part of our team for the short time that we had him,” Monken said. “All he did was work every day. He had the opportunity to have a couple of touchdown catches in the stadium [this preseason] that he was fired up about. So that wasn’t easy, that conversation, but it was awesome — just his outlook. Just, he loves football, wants to coach. Like, he gave everything he had in the time he was here with us."
Was, have, gave. Monken made it painfully obvious that Floriea — the Mentor, Ohio, native who starred at nearby Kent State — was no longer in the team’s plans for the 2026 season.
That was made official minutes later as the Browns headed out to the practice field.
Floriea was not included among Cleveland’s initial flurry of 10 practice squad signings, and per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the team doesn’t plan to pursue the 5-foot-8 wide receiver even after he cleared waivers on Monday afternoon.
It was the latest punch in the gut for Browns fans, who gravitated toward Floriea’s NFL journey over the past two training camps. The majority of fans felt Floriea should have made the 53-man roster outright, never mind the practice squad.
The Cleveland Browns’ decision to move on from Luke Floriea comes down to one reason
The harsh reality for Floriea is that he probably never had a serious chance of making the team this year, even as he made big plays throughout camp. He appeared in all three preseason games and finished with six receptions for 95 yards and three touchdowns, averaging a healthy 15.8 yards per catch.
The problem with Floriea had nothing to do with his ability to run routes and catch the football. As a depth receiver, your chances of making an NFL roster are typically tied to special teams. That’s the biggest area of Floriea’s game that he’ll need to improve.
Floriea played 76 total snaps in the preseason, but just four of them came on special teams. For a player who was mainly competing with Malachi Corley and Gage Larvadain, his lack of opportunities in that area spoke volumes.
Larvadain competed for Cleveland’s top punt returner role throughout camp, and Corley made the team as one of the main kickoff returners. Floriea never recorded a punt or kickoff in the preseason, and he just didn’t have the size or experience to seriously contend for a role as a gunner or any other core special teams role.
The Browns did announce one wide receiver among their initial practice squad signings in Kole Wilson. He didn’t create half the buzz that Floriea did as a receiver, but he did flash as a kick returner, averaging over 31.3 yards per return with a long of 38 during an extended look on special teams during preseason Game 2 against the Buffalo Bills.
The home-state aspect of this decision is sure to rile up a fan base that has already been in a state of unrest due to the Deshaun Watson fiasco. But Floriea’s upside for this team was capped as soon as it selected both KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston in the NFL Draft.
Monken may have lamented the decision to let Floriea go, but with five wideouts essentially locked in and healthy since the start of the spring program in Concepcion, Boston, Jerry Jeudy, Isaiah Bond, and Tylan Wallace, this was likely never a decision that wavered much on the team’s side.
Add us as a preferred source on Google